Makarska, Croatia

Makarska, Croatia, located on a bay between the Adriatic sea and Biokovo mountains, was the beach destination that we all looked forward to for the first half of the trip. We rented a four bedroom apartment owned by a Croat couple who lived a few blocks away who eagerly greeted us upon arrival. They helped us with our bags, proudly showed us their modern/eclectic pad, left the fridge stocked with some Croatian beer and homemade fruit salad (delicious combination of cherries, peaches, and plums), and told us that we were their first official guests. Not really what parents of two toddlers wants to hear about a place that is not child proofed in the slightest (e.g. white leather coach = coloring not allowed in the house), but we quickly made some modifications and no damage was done. We had air conditioning and two balconies, one of which with seaside views. There was a nearby park for the kids to play at in the evenings, with clear views of the mountain range, and multiple bakeries and markets a short distance away. In short, it was a really nice home away from home for five nights.

Day 1: We arrived in Makarska later than planned and very tired/dehydrated from our hike in Plitvice that morning. Macaroni and cheese was for dinner followed by a quick tour of the city with one of our hosts, including a stop at Cubano beach at the request of the kiddos.

Day 2: Our first full day in town we had a surprise reunion with friends who happened to be in the same area at the same time. They suggested we meet at Brela Beach and we're so glad that they did. The water was clear blue, there was a rock for jumping, and the weather was perfect. The kids were both asleep in the car by the time we got home. 

Day 3: We grabbed some different filled pastries from a bakery down the street for the road and spent the day in Mostar.  

Day 4: Drove to Split for the morning and spent the afternoon at Brela beach. The waves were super strong, so the kids played in a natural kiddie pool formed by boulders. 

Day 5: When it looked like rain was imminent, we took the morning to explore Makarska's port and Donja Luka beach playground area, as well as have a nice seafood lunch at a local restaurant. We made one last trip to Cubano beach in the evening and packed up for our morning departure to Austria. 

Cubano Beach in Makarska

Rain in the distance.

Final Impressions: Makarska was a great home base for all that we wanted to see and do in this area of Croatia. It was clean, felt safe, and we would definitely recommend the area (and our apartment for that matter) to anyone wanting to follow a similar itinerary of day trips and beach time. We could have used one additional dedicated beach day for the kids, but we thoroughly enjoyed the time we had there. Croatia, you and your people exceeded every expectation we had of you. It would be wonderful to return some day.

Split, Croatia

While staying in Makarska, we took a day trip (1.5 hr drive) to Split. The main draw was to see the ruins of Diocletian's 4th-century Roman Palace, built as a retirement home for the emperor and eventually abandoned when Slavic invaders came to town. We entered through the Brass gate, walked down a covered interior hall, and emerged in the open-air Peristyle. This main square was quite impressive, housing a cathedral, numerous columns, a lonely black sphinx (the only one left from the original 13), and throngs of tourists. We heard an impressive snippet from some klapa singers in the entry vestibule (this isn't our video, but click here and skip to 1:25 when the music starts; oh, how I miss singing in an a capella choir) and admired the craftsmanship of more than 2,000 slaves that apparently died during the rapid construction of this place.

At some point we stumbled upon and were impressed by People's Square (former main square in town) and Radic Brother's Square with a Venetian citadel octagonal tower and sculpture of poet Marko Marulic (father of Croatian language).

Eventually we sought out lunch. Matt and Anders enjoyed their first ćevapčići (grilled Balkan meat), and Elie, Hazel and I had a calzone-like item, pizza, and soparnik (thin layer of spinach, onion, of olive oil between two flat crusts), respectively.

We ended with a ramble along the bright and beautiful, palm tree-lined Riva (harbor)...

Final impressions: Split exceeded our expectations. As with Ljubljana, it felt a little bit like we were in a lighter, cleaner version of Italy (a compact seaside Rome, to be exact). Whereas ruins in Rome are spread out around the city and are separate entities to seek out, this town was basically built within and around it's walls, which created a maze of alleyways lined with cafes and other shops.  It was easy to forget that we were still walking through the palace ruins until we would come across some beautiful arched doorway or courtyard that was clearly within the palace walls. One day was all we needed in Split, but we (the adults) were certainly glad we made the trip. The kids, on the other hand, were anxious to get back to the beach. 

Plitvice Lakes National Park

From Ljubljana, we drove to a rental house (or sobe) in Rakovica, about 20 minutes outside of Plitvice Lakes National Park or Plitvička Jezera Nacionalni Park . The house was super clean and comfortable, with a living room, three bedrooms, 3 bath/showers, a kitchen, and 2 balconies. It's a shame we only had one night here. We bought groceries at a market across the street and based on what was available and looked fresh, came up with our very own "Croatian hash" dish - sausage, potatoes, roasted carrrot and peppers - with garlic bread. It was probably the most delicious meal we made on the trip. 

We were up bright and early the next morning for a quick Skype call with family celebrating a belated fourth of July back home before setting out for a day of hiking. We had no trouble finding parking in a lot near Entrance 1. Upon entering the national park, this was our first view. Turquoise blue water, multiple water falls, and a rope bridge- think of an Indiana Jones set, but the real deal.

The views that followed had no trouble maintaining our travelers high.  We descended a canyon to the Lower Lakes (Donja Jezera) and walked along a boardwalk around the pristine Lake Kaluderovac; so clear, you could see countless small trout swimming along the shore. We took a short detour to see Veliki Slap, the biggest waterfall in the park, and as we continued around the Lower Lakes, couldn't help but repeatedly comment on the color of the water. It was seriously an unnatural hue of turquoise blue, which can apparently be attributed to (as interpreted by Matt):  the surrounding limestone having dissolved over time into calcium carbonate which then is transformed (magically by the lake-waterfall-wisp system) into travertine (mythical rock); this travertine dust settles on the bottom of the lakes, reflecting sunlight and the sky to create emiscient blue (a made up shade of blue was necessary).

Lake Kaluderovac.

Trout.

Veliki Slap (Big Waterfall).

Elie by one of the Lower Lakes.

Our next detour off the path was to Supljara "Bottomless" Cave. Apparently this was the site of multiple German Westerns, complete with German-speaking Native Americans, and definitely worth spending a few minutes checking out. 

From here, we continued around the lakes and eventually came upon a clearing with picnic tables, toilets, and a small food station. We unpacked our picnic lunch of meat, cheese, apples, etc., rested our backs, and waited for a shuttle boat that would take us to the Upper Lakes (Gornja Jezera). There was some confusion about which side of the lake we wanted to be on, so we rode back and forth across Lake Kozjak a couple of times before ending up at the P2 dock and continuing our hike around the Upper Lakes. Thankfully, our entry fee to the park covered all boat shuttle and tram rides, so it wasn't too big of a deal. 

We followed the trail to Gradinsko Lake, which according to Rick Steves (who's recommended hike we followed to a tee), boasts the best scenery in the whole park. At the time, I disagreed with Rick completely, as I was blown away by our initial views around the Lower Lakes; though now I see that the photos really are stunning. The way the water falls came down in all directions reminded me of a human fist trying to contain running water. We were literally being sprayed by the waterfall while standing on the boardwalk a ways away.

Because the falls apparently become few and far between the further you go (and because we had kids strapped to our bodies), we were content to barely touch the bottom portion of the Upper Lakes and found our way to a tram that drove us part of the way to our starting point. 

Lake Kozjak.

The final views on our hike from the ST1 tram stop to Entrance 1 were a wonderful finale- all of the beautiful views from the first part of our hike from an upper vantage point. I think it helped to fully appreciate what a natural wonder this place really is. 

Final Impressions: Plitvice Lakes National Park was potentially the most beautiful place we've ever been. If you have a chance to see it, do.

Ljubliana, Slovenia

Ljubljana, Slovenia was our first stop on an 11-day, approximately 2,000 mile road trip through Europe. We rented apartments or houses at each of our four destinations (Slovenia, Plitvice Lakes and Makarska Croatia, as well as Austria), which allowed us to have separate bedrooms, cook a majority of meals at "home", do some laundry, and park our large car safely and without hassle.  

We arrived in this capital city on the evening of July 3, and woke up on July 4 ready to explore. Most sights are on or a short walk from the Ljubljanica River which bisects the city.

Our home for two nights in Ljubljana.

We walked along the west, more Baroque side of the river, taking note of Cobbler's Bridge (designed by beloved Slovene architect Jože Plečnik and named for the shoemakers who used to sell their wares along the river), and then stopping at Congress Square. This grassy park is surrounded by impressive buildings (University, Philharmonic Hall, a church, and mansion) and we happened to stumble upon a small jazz band playing an informal concert. We stayed for quite a while, as the park was extremely pleasant and the kids were in the mood to dance.  

Cobbler's Bridge

Congress Square

We kept walking along the river, passing the so-called Ugly Duckling Bridge (boring wood) until reaching Preseren Square. Pedestrian only Preseren Square is a main thoroughfare, and includes the pretty pink Franciscan Church of St. Mary; a unique statue of France Prešeren, Slovenia's greatest poet, being inspired by a Muse; and Triple Bridge, so named for the three side-by-side bridges built (the middle one already existed and Plečnik added the other two) to more efficiently allow traffic to pass from one side of the bridge to the other.

Pink Church of St. Mary from afar.

Elie on Triple Bridge

We eventually crossed Triple Bridge and perused a limited selection of souvenirs along the riverside colonnade before grabbing lunch from an impressive food market right across from Triple Bridge. The kids ate burgers (one of the only guaranteed nut and egg free options available), Matt chose Egyptian chicken schawarma, and I had a delicious Persian chicken/veggie combo with rice. 

We walked on to padlock covered Butcher's Bridge (young couples lock padlocks to the bridge railing as a symbol of their love) and Dragon Bridge. The dragon has long been the symbol of Ljubljana, after someone important supposedly killed one nearby, so seeing the Art Nouveau dragon bridge was a highlight, or at least we tried to build it up as one for the kids- a dragon in the city! Hazel was amused, but only temporarily. City touring can be a little dull for the three and under crowd. 

We followed up lunch with some Cockta, the Slovene substitute for Coca Cola, that tasted a lot like an orange creamsicle dipped in Coke.

Later we passed by the main market square very briefly, stopping only to check out a fresh from the farm dairy vending machine and these Kontrolna Tehtnica scales in wooden kiosks that allow shoppers to check whether sellers weighted their produce purchases correctly.

In search of the perfect souvenir (which we never found), we stumbled upon the sleepy Town Square, saw the Town Hall  and a replica Fountain of Three Carniolian Rivers.  

 We didn't make it up to the castle, though we would have liked to if we had a bit more time, as it undoubtedly provides excellent views of the city.  But when traveling with kids, we have to pick and choose.

Dinner was huge take-away slices from Ljubljanski Dvor Pizza followed by more playtime in the very pleasant Congress Square. The next morning, the kids, Elie, and I enjoyed one more walk along the river while Matt loaded up the van, and we were off to our next destination: Plitvice Lakes National Park.

Final impressions: Ljubljana was an extremely pleasant, pedestrian friendly, laid back town. Given the numerous bridges spanning the river throughout the city, it reminded us of a much cleaner, less run down version of Venice.  Some of the building exteriors were crumbling and warn, but that only added to the charm. We are spoiled by the abundance of playgrounds in Germany, and Ljubjana was noticeably lacking in this department. It seemed like a youthful town, full of college students rather than small children needing a place to climb and play. English was widely spoken and with less reluctance (or resentment) than we have become accustomed to, perhaps in part because of the youthful population. An additional day or two would have been enjoyable to check out the castle and explore more of Tivoli Park (with kids), or lazily pass an afternoon away with a book or a deck of cards at a quiet cafe (without kids). We're very pleased to have made the trip.