Wednesday 28th August

Split, Croatia

Today is another early start and a tender port.  I have organised a private tour to the Krka National Park.  We met at 7.30am and were off the ship by 7.50 to meet our guide, Maja who had just arrived.

The plan was to drive to Krka which is about 1.15 hours on the motorway, spend about 1.30 hours walking through the lakes then travel back the coast road calling into Sibenik to see the cathedral and a look around the town then a quick drive through Trogir before arriving back at Split.

All went to plan until we got to the National Park.  Just as we got out of the car the we had a massive electrical storm so it was decided we would sit out the storm in the shelter of the park cafe/bar.  A couple of plates of hot chips and the local rakija, a herbal local brew a bit like grappa.

The sun eventually came out and we saw the lakes and river in all their glory.  With its 7 travertine barriers the Krka River is a natural karst phenomenon.   The falls were very beautiful and quite different to Plitvice in Croatia and probably not quite as spectacular but worth seeing.

As we our schedule was interrupted by rain we decided to head straight back to Split via the motorway which then gave us time to walk through the Diocletian Palace and around the waterfront markets before heading back to the ship for the last tender at 4.15pm.  A very enjoyable day and well looked after by our guide Maja.

Tuesday 27th August

Koper, Slovenia

We arrived in Koper early in the morning.  We had a private tour to Ljubljana and Lake Bled arranged with some fellow cruisers.

We ordered room service breakfast for 6.30am with the plan to meet our group of 8 at 7.45am.

All went to plan and our guide, Adrianna was there to meet us.  We went firstly to the Bled Castle which took about 1.15 hours on the motorway and was only 15 minutes from the Austrian border.  The castle overlooked the lake with a church on an island in the middle.  Apparently the church has a lot of stairs from the water and the tradition is if you get married on the island the groom has to carry his bride up all the stairs to the church!!  A true act of love....

After exploring the castle we headed to the lake to sample the traditional cake of Slovenia which just happened to be a custard slice... Yes my fav!!  It was a contest as to who was going to eat the cake first me on the bees!!!! They certainly were hovering causing all sorts of hysteria.

We then headed back down the highway to Ljubljana, the political and cultural capital of Slovenia which features a mix of Renaissance, Baroque and Art Nouveau architecture.  

Ljubljana is in the middle of Slovenia and is basically 1 hour away from Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia and has a vibrant population including over 60,000 students.

After a walk through the town which traffic is banned from we headed back to Koper but not before trying some of the freshly caught calamari from the local produce market.  Sadly since joining the EU most of their produce is brought in and not grown locally.  Our guide said that a lot of costs have increased 300% since joining the EU.

After arriving back at Koper where the Dawn was waiting, Adrianna took us for a quick walk though the walled town and back to the ship along the waterfront.  A lovely little town but not enough to occupy you for a full day.  Back on board 5 minutes before curfew so a good day all round.  We set sail now for Split in Croatia. 

An aerial view of the castle taken from a photo

A view of Lake Bled and the church on the island from a window in the castle.

A view from a window at the back of the castle.

These wooden boats are very old and passed down through the family from generation to generation.  There are no motor boats allowed on Lake Bled.

Ljubljana 

There are two guys here... Very clever stunt.  Lots of people taking photos but not much money being left.

Traditional cake for important occasions like weddings and funerals... Walnut and pastry.

Beautiful fresh produce at the market

Koper

The welcome back on board band having a break.

Monday 26th August

Well today is the day we are coming home... 46 days by sea!!! We spent a leisurely morning enjoying our last breakfast overlooking the canal in Venice.  After breakfast we were on a mission to stock up on  beef and wine before heading to the ship.  Mission complete from the local supermarket.  With our bags jammed packed we headed for the ship around 1ish via the vaporetta to the people mover which is a light rail system to the port then a VERY LONG trek to get to the ship.  Once on board we unpacked and headed for the dining room for a late lunch.  Our cabin is very comfortable and even more so after we had the king bed separated into two singles which gave us more room to walk around in the cabin.  We sailed out of Venice at 10pm which we watched up on deck and a late night to bed at 1am.  Not ideal when we had to be up early (6.30am) for our private tour to Lake Bled and Ljubljana in Slovenia.

Sunday 25th August

We woke to another beautiful day, a bit cooler to what it has been which was a blessing.  Breakfast was fairly basic in comparison to what we have been used to but it filled the spot.  The plan in the morning was to do our own thing and then meet up for lunch then go on the vaporetta (a boat system that's like a bus as there are no roads here) to one of the other islands.  We got a 48 hour ticket for 30 euros (not that cheap) so we had to get our money's worth didn't we!!  You can imagine we have covered every inch of Venice on the vaporetta.  They are very noisy, have lots of fumes, are very crowded and bash into the wharfs.  You would not believe that we bumped into each other TWICE when we were doing our own thing.  On this trip so far Peter has bumped into a guy that he used to work with in the corridor at the hotel we stayed in Sydney before departure, he also literally bumped into one of Jess' friends while shopping in the menswear section at John Lewis in London (yes the menswear as we were shopping for a dinner shirt for Peter!!) and last night we went to the rooftop of our hotel to take some pics and met another couple from Aus who are going on the same cruise as us and they are from Newcastle and they are from Merewether.... It's a small world!! And no we didn't know them but we do now..... Ray and Annette.

Back to our day... after we rendezvoused we set off for Lido which is where all the beaches are and the old Lido Hotel that is now vacant and going into disrepair.  What a waste as it is across the road from the beach and a very grand old building.  After Lido we went to the island of Murana where all the glass that Venice is famous for is made.  Thankfully all the shops were closed by the time we arrived.

The sky looked like we were going to have a massive storm and I had recollections of the last time we were in Venice and got totally drenched coming back from Burano.  The rain came just as we were going out for a late dinner but that didn't deter us from another feed!!  Another late night and another great day.  Tomorrow we board our home for 7 weeks.... Can't wait!!!

Lido

Murano

View from the rooftop of our hotel