There are a lot new things to update all of you on, as usual, but I’ll start from where I left off from the last post-when Chris
(my big brother!) visited me here in Europe last month.
This was his first time abroad, not counting a cruise our family went on when we were younger and docked in Jamaica and Mexico for an afternoon. This was also our first time taking a trip together just by ourselves, so we were both excited to explore Slovenia and Croatia together.
Before I begin with our journey, here are some things to note about our trip:
-We traveled by bus, besides one night train at the beginning-Chris started off the trip with no more than 5 hours of sleep in three days.
-Chris wanted to go to the bakery and drink at least one cappuccino every morning…EVERY morning.
-Chris asked if I thought he could lose 10 pounds during the span of our trip. Reread the last bullet and you’ll know the answer.
-Slovenian and Croatian languages are similar to Macedonia so mostly I was able to get my point across.
-Being in a country where languages and accents are everywhere, when Chris talked to locals, he tended to have an accent that he thought resembled the Slavic English accent.
Yes, this is Chris in Slovenia with 4 scoops of gelato.
(my big brother!) visited me here in Europe last month.
This was his first time abroad, not counting a cruise our family went on when we were younger and docked in Jamaica and Mexico for an afternoon. This was also our first time taking a trip together just by ourselves, so we were both excited to explore Slovenia and Croatia together.
Before I begin with our journey, here are some things to note about our trip:
-We traveled by bus, besides one night train at the beginning-Chris started off the trip with no more than 5 hours of sleep in three days.
-Chris wanted to go to the bakery and drink at least one cappuccino every morning…EVERY morning.
-Chris asked if I thought he could lose 10 pounds during the span of our trip. Reread the last bullet and you’ll know the answer.
-Slovenian and Croatian languages are similar to Macedonia so mostly I was able to get my point across.
-Being in a country where languages and accents are everywhere, when Chris talked to locals, he tended to have an accent that he thought resembled the Slavic English accent.
Yes, this is Chris in Slovenia with 4 scoops of gelato.
Belgrade, Serbia
We first met in Belgrade, since that is where his flight flew in. We had arranged a friend of a friend to pick him up at the airport-his name is Milan and he’s awesome. He spent the whole day with us showing us around Belgrade since we were heading to Ljubljana later that evening. We saw so many parts of Belgrade including the fortress, the main pedestrian drag, old town, the river, many churches, and more. We even had time to briefly attend an international party that Milan was a part of where all international workers from a certain organization sets up a table representing their country-they make traditional food and wear traditional clothing, so that was awesome! Before we knew it, he looked at his fancy Google watch and exclaimed, “Wow, we’ve already walked 8 miles!” This was just day 1 of our two week adventure.
Ljubljana & Postojna Cave, Ljubljana
| Finally it was time to part and Chris and I headed to Slovenia with a night train. Luckily we had a car to ourselves, so we could spread out and “try” to sleep. However, that was constantly interrupted by border control and police offers as well as the train conductors-there wasn’t much hospitality as they walked through the train trying to intimidate everyone. We had to cross through Croatia to get to Ljubljana, so there were many stops along the way, a total of about 9 hours. We arrived in Ljubljana around 7:30 the next morning and spent the next day and a half exploring the city. It was definitely one of our favorite cities of the trip and we loved the fact that cars are not allowed in the center, so all you see are pedestrians walking or riding bicycles. It had a very Italian feel to it, which made me love it even more. Also, the gelato there was the best and very cheap! We even spent one afternoon in the Postojna Cave which was unbelievable. The pictures below don’t do it justice-it’s this immaculate cave system that was discovered decades ago and is a huge place. They even hold concerts down there because the acoustics are amazing. If you visit, don’t forget to wear a coat because the temperature drops in the 40 degrees F! You can learn more about them here: http://www.slovenia.info/?naravne_znamenitosti_jame=450 |
Triglavski National Park, Slovenia
Then, we headed to Triglavski National Park where we visited Lake Bled, Lake Bohinj, and Vintgar Gorge. Lake Bled is probably the most popular place to visit in the park, but we found Bohinj to be even more beautiful with less people. We spent the day there on a nude beach; however, Chris and I did not partake-that might have been a little strange for us brother and sister to be naked on a beach together…who knew that we would be the weird ones wearing bathing suits! The beaches here are quite small and made of small pebbles and rocks. The beach runs around the perimeter of the water, but where we were it was only about 6 feet wide until you reached the water. We enjoyed the privacy and not having to worry about getting sand everywhere. Vintgar Gorge was also a favorite because of how blue/green the water is and you can see practically to the bottom of the gorge. There was a trail set up to walk along and although this was also crowded, it is a must see. I wanted to jump in and swim but unfortunately that wasn’t allowed to preserve the natural water. We also spent a few nights camping in the park and although camping in the park means you drive in and either sleep in a tent or trailer, we enjoyed where we stayed. | |
Rijeka and Pula, Croatia
Then, we made our way to Croatia where we met up with my friend Ina who I met in high school. She was an exchange student from Serbia my senior year and we have been friends ever since. Her grandpa has an apartment in Rijeka, Croatia, so Chris and I met Ina and her boyfriend and we stayed there for 3 days. On the second day we took a day trip to Pula, about a 2 hour bus ride from Rijeka along the northern peninsula. Pula was also a favorite of mine because there is even more of an Italian influence-the most popular attraction here is the first colosseum built by the Romans centuries ago. The colosseum is smaller than the one in Rome, but it was interesting to see a similar model built at the same time as the one in Rome. In Pula it was also used for gladiator fighting and now is used for concerts and other performances.
Check out more information here: http://www.pulainfo.hr/en/main-highlights/main-highlights/0/amphitheater/538/
Also, I forgot an important and awesome part! In Pula, we ran into some USA volleyball players-after getting to talking, they told me they were playing in the championship game against Italy that night in Pula (tickets were free!). So Chris and I stayed the evening there and saw half the game before our bus left back to Rijeka-it was awesome! I later found out they won!!
Check out more information here: http://www.pulainfo.hr/en/main-highlights/main-highlights/0/amphitheater/538/
Also, I forgot an important and awesome part! In Pula, we ran into some USA volleyball players-after getting to talking, they told me they were playing in the championship game against Italy that night in Pula (tickets were free!). So Chris and I stayed the evening there and saw half the game before our bus left back to Rijeka-it was awesome! I later found out they won!!
Plitvice National Park, Croatia
| Next on our list was Plitvice National Park, which is located centrally in Croatia and more inland. This is one of the most famous parks, and again has some of the prettiest water I’ve ever seen. Ina, her boyfriend, Chris, and I rented a car and drove to the park from Rijeka. Because it is about 3 hours away, we arrived at the park later than we wanted to, so it was very crowded. There are four suggested routes you can walk through the park, each one a little bit farther than the previous. We chose the 5-6 hour hike and as you walk through the park, you see more and more waterfalls. You gradually walk up and arrive at larger lakes, the biggest one being the farthest away. I made it all the way there and it was most definitely worth it. Plitvice was one of my favorite days-the waterfalls were mesmerizing, how they intricately flowed into the others. |
Split, Croatia
This is when we split from Ina and her boyfriend to head to Split (get it?!) They continued back to Serbia since they are still at university in Serbia. Because Croatia is very close to Italy with only the Adriatic Sea separating the two countries, many Croatian towns have an Italian look. In Split the old town is, for me, the best place to walk around. It is surrounded by four walls that once represented the fortress-within these walls are tiny streets only for pedestrians. There are shops, restaurants, coffee bars, and more, but at night colorful lights display the restaurants turned bars. Loud music played from all alleys and we could see people in the apartments above leaning out their shuttered windows. The alleys reminded me of Venice, how you could get lost within a few seconds, yet still find your way around the maze. Unfortunately, we did not make it to any of the islands-we were told that Hvar was one of the best, so that will be on our list for next time.
Dubrovnik, Croatia
After two nights in Split, we were on the go again to Dubrovnik, the most visited destination in Croatia. If you’re not familiar with the map of Croatia, at the very southern tip just before Dubrovnik, there is a part of Bosnia that cuts into Croatia, so we had to cross the Bosnian border in order to get back into Croatia. Also, the more south we traveled, the more hot and humid it became. When we arrived at our hostel in Dubrovnik, the locals working told us that we should wait until the evening to walk around because of how hot it was! Since we only had one day there, we rested a little and then headed to the old town where another fortress lies-similar to the one in Split. Again, just as gorgeous, yet slightly larger. Chris and I had a difficult time deciding if we liked Dubrovnik or Split better. They both have amazing views and the old towns in both places were very interesting. Chris and I found the best art shop in Dubrovnik’s fortress-it was geared toward tourists but it didn’t advertise cheap trinkets, as did all the others. All the items were locally made-Chris and I spent about an hour there talking with the women who worked there. He walked away with two pieces of art that will make great memories for our trip. | |
Back to Serbia to end our trip
The next day we had to say goodbye to Croatia and headed back to Serbia. After waiting for a bus that was 3 hours late from Dubrovnik to Budva, Montenegro, we finally made it to Budva, with only seconds remaining until our next bus left for Belgrade (Are you following me yet?) This was probably the toughest night for us because we were essentially on a bus for 15 consecutive hours (3 hours Dubrovnik to Budva and 12 hours Budva to Belgrade) and it was a night bus, so we were expected to sleep. We arrived in Belgrade very early and had to catch yet another bus to a nearby town where Ina’s family lives. We stayed with them for 2 days and nights where they housed us and sent us home with two jars of the best honey I’ve ever had. Ina’s dad makes it every year and this is the second time I’ve been in their home, the first in 2012 when I studied abroad in Europe. It was great to see them again, three years later. We explored her town and saw her local friends. This was great for Chris to experience because he mentioned how he missed grabbing drinks with friends and just talking. We had each other but one can handle only so much of their sibling at one time! I left a day before Chris because I had to return to Macedonia for a camp I was working at (next post!) and he returned back to America with lots of Balkan goodies. Overall, it was an amazing experience for both of us, but we agreed that we tried to do too much and we will never travel that late in the year to places that are so hot and humid! But, I can’t wait to do it again with you brother bear!
Thanks for reading yet again another long post (:
XOXO
-R
Thanks for reading yet again another long post (:
XOXO
-R