From Vienna to Rome Via Zagreb

Year: 2016

  • Croatia, 2016

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    Joseph
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    I am writing this almost ten years after this journey, and sadly have lost names of many of the places we visited along the Croatian coast. We spent time in the two major cities: Split (home of Diocletian’s massive palace) and Dubrovnik, a massively fortified city. Dubrovnik is enormously popular with tourists and, should you…

  • Istria, 2016

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    Joseph
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    We came to the Istrian peninsula via Trieste and Koper, and drove down the west coast of the peninsula to Rovinj, our base for several days. On the way we stopped in the beautiful small town of Porec, which boasted a small basilica rich with mosaics, reminding me of Ravenna (which we visited at the…

  • Mostar, Bosnia Herzegovina, 2016

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    Joseph
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    Leaving Split, Croatia we drove due east across the mountains making a brief detour to Medugorjie, a dusty Roman Catholic pilgrimage site, and then on to Mostar. I immediately regretted our time in Mostar was limited, as the city fascinated me. Evidence of the 1990s civil war which tore Bosnia and Serbia apart was everywhere.…

  • Pletvice Lakes, Croatia 2016

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    Joseph
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    On the border with Slovenia, Pletvice Lakes is an extraordinary valley filled with lakes, small rapids and the occasional waterfall. The national park is large, but in half a day one can walk around the lower lakes and manage boat ride on the upper lakes. we drove into Croatia from Slovenia, very close to the…

  • Slovenia, 2016

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    Joseph
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    On this very hot day in 2025 I am thinking of Slovenia’s lovely countryside, especially Lakes Bled and Bohinj in the shadows of the Julian Alps. Lake Bled is the better known and more popular, but I found Lake Bohinj, further in the mountains, exceptionally beautiful.

  • Ljubljana, Slovenia, 2016

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    Joseph
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    One of the emblems of Ljubljana is the dragon, and dragons in many forms appear throughout the city. The heart of the city is pedestrian-only, and a very pleasant place to stroll. The castle above the city is the oldest part of the city. The city center is largely 18th and 19th centuries, although there…

  • Zagreb, 2016

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    Joseph
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    Zagreb was a delightful surprise. The city is divided into lower and upper (Gradec) towns. The area around the 11th century cathedral is known as Kaptol. Further away from the city center was a neighborhood of Secessionist and Art Nouveau buildings, the most interesting to me was the 1912 Saint Blaise Church. Not far from…