I knew that if I concentrated hard enough, a napper would appear before me...
and after a very hot climb on a very old wall in the town of Ston...
I found a Croatian Napper!
Looks very comfortable doesn't he!
Thursday, 7 August 2014
Sunday, 3 August 2014
Sunset surprise and a lesson learned!
99.9% of the time I carry my camera with me and I always regret
the 0.1% of time that I don't!
Last night we went to the airport to pick up a friend, a quick trip there and back, so I left my camera behind.
We arrived at the airport to learn that our friend's plane was delayed. We had two hours to kill,
at sunset in Dubrovnik...and my camera was nestled in my bag....at our apartment!
At least I had my phone...
Not a bad place to while away some time...and I will now carry my camera 100% of the time!
Thursday, 31 July 2014
Wednesday, 30 July 2014
Unexpected delights on the road
Sometimes life throws you little gems just when you need them most.
We set off from Zagreb before the crack of dawn to beat the holiday traffic,
without a hit of caffeine as the apartment we stayed at had run out.
I hate to think what the traffic was like later as it was pretty heavy at 5am,
all the rest stops were packed with holiday makers, their cars stuffed to the brim.
A few hours into our drive, we stopped for a break, the queues to the bathrooms huge,
the queue to the cafe shambolic so we had to forgo our much needed coffee.
As we meandered along the A1 freeway toward Split, we saw a sign 'Gospa od Puta'
we had no idea what it meant, but as we drove over a bridge and saw this....
We had to pull into the rest area. What a stunning place, lots of people around but nowhere near as busy as
the other rest stops on the way and one thousand times more beautiful.
Gospa od Puta, our Lady of Travel with baby Jesus, was placed at the Krka rest stop
on August 14, 2011.
Standing at 3.5 meters high, she watches over travelers on land and on the water,
and some pretty spectacular scenery.
After a relaxing break wandering around the statue and the walkways, gazing at the
sensational views we happened upon a tunnel under the bridge. We discovered a restaurant and
shopping area. We finally had our much needed coffee and to top it off it was one of the
best coffees I have ever had! So if you find yourself driving the A1 from Zagreb to Split in Croatia,
forget about the other service stops and head to the Krka rest area, visit the
Gospa od Puta, enjoy the views...and the coffee!
Monday, 28 July 2014
Hitting the road... Frankfurt to Dubrovnik, Croatia
I was born in Cottesloe, only a kilometer or so from the beautiful,
iconic Cottesloe beach and grew up close to the Indian Ocean. The beach has always been a big
part of my life. Now living in Frankfurt we are a far from the smell of the sea.
So what does an Aussie/Kiwi family do to rectify this...well, we jump in the car and
drive for twenty or so hours over two days to spend a few weeks
by the Adriatic Sea in Croatia of course.
We drove through Germany, Austria, Slovenia and Bosnia to get to Croatia in the time it takes to
drive from Perth, Western Australia to the South Australian border.
It still amazes me to see road signs with directions to three different countries on them
and games of 'Spotto' involve not makes of cars with the odd
'Eastern States' number plate thrown in but number plates showing people travelling
from Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Slovenia, Russia, Poland and more.
The motorways/freeways were great, despite lots of traffic.
on your windscreen. We also paid tolls to pass through some of the longer tunnels on the way.
Traffic slowed at border crossings, giving us a chance to look at the local landscapes.
Farms in Slovenia overlooked by gorgeous old buildings.
We were all happy to arrive in Zagreb for an overnight break in our journey and enjoyed a fabulous
Croatian BBQ dinner at a very friendly local restaurant. The waiter was horrified when we told him we were driving to Dubrovnik in the morning. He told us half of Europe heads that way on Saturday mornings and
advised us to get a really early start to avoid long delays. Best advice ever as the roads were already busy
by 6am and service stops packed with holiday makers.
I was spellbound by the spectacular landscape and mountains as we drove through Croatia.
The mountains that were revealed as the early morning mist lifted.
The beautiful azure blue lakes we drove by.
Time flies when you are driving past scenery like this,
made me add even more places to my list of destinations to visit.
We were all pretty happy when there was finally a road sign with our final destination on it!
The motorway came to an end and we drove the last few hours on roads that wound their way by
the most beautiful bays, villages perched on hilltops and boats tied to shore, waiting for their next trip out.
Traffic crawled near the Croatian/Bosnian border, but with views like this out of the car window,
we didn't really notice the delay.
What a road trip! What a destination!
Time for adventures of the sun, sand, sea kind...with a bit of history thrown in!
Breaking our trip into two days made it much more bearable if longer.
Was nice to have a wander around Zagreb and have a great local meal.
We took healthy snacks and some treats for the trip, so much nicer than the food available
at the service stops on the way. We also took lots of water and stopped for breaks along the way,
essential for the driver/navigator to refresh even if it added a few hours to the drive.
The girls are great travelers and happy to listen to their music, watch a movie on their tablets
or sleep as we drove. The dog was just happy to sleep!
We are now enjoying a few car free days and relaxing before we spend the next few weeks exploring this
most beautiful part of the world.
Thursday, 24 July 2014
Forty Winks Friday. Table for two.
Sometimes after a big meal...you just want to have a nap!
Quality Father and Son time, a meal out and a nap!
Wednesday, 23 July 2014
Cheddar Gorge, Somerset UK
Two years ago today, my little family boarded our Malaysian Airlines flight in Perth WA,
ready to begin our new lives in England. Tucked into our hand luggage was a list written
by a Welsh family friend of 'must do's' while we lived in the UK.
We ticked a few things off the list, but found ourselves living in Germany before we
managed to get to Cheddar Gorge.
On our recent trip back to England, we finally managed to give Cheddar Gorge a big tick!
Cheddar is a village in Somerset, and was famous for 'Cheddar' cheese as far back as 1170AD!
Of course we had to stop for a 'cheesy' lunch in a local cafe, most dishes featured cheddar.
I also had a very delicious local cider to wash it down.
It is a lovely village to walk around and well set up for tourists.
We walked the 274 steps to the lookout tower to work off our cheddar filled lunch.
There are signs at landings on the climb up with information on how the
landscape was formed millions of years ago.
To imagine how it was, in this same spot, so many millions of years ago is staggering.
As well as being educational, they also gave you a chance to catch your breath.
I was happy to see people far younger and fitter then me stopping to 'read the signs'
Another 48 steps and you are at the top of The Lookout Tower,
with sweeping views over the countryside.
The village of Cheddar.
The spectacular Cheddar Gorge.
Carved out of the limestone by water from melting glaciers during the last Ice Age
creating the 400 feet deep and three mile long gorge we see today.
From the Lookout Tower, we headed through the gate and did the Gorge Walk,
a three mile meander through the stunning countryside.
There is much to do, nature to soak up, majestic cliffs to walk or climb around.
We had a lovely few hours at Cheddar Gorge, family time spent in the largest
gorge in England. We only had time for the walk...and lunch, so haven't been to the caves yet.
Some fantastic spots to stop for a picnic on the walks it is well worth a visit.
Glad to have finally made it and ticked Cheddar Gorge off our list!
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