Monday, March 14th. Flights were fine, though airport layovers were agony. Due to my injured foot, fate promised that I’d have to walk miles between gates. But I arrived home without incident.

The trip was great from many perspectives, sad on others. (Frustratingly, the “homeless person” provided a constant stream of irritation. But enough of that.) The wars of the 90s are still an ever-present stain on the region’s history, and I frankly don’t believe that the book is closed on their causes and effects. Although it wasn’t spoken of much, it was clear that the events unfolding in Ukraine was bringing out uncomfortable memories and fears.

But on the great side, the people were fun, friendly and surprisingly smart. That last discriptive is not meant to be condescending. Perhaps their need to adapt to so many languages and dialects has made them quicker to understand. I found it unnecessary to better explain my often obtuse questions, and the answers were often far more complete than I expected. Indeed, a common habit from tour guides was to first put my simple questions into an historical context, then provide an answer. I found this extraordinary.

The entire tour contained so much of local history, customs, and flavor, I hesitate to say I intend to return. But wait! In another month I’ll visit two of the destinations again on an ocean cruise! Can’t wait.

Sunday, March 13th. Most stores are closed on Sunday, though it’s not a very religious country. In the morning we cruised along the canal that splits the city. An antique market had an amazing assortment of weird odds and ends. Military medals, tobacco tins, kitchen tools, etc. The afternoon was free. Owing to a sore foot, I just stayed in and composed a 12 minute slideshow for our farewell dinner. The dinner was at a fine restaurant, where we were loud and unruly customers.

A short day.

Saturday, March 12th. Drove north to Bled. Marvelously beautiful day with equally marvelous views. Chosing the best photos was hard because they were all beautiful.

Friday, March 11th. Entered Slovenia. Modern country, nice roads. Makes a big deal that their country has LOVE in its name.

Postojna Caves was impressive, though I’ve become so accustomed to caves it wasn’t one of my favorite tours. An electric train takes a large group to a destination, then everyone walks, as a group. At the end another train returns everyone back to the beginning.

The capital, Ljubljana, is very impressive. Clean. The center is car-free. Beautiful shops with nice souvenirs. I walked around without my camera for a change. We’re here for the next two days, so there’s time for photos. Excellent guide, though she was visibly shaking with the cold. Dinner at a fine place. Spaghetti Bolognese with a sausage on the side. Good wine.

Tried a wine testing. Disappointing, but primarily because the wines were heavier than I like. I’m sure others would have enjoyed them.

Thursday, March 10th. Visited two “towns” and one truffle hunter. The first town was your typical village on a hilltop. Large cobblestones composed the street going up. A few gift shops were open. Spent a long while in one shop that provided samples of truffles, chocolates and liqueurs. The fortress on top was unimposing as forts go, but it had its charm. Marvelous views, though a little hazy. Walking the wall was refreshingly easy. The stroll back down was dominated by focusing on not tripping. Everyone seemed to buy something in the shops. The townfolk seemed thrilled that tourism was coming back.

The next stop was alongside a forest to meet a truffle hunter and his Labrador hunting dog. We all learned a lot about the business of “hunting” truffles. Eventually the dog was set lose and within minutes started digging. The master pushed him away and, using a small shovel, came up with a truffle in seconds. Looked like a blob of dirt. It was an interesting hour.

The next town bills itself as the smallest one in the world, with 30 residents. Named Hum. Great lunch (including truffle pasta). An energetic town guide provided an inspired tour of the local cemetary and chapel, then a really cool small museum, consisting of a reconstructed general store, boot maker shop, pharmacy, schoolroom, etc. We were allowed to touch things! One of the nicest museums I’ve ever visited.

Even though the day consisted of a lot of bus riding, it was an enriching experience. But, I still don’t like truffles.

Wednesday, March 9th. A long drive to the coast of the Adriatic with a significant stop at Plitvice Lakes, a World Heritage National Park. A series of lakes with numerous small and large waterfalls. We had the option to walk along the canyon rim or hike down to lake-level and then take a boat ride. I opted for the lower choice, but I’m sure the rim walk was also fine. Sunny day. Took the oppurtunity to play with shutter speeds with some success. Great time. Deboned trout for lunch.

Because of our visit to the Lakes, our roads were largely local all the way to the coast. Bus driver is fast! Stopped at a monument identifying itself as being exactly equal distanced from the Equator and North Pole. Sign said 5,000km from each, which is surprisingly fairly accurate.

Beautiful hotel view! Due to the illnesses that swept through the group, the local OAT representative arranged a four-person band to perform before dinner. Reminded me of Mexican bands. We later spent the evening sharing our (mostly fun) experiences with the rep, while he explained some of the organizational processes of pulling off such great trips (with some occasional bumps). We were curious how OAT found some of our more off-the-beaten-path hosts.

Tuesday, March 9th. Drove out into the countryside to visit a well-known sculptor and Tito’s birthplace. Both were interesting, but it was a longish bus ride. Tito’s home community has been converted into a museum town. Many terrific displays and houses.

Lunch was at the top of a hill, unsuitable for the bus. It was a short but steep stroll. Beautiful castle in the distance, allowing me to use my big lens for once. Turkey for lunch, plus delicious apple strudle. Animals roaming around the grounds.

Back in Zagreb, I gave a nickel tour to someone who, due to illness, had to skip yesterday’s walking tour. I was impressed that I could reproduce the route from memory.

Had a jalapeño pizza for dinner.

Monday, March 7th. City Walking Tour. Fun, large man led the group. I took his picture and printed it. “That’s a terrible photo!” says he, bluntly. So I take another. The entire tour needed to cover only a very small section of the city to hit all the key spots, but it was a slow, meandering route. Rode the arguably shortest funicular in the world. Maybe two minutes, bottom to top.

It’s a very clean city, except for an extreme problem with graffiti. Not very imaginative graffiti either. We walked through a very well made tunnel, built as a bomb shelter in WWII. It’s still used as a thoroughfare, which is handy on cold, windy days. Farmer’s market was sparsely attended, being a Monday. Many, many museums. The main church is closed to repair damage from an earthquake. It was originally constructed with substandard stone, which they’re replacing with more sturdy material.

The entire city seems very well organized. Cars, trams, bikes, pedestrians travel in sync with one another. At lunch time there is an army of bicycle deliverymen, all carrying oversized backpacks. I had a good but unusual burger and fries. People walk around munching on sandwiches. This is a city where dressing for success begins with a pair of very stylish shoes.

In the afternoon I visited a wine bar/shop recommended by Damir. I spent over three hours there, tasting and drinking various Croatian wines. Between sips I scanned through a book that described the history and qualities of Croatia’s most popular grape, Plavic Mali. It’s parent is Crljenak Kaštelanski, otherwise known as zinfandel. A key desire for this entire trip was to taste Crljenak Kaštelanski, which I did. Very much like zin. I purchased too many bottles to bring back, so I’ll be sharing some among my travel partners, assuming any of them are healthy enough.

Sadly, the illness that began in Sarajevo is still making it’s way through the group. I’ve been spared so far.

Sunday, March 6th. This town is quiet. Totally flat counryside. Began walking on my own at 6:10: After the roosters crowed, but before the dogs woke up. Cloudy day, so photos unremarkable. A lot of construction and renovations are going on. The workmanship is excellent. A winery, school, three churchs. On the way back the dogs woke up and barked at this stranger, but the church bells had already begun their ringing, so everyone should have been up anyway.

Breakfast was homestyle and endless. The cheese we had made the night before was solid and good. Several types of bread. Goca kept urging us to eat more. She’s a whirling dervish. “I always need to be moving”. Wore us out with her enthusiasm. After breakfast Denis and Goca immediately began preparing lunch, with some assistance from us.

Ceramics lesson was far more fun than any I had attended before. His simple actions that achieved astounding results displayed the necessary thousands of hours of experience. A cheesegrader, credit card, and garlic press were his tools. After I gave him a photo print, he gifted me with a plate.

The day suddenly turned colder than it had been all week, so I bailed on the town walk. Been there anyway. Lunch was goulash (and the every-present bread). Very good.

Departed in the afternoon for Zagreb. Rain, which stopped before we arrived. Excellent timing. Hotel is very nice, though after the “Farmer’s Museum”, its name (Best Western) is too pedestrian.

Saturday, March 5th. Left Sarajevo and B&H for Croatia (again). Passed by the stadium that opened and closed the 1984 Olympics. Unimpressive in itself, but brought back fine memories of a happier time. The dorms used by the competitors had seen happier days, but Damir says they are occupied.

The drive gradually brought us from mountains to plains, which was surprising to me. I assumed that Balkins was all mountains. Had lunch in a “Museum” tavern. They rented tiny cabins, complete with front “porches”, along a very brown stream. I was chosen to be king. Small “yeah”. Food was excellent. Proprietor was very entertaining.

Visited a department store that had a kitchen’s sink collection of items. Some things were familiar, some things not. Border crossing was slow, as usual.

Small town near the old border with the former Ottoman Empire had large church, impressively decorated. Excellent rendition of the Last Supper.

Our lodgings in Karanac was in a Farming “Museum”. Wonderful and fun guests. Learned how to make civilized cheese, as opposed to Mongolian cheese-in-a-tent. Home-Hosted dinner was with a couple who spoke no English, so we had a translator who occassionally gave his opinions before turning to the hosts. His views were enlightening. Husband is a huge Golden State Warriors fan. I gave him a Spurs t-shirt, someone else gave him a Lakers cap. I don’t think either will sway his support for the Warriors.

I’m trying a new thing. The photos are “Thumbnails”. Click on then for a larger view.