Things we will miss about Italy

1. Gelato (no doubt!)
2. Food - Rustic Italian Food please
3. Vino - Pinot Grigio is Robin's Favourite
4. Dolomites (there's no other place in Europe to do high altitude hiking)
5. Coffee

Day 31, 32 & 33: Venice

Venice, Venice, Venice. What can we say? If we said we were disappointed, you probably won't believe it. Let us say it now: Venice is beautiful. Don't get us wrong. The city itself IS the attraction. You will not get anymore romance than that. It IS the city that charms and seduces you, the walls, the alleys and tiny trattorias serving spritzes and chicattas that leaves you wanting more. The appeal and magic stop, however, as soon as you have tourists from all corners of the world with their massive SLRs elbowing you to get the a photo shot or when you have your toes stepped on while trying to get in queue to get some tickets for a church that stays open at the most inconvenient hours in summer time. It was anti-climax. Matrix 2 (and 3) if you know what we mean.

The moments that will probably stay in our hearts were probably the times Robin took us into darker and smaller alleys just to escape the crowds and we discovered a snippet of what Venice would be like if not for people, enjoying jazz music in quiet bar, sampling chicattas in a traditional trattoria. Another highlight will be stepping out of Venice main train station. What you see is breath-taking. Straight to the post card water views that you expect from Venice. So it is disappointing for us to tell you it was disappointing as well.

We didn't do the gondola ride, we didn't go into St Mark's church and we did not loiter around St Mark Piazza. Basically all the so called "major attractions". We are not suggesting that you don't do these things if you are ever in Venice but it felt like a wrong kind of romance. Overpriced and overrated.

We wandered to ourselves: How much of the "real" Venice is left today, we do not know. 20 million on average come through to this city on water... How much of what it is, is retained and how much is moulded from the simple economics of supply and demand?

The saving grace was that by chance before we arrived in Venice, we stumbled onto a posted advertising the 88th anniversary for the Arena in Verona. We had booked ourselves in for Aida after Venice. We were definitely looking forward to it.

Day 29: Sassalunga Hike

Our last day in the Dolomites and we had to choose between Via Farrate and the main attraction of Val Gardena - the Sassalunga. The Sassalunga is a big rock of mountain that stands watch over the valley at a towering 3300 metres. The hike goes up the center and through a high pass and down the other side. Via Farrate is a mix of hiking and rock-climbing where fixed, steel guide-ropes have been put into rock faces and one uses rock climbing equipment to solo-climb/hike the route. These were first installed by Italian soldiers to out-maneuver enemies in the mountains. It is a unique way to see the mountains, especially the Dolomites but we chose to keep that activity for another day and set out to conquer the Sassalunga.

It was well worth it. The climb is steep and the terrain is rocky but Jess kept a constant pace in leading us up and soon we were close enough to see the faces of the tourists who decided to take little gondolas up. They looked funny to us, as the gondolas were about the size of a telephone box (or maybe they looked like coffins dangling on a wire).

At the top we had some hearty Alpine food, goulash for him, wurst and sauerkraut for her. We found some small patches of snow and took some photos before heading down the other side. The clouds were constantly closing in, making everything muffled and eerie before the wind would blow them away and the sun would once again brighten the day. It was a great hike with a bit of every kind of Alpine landscape and we felt almost as full of energy at the end of our fourth day of action as we did when we arrived fuelled by the amazing views and fresh mountain air.

Not wanting to take a chance on the quality of our last meal in the Dolomites we returned to the scene of last night's dinner for seconds and retired to a wine-bar afterwards to chat about how great the Dolomites have been on our adventure. We will definitely be back.

Day 27 & 28: Taking it "Easy"

Today we hired bikes and joined a small group of two other adventure seekers and our local biking guide. We started out easy, weaving our gentle way through the valley of Val Gardena to the neighbouring towns, selecting routes that took us along dedicated cycleways along the river. It was all very pleasant and scenic. We stopped for coffee and played around in a bike park doing tricks on ramps and obstacle courses. Then things got less "easy". Our guide chose to take us back on a more scenic route. Gone were the gentle gradients replaced with chain-straining, steep climbs, some exhilarating forest trails and finally some hair-raising, eye-watering, white-knuckle-clenching downhills where we hit 70 kmph on roads with traffic, over-taking cars. Five hours after we begun we eased the wind-etched grins from our faces with gelato and beers.

The day after the bike ride we were feeling a bit lethargic. We decided to take it "easy" again and visit St. Christina, one of the neighbouring villages we had whizzed through yesterday. In true Feng Power Tour style we decided to visit the town by taking a gondola up to the top of the mountain, hiking across to the next valley and taking another chairlift down to the town. This took about 4 hours instead of the ten minute bus ride we could have taken but again the scenery won us over. It is truly beautiful and we enjoyed the walk. We kept telling ourselves that our legs were feeling better from the easy exercise.

St Christina had little to offer over Ortesei but we walked around and had some coffees before returning to Ortesei for one of the best meals we've had on our trip. We were stuffed but just managed to polish off our two desserts of raspberry tiramisu and wild berries with vanilla ice-cream.

Day 26: Sella Pass Hike

Arising late we discovered our breakfast had been laying on the table for an indeterminate amount of time, our boiled eggs now cold and hard. Robin later realised this was because Europeans say "half nine" when they mean "half eight". Our Haus Frau was not impressed and let us know in her firm but polite way that things ran to a certain order in her Haus and that we would do well to snap in to line. Of course this was all said in a friendly smiling delivery and since we had hardly any German we just had to fill in the blanks.

Today we went to the tourist office to get some maps and lift passes and chose a nice scenic area as recommended by the English speaking woman there. Riding a mountain gondola in summer was a first for us both and it was strange seeing the equipment mostly associated with ski holidays in the bright sun and set against green, green hills.

When we emerged at the top we both exhaled a gasp of awe. The valley that stretched below us was amazingly beautiful. It looked like a perfectly manicured garden if the garden belonged to a giant who planted stands of trees instead of flowers and 3000 metre-high cliffs instead of a rockery. The grass was speckled with flowers and stretched far into the distance where the real mountains rose high above into the clouds. Pathways snaked across in all directions, the suggested itineraries for hiking the Dolomites and families with their dogs moved along them.

We chose a long circuitous route that would take us into a valley, close to the highest mountains and give the best sampling of Alpine landscape. We stopped along the way at a small wooden hut that served simple food for lunch. We enjoyed cheese, gherkins and salami followed by apple strudel and beer to wash it down.

We were enjoying ourselves so much that we lost track of time and had a race up the final hills to reach the last gondola back down the mountain. The prospect of spending the night navigating our way down was missed by just one minute as we arrived flush-faced with our pulses beating loudly in our ears. It was a great first introduction to the Dolomites.

Day 25: Dolomiti

We arrived in the Dolomites to our first rain since Slovenia. It was falling hard as we got off the bus in Ortesei and our plan for finding our guesthouse was to ring them to request a pick up. Robin rang the number but instead of getting "Tochter" the helpful English-speaking lady he'd spoken to earlier he got "Vater" who could speak Italian and German but no English at all. Robin last spoke German when he scraped through his exams in 1994 and he could not remember the German for "Please pick us up from the edge of town". Hanging up after five minutes of fruitless back-and-forth frustration he convinced Jess that we could walk armed only with the memory of the large static map posted helpfully by the phone booth at the edge of town.

We set off in the pouring rain, our backpacks getting heavier with the accumulated rain water. The further we walked the clearer it became that the way was all up-hill and that this was our first impromptu Alpine hike. When we finally arrived our Haus Vater was cheerily waving to us from the shelter of his veranda. Although, he spoke no English he made it clear that us drowned rats were to leave all of our wet gear including our luggage in his boiler room to dry off. Having no common language but for Robin's half-remembered German we settled into our room exchanging mostly bemused looks and nervous smiles.

We later met the Haus Frau who explained the rules (in German) and who exuded a homely, friendly feeling and also lent us slippers for wearing around the house and an umbrella for our trip to the restaurant in the rain.

Day 22-24: Bolognese sauce in Bologna

If I had to describe Bologna to you, it would be a nice bowl of warming pasta with Bolognese sauce on a cold winter's night. It was comforting, unpretentious, laid-back and inviting. An effort to stay true to our daily budget, we opted to stay 2 nights in the outskirts of the city. It was one of the best places we stayed in for its price. We arrived late that night so we relaxed in the comforts of our room and had a good night's rest.

Next morning, we loaded up on breakfast provided by the hotel and headed into town for some sight seeing. First stop: Tourist office. As usual, it was information overload so we decided to mull over the glossy maps and brochures provided in a nearby cafe. We knew what we wanted (espresso with cream) but didn't know the technically correct Italian coffee lingo. You know when you are in Italy when the waiter will not take your coffee orders unless you get the lingo right: it was Espresso con panna (if you interested). The coffees came quick with baby glasses of sparkling water to wash it down - welcome to the land of sparkling water. :)

After our caffeine shots, we decided that we wanted to learn more about the history of Bologna in the Civic Museum. Unfortunately it was closed at 3 pm and it was nearly lunch time. Not letting this deter us, we headed to the National Picture Gallery to appreciate some art work. En-route, we stopped by xxx library which supposedly houses old and original manuscripts from the 15th century. It was once the oldest university in Europe and had a lecture hall with an "operating table" which facilitated anatomy lessons. Much of the construction was destroyed in WW2, so the building as the public sees now is largely restored in the 20th century.

We didn't stay long before starting our own self guided tour of the canals cutting through the city.The Bologna self-guided tour booklet provided complimentary by the tourist office has proven to be quite handy. It provided recommendations for various self-guided tours catering to the nature lovers, art students, foodies and tourist who just wanted to stroll through the old canals and buildings. There was a brief introduction that our Lonely piggin' Planet guide book did not mention was Bologna was the 5th biggest city in Europe once upon a time and had an intricate canal system just like Venice did. Learning this, we decided we will follow the "Water Tour" which basically traces the canal system around the city. We saw a side of Bologna that one would not have expected of it. There were man-made canals cutting through the city and it was rather romantic to see that people are still living in the apartments on these canals carrying on about their daily business like you and I would be crashing in a studio back home. It was not like Dubrovnik or Venice, where the city or the town had lost much of its original appeal due to the tremendous influx of tourists coming through each day. Most of the shops (we guessed they were shops since most of them had shutters from ceiling to floor) were closed from late morning till after 3/4, siesta time. We wandered around the city parks and streets for an hour or 2, just soaking Bologna in. The helpful tourist office tipped us that there will be a free open air jazz performance later tonight close to the Odeon cinema so we decided to head back to the hotel for a quick snooze like an Italian before dinner.

Jazz performance wasn't a disaster but it certainly didn't blow our minds. The simple Italian food definitely did. Sounds typical but the Bolognese sauce in my Tagliatellie Bolognese was the best I have ever tasted. The place was packed with young courting couples, families with toddlers and well-fed retirees and the crowds flowed from the restaurants onto the streets, the stage strangely placed at the end of the fenced off area. Nevertheless, we had a jolly time just sipping Chianti and sharing what we loved about Italy so far.

Next day, we had an unsuccessful early start. What could we blame? The comfy bed the hotel provided! It was probably one of the best sleeps we had so far. Good for our body that we caught on some beauty sleep but not that great for visiting the Civic museum, so we changed our plan and headed straight for the National Picture Gallery. I must say if you are religious, Europe is the best place to get a crash course on biblical stories. We were starting to recognise different artists' interpretations of scenes from the bible. Nevertheless, we diligently followed the recommended appreciation route. It was difficult to be impressed with the collection after we had been to Vienna but we did our best. We decided to move on to a short city hike as the summer heat subsided.

The unofficial (but better than one) guide for the day, Robin, took me to a nearby park and we sat there watching tourists and locals seeking shelter from the summer heat. We sat on the bench and indulged in one of our favourite past times: people watching. While we were watching in awe or disgust (can't decide) at some Italians posing for the camera, we noticed that there was a man, dressed and behaving typical of an Italian, barking at his dog to chase after pigeons that were resting on lamp posts. So this odd dance of a poor German Shepperd darting from one lamp post with his Italian owner shouting at him continued for the next 15 minutes until we got tired watching and moved on from the park. The sun was starting to set so we decided to take the chance to admire the Greek statues surrounding the old Roman walls surrounding Bologna. The walls were almost glistening orange and pink and the white marble statues reflecting the sun rays seem to almost come alive. We stood standing quietly appreciating what was in front of us, wishing the Italians around us would stop snapping away and their camera and chatting. I guess if you have this in your backyard everyday, you would not be as appreciative. Isn't that the way with everything in life.

It seemed like the only right thing to do was to celebrate our lovely episode in Bologna with a traditional Bolognese meal. And so we did. After freshening up back in the hotel, we searched around and happened to walk past a tiny restaurant tucked away in a quiet alley. The tables were mainly occupied with families and a couple. It had minimal decor but it felt right. And it was more than right. The dinner turned out to more than what we had expected, rustic Italian. Just fresh ingredients and seasoned with herbs. As we rubbed our satisfied tummies, ready to head back for another good night's rest, the restaurant owner came with 2 limencello shots for us to top off an amazing night.

What can we say? What a start to Italy. Next Dolomites.

Day 21: Off to Montenegro...NOT

Bright and early, we set off to the agreed pick up point near our campsite before 6 am. Unfortunately, we were still waiting after an hour's wait. We soon realised that we were not going to be picked up as the clock ticked 7.

Deciding that we should still do something, we had a second go at buying ferry tickets to Mljet National Park before demanding a refund back from the travel agency. Turns out, the tickets were sold out again, 2 days in advance. Deflated, we dragged our weary feet to the travel agency across the road and explained that the transportation bus was a no-show this morning. After a few minutes of back and forth, we learnt that the bus was waiting at Hotel Valemar Dubrovnik Club and we were waiting at Hotel Valemar Lacroma Resort. She kindly agreed to refund us but we were thoroughly disappointed about missing the adventure and the fact that we were getting 160 EUR back didn't change that.

Wandering around aimlessly for a while, we decided that the only thing which would cheer us up would be the extra dark chocolate gelato we eyed a couple of days ago in Old Town. This would be the best consolation prize. The cool morning air was starting to evaporate and the afternoon humidity and heat were starting to creep in again. We were soaked in sweat by the time we got to the gelato bar and collapsed in exhaustion in the comfy chairs.

After cooling our bodies down with 4 big scoops of gelato, we headed back to the campsite. Dubrovnik hasn't been the best city we have experienced in Croatia. We were definitely looking forward to our next stop: Italy.

Day 18,19 & 20: Sailed to Dubrovnik

After a few days of R&R enjoying our campsite and the food & drink in Dubrovnik, we decided to head to Mljet for some hiking. The ferry tickets were only available for sale an hour before boarding at the pier, so we set off early the next day. Unfortunately a couple of hundred other tourists had the same idea so the tickets sold out before we could even get to the ticket counter. We decided to try our luck with other travel agencies and were delighted to find out that we could white water raft down Tara River in Montenegro as a day trip. Deciding that Mljet would be an experience similar to Lake Bled and Plitvce Lakes, we made an executive decision to go with the rafting trip in Montenegro. After a quick brekkie, we booked ourselves into a trip for the next day.

We spent an afternoon lazing around and swimming/chillling at the beach near our campsite.

Day 17: Canoe and Snorkelling Excursion

We woke up next morning feeling slightly off - well Jess with a hangover and Robin just tired - we headed to the pier for some sea kayaking and snorkelling. Just when we were starting to get worried that our transportation was not coming, a yacht approached the pier. We sailed to another nearby pier to our designated guide for the day. We were pleasantly surprised that all the other passengers on the yacht were doing buggies.

Our Croatian guide, Robert, briefy explained to us the itinerary for the day in an excellent Essex accent (strange??) and we set off to our the first islet, Badija. It was a short kayak to the first islet and took a stroll around the island. Robert patiently explained to us how this islet had gone through several eras in Croatian history and that it had 5 stone quarries which supplied rocks for construction to all over the country and even to locations as far as the White House in Washington DC. The islet is not self sufficient and the locals have to travel all the way to main island for their supplies. We soon found out that the houses were mainly used as summer retreats and there were only 2 permanent residents that remained 24/7. Since this islet provided good quality stones, the locals took great pride in their homes. All stone bricks were hand crafted from large chunks of stone. We were fortunate to pass by a local chiselling away at a stone.

After a little taste of history, we kayaked on to Vrnik which is an islet 30 minutes away from Badija. The breeze was cool under the warm sun. Though we were rather disappointed that the underwater view from the glass bottom was just as good as the view from where we were kayaking, it was definitely good fun. We arrived on a white pebble stoned beach and were happy that it was just 2 families and us. We felt privilaged to join the locals in a little hide out. We found a good spot and sat down to enjoy the view and sun.

Meanwhile, Robert was off to catch some sea urchins so we could enjoy it with some crusty bread and white wine. Before we could protest, Robert came back with a bag full of live urchins still gleaming and squirming. He skillfully cut them in half with his knife and proudly displayed them on the rock. "Eat! Enjoy!" he said excitedly while we watched the urchins still moving, not realising they were already dead. Yikes - we have both savoured some fresh urchins in Tokyo but eating them straight from the shell while their spikes were still moving was definitely something new. Deciding it was better to brave it than be rude, we took a pinch of the bread and scooped up the insides of the urchin. It was delicious. We know what you are thinking - gross. But seriously, it was pretty awesome. Taste of the sea and fresh seaweed. We polished them off together with Robert and enjoyed some semi-sweet white wine. Robert explained that this was what Croatians family do when they are out on the beach for the day. This explains why the locals don't complain about the borders of the beach surrounded by urchins.

With 40 minutes left, we jumped into the cool clear sea water and snorkelled for a bit. There wasn't much sea life except small fishies but we enjoyed the experience anyhow. While waiting for ourselves to dry off in the sun, Robert got us some wild black berries - we felt like VIPs on a private tour.

After relaxing, we powered back to the pier and boarded the yacht for lunch. The captain took us to a secluded spot and served us some salads, proscuitto, fruits, pasta and more wine. After lunch, we climbed onto the top of the boat and enjoyed some more Vitamin D while the rest of the passengers jumped into the sea for a quick swim. The rather humourous captain was blasting 80s music while we admired the clear blue waters from above. It was exactly what one would expect from a Mediterranean summer experience. It didn't matter to both us - we were really enjoying ourselves. After a good half hour, we sailed back to mainland and we thanked the crew repeatedly for such an reallly enjoyable experience.

After our action-packed afternoon, it was time to move to Korcula from Lumbarda. So we bused ourselves to town and freshened up in our sobe. We were happy to discover that the room was just on main street. We strolled around the ancient city and it would be worthy to tell you now that Korcula is a must-see if you are ever in Town. It has the beauty and history of ancient Croatia, convenience and accessibility of Zagreb due to its size but without the nosiy crowd that you find in Split. We were sad to have to leave the next day so decided to enjoy the dinner in a small restaurant by the pier while watching the sun beyond the horizons.

Day 16: Robin's Birthday

Waking up to the sound of children running up and down the stairs, we decided it was time for breakfast. We enjoyed our al fresco breakfast under the vines. Initially Jess was worried about the Pansion chosen for Robin's birthday as the host reminded her of a comrade from the Yugoslavian days. However after arranging for Robin's surprise birthday cake, she found that the lady was actually helpful in her reserved way.

Robin still in the dark about what was to come in the night, the duo headed out to arrange some adrenaline rush for the day. We decided on sea kayaking and snorkelling for the birthday boy's gift. Since the trip starts early morning each day, we could only do this tomorrow. Biking around the island was also out of the question since all the bikes were taken so we decided to either check out the local beaches or head out to Korcula Old Town. Turns out it was Military victory day, we decided to check out the local beaches and discovered that there were some amazing spots.

We headed back for an afternoon siesta to escape the heat before heading out to a nice sandy beach at the other end of the town. The waters were refreshing and Robin perfected his breast stroke on this perfect afternoon. We discovered our inner child by building a very impressive fortress which was subsequently destroyed by a jealous boy who was secretly eyeing us all the time.

After an hour, we strolled back to the Pansion for Robin's birthday dinner. After our showers, we headed out under the vines and the table was set and ready for dinner. Turns out, Jess had arranged for home made brandy tasting and fresh caught fish for dinner that evening. The Pansion also owns a family run winery and brandy factory. The first brandy we tasted was cherry - it was sweet, bitter, rich and chilled with just one cube of ice. Felt like a cocktail shakened by an experienced bartender. Neither one of us were brandy fans but this was definitely a good aperitif.

We savoured our fish broth for starter and grilled fish as the main. The food was fresh and cooked simply. The taste was the freshness itself. This was all enjoyed with a light red wine from their own winery. Time flies when you are having fun and before we realised, it was time for dessert/surprise. Jess had arranged for the host to prepare a birthday cake with "3" & "4" candles on it. It was a lovely cream cake with fresh peaches. The birthday boy made a wish and blew out the candles happily.

The night ended with us feasting on the birthday cake and more brandy tasting.

Happy 34. :)

Day 15: Split sight-seeing

Today was our last day in Split so we decided to head into the Diocletian's Palace before boarding the ferry. We feasted on a brekkie of home made ham, Gouda cheese and fried eggs before setting off with our back packs. We found a stall next the wharf allowing us to store our backpacks for 30 kunas. Free of our backpacks, we headed for the palace. We were rather disappointed to find this UNESCO World Heritage site hidden behind massive permanent canopies erected by cafes and gelato bar owners eager to exploit their prime location.

Not letting that deter us, we wandered into the basements of the Palace to explore the hidden chambers. The air was cool and damp in the basement and the entrance was cramped with stalls trying to selling worthless trinkets to tourists. We made a quick escape by paying 50 kunas to explore the "proper" basement. The ceiling was high and long arches stretching diagonally. There were information boards in each chamber explaining the history and the use of room. Turns out that the basements of the Palace were a refuge to the Slovans (?) back in the 7th century after the fall of the Roman Empire and was evident in the condition of the building. We weaved through the basement and in the East wing of the basement found athletics equipment. Strange? We could not decide if it was either the city was preparing for some athletics event and decided to dump all the equipment in a historical site or some goon thought this was a good tourist attraction. Confusion and disappointment were our sentiments.

Deciding to give the Palace another chance, we went up to ground level. The Palace in the sunlight was slightly more decent and we could see a mixture of Gothic and Renaissance architecture that were kept in relatively good conditions. The view was however tainted by cafes and boutiques jammed in every conceivable corner. It was difficult to find a corner to just rest our feet and enjoy the Palace in peace. We decided that we were done with the Palace, took a photo of some men posing in Roman outfits, polished off 2 cups of coffee in a cafe and headed to the city view point.

It was a slow, steep walk up to the top of the city and the mid-day sun was out again. Sweat was dripping off our foreheads and we were feeling uncomfortably hot even with our sunnies and hat on. The view was however, worth the hike up. Perched on a balcony jutting out from a cliff, we took a picture perfect snap shot. The skies were crystal clear, the city dotted with bright orange roofs and the deep blue sea hugging the coastline. We took a pause to admire this sight.

After the initial awe, we started to feel the afternoon heat again. Continuing our hike up the hill, we rested on a bench for a little siesta under the pine trees.

Refreshed from our little power nap, we strolled back down to Old town and plonked ourselves down on a comfy couch in a bar with free wi-fi before boarding the ferry onward to Korcula Island.

2 hours later, we docked on Korcula and headed to Lumbarda, eastern end of the island in a taxi. Tomorrow was Robin's birthday and Jess had planned 2 nights in a local Pansion. :) After freshening ourselves with a much needed shower, we strolled out to the coast and had a sea food dinner on a terrace over looking the sea. The wait for our food was long but we didn't mind as we entertained ourselves with conversations and Croatian wine.

Day 14: Cycling to the Beach

Woke up all rejuvenated by our good night's sleep, we rented bikes and cycled out of town on roads that meandered along the coast in search of secluded beach spots to swim and relax for the afternoon. We admired the coastal view, the turquoise blue sea water, so clear that we could see the fish and rocks beneath it. The water glistened under the scorching mid-day sun and an hour later, we decided to seek refuge from the heat in a beach-side bar. Sipping our Croatian beer, we squirmed as we watch the Europeans tan like rotisserie chickens. Ouch.

After our short break, we continued our cycle along the coast and enjoyed the cool breeze on our faces. The ride to our designated lunch spot was enjoyable as we passed through a park with our fellow cyclists. We free-wheeled downhill like 5 year olds and enjoyed a lovely lunch under the shade of some pine trees. The cafe was packed with other holidayers and music was proving to be less than enjoyable so we continued on with our cycle after we satisfied our tummies.

Turns out there was a nice sandy spot not far from the cafe and fortunately for us, was not overrun with tourists (yet). There were pockets of family parked under shady trees and couples perched on rocks sunbathing.

We found a comfortable spot and headed straight for the inviting water. The water was surprisingly cold despite the heat in the air and the rocky beach was also proving to be testing for Jess' balancing abilities. Nevertheless, we made the best of it and frolicked in the water.

We bid the picturesque setting farewell, cycled back to Old Town and rewarded our weary bodies with some fresh fish, red wine and cocktails.

Day 13: On a bus to Split all day

We awoke this morning and tried to figure out how to dry our clothes. Having used much ingenuity figuring out the washer last night, we could not figure out the dryer. After a quick consultation with the owner we discovered this was because the dryer did not work. This delayed our departure for Split as we waited for the landlord to dry our clothes in her industrial size dryer.

As it happened there was no need to hurry for a bus to Split as there seemed to be one every hour. The bus to Split that we eventually got on was in no hurry either. It was over-crowded from the beginning. Thanks to Jess's smarts we had seats for the whole of the journey but for large parts of it Robin had fellow passengers' asses or elbows in his face.

We were happy to reach Split and after reaching our hostel we dined on a great meal at great value at the hostel owner's recommendation. The queue waiting to get in as we left got us thinking that this place is no big secret of the backpacker set.

We finished the night with a great view. Spotted by Jess, we entered a small door, climbed some stairs and found ourselves perched high over-looking the Riva, Split's main waterfront strip. We were on a tiny balcony built into the walls of Diocletian's Palace and got to enjoy the view and the buzz of the night while sipping our drinks.

Day 12: Plitvice Lakes

Having missed Plitvice Lakes national park the first time by, we took an early bus back towards Zagreb today. The attraction of this park is the lakes that formed uniquely due to a mix of porous limestone and vegetation creating boundary walls for multiple small lakes, the water from each cascading down into the next with deep blue water from the highlands.

The crowds here on this Sunday were huge. We queued to get tickets and then joined the procession that wound its way along the paths towards the first of the lakes. Stopping for photos was almost harrowing as people jostled by in both directions and it was hard to breath, let alone enjoy the views. We knew the only way we would enjoy this would be to choose to hike the longest most remote trail even though we originally thought this would be too long for us. We set out and the crowds fell away as we hiked the steep steps past a spectacular water fall and we began to enjoy ourselves again.

The walk included wooden walkways across the lake boundaries, through forests, right along lake shores and up to scenic viewpoints in the hills overlooking the lakes. We stopped for a picnic lunch along the way in a forest clearing and got to see every lake there was to see along the way. The water is a deep blue colour and everywhere the hills are covered in dense forest and the lake shores packed with flowers and smaller trees. It is definitely worth the fuss and attention it was getting this day.

Our feet beat, we took the panoramic bus ride back to the entrance gate and had time to catch the bus back to Zadar where we booked into a guest house in Zadar's Old Town. We were delighted to see the place had wi-fi having missed it for the past few days and lo! a forgotten old friend - the washing machine.After washing everything we had including ourselves we headed out to give Zadar Old Town another chance.

The crowds of yesterday had eased and we enjoyed a much more enjoyable night out. Finally the character of the old buildings grew on us and after dinner we had a repeat of our Pina Colada night caps.

Day 11: Zadar

After a late start due to administrative duties we had a nice lunch by the marina of pizza and beer. We walked around the Old Town of Zadar which comprises of a walled town centre with narrow, winding streets with lots of old buildings, all made of quarried stone and mostly built in the middle ages it seemed. Some of the buildings stretched back as far as Roman times but there seemed to be plenty of modern architecture sprinkled in between where ever a cafe or bar could be fit. It seemed as if the city planners were more interested in getting businesses in that could extract money from tourists than keeping intact the heritage that attracted the tourists in the first place.

Perhaps we picked a bad day to see the city. It was Saturday and a special event, the "Millennium Jump" was taking place and the streets were incredibly crowded. The jump took up most of the quayside but the crowds, loud music and annoying DJ's voice stretched deeper into the town and made us wish for everyone to disappear.

The jump for what it was worth, involved many people (maybe a thousand given the name) jumping from the quay into the water on the count of three. Then it was over except the loud music.

The other major thing to see in Zadar is the Sea Organ and Sun Salutation. The sea organ, being an auditory attraction was completely drowned out by the music and crowds and after eventually finding it covered in sunbathers we decided that later would be better. Instead we had some tasty gelato.

We trusted Lonely Planet to guide us to "by far the best restaurant in town" which was by far the worst we have had in a long time. We waited at least 45 minutes for our complimentary appetizer that everyone who walks in the door gets. We were still waiting for our mains after another 45 minutes. We didn't get condiments until we asked for them. Our mains of tuna and monkfish were both bad and Jess couldn't find a good piece of fish on her plate. They also messed up our bill but in the first piece of efficient work a waiter we hadn't seen all night spotted the mistake and thus we didn't even get a free bottle of wine for our trouble. The couple beside us were also not impressed as deduced from their mimes of stabbing themselves with broken wine glasses in order to get service.

Later that night we sought out the Sea Organ again. The Sun Salutation was interesting. It is a floor of LEDs that absorb sunlight during the day and release the energy as some sort of funky dance floor light show at night. This draws dumbstruck adults and hyper-active kids to stand on it and run around on it respectively. I'm not sure if this was the designer's intention.

The Sea Organ is definitely cool though. The lapping waves push air up from the quay through blow holes that make mournful sounds. The tones make some random music and we sat looking into the darkness for a while imagining what it would be like if the German people behind us would shut up for 30 seconds. I'd say the best time to see these things is at 5 AM but we wouldn't be getting up that early. We went and had some Pina Coladas.

Day 10: Onward to Zadar

We had planned to visit Plitvice Lakes today en-route to Zadar but the rain was so heavy that we decided to go straight to Zadar and save Plitice for a better day.

We admired the views from the bus on the way to Zadar. Croatia landscape was rather under developed, it was covered in forests, mountains and low lying clouds. Transportation was rather straightforward, we hoped on to a bus and in 3.5 hrs, we were in Zadar. It was lashing rain so we abandoned all plans to camp and despite not having sorted out accomodation, we decided that food must take piority. While waiting for our kebabs to be prepared, we were hassled by an old Croatian woman offering "sobe". Not having much luck with local hostels, we decided to take our chances with a potential butcher of Zadar, as she could have turned out to be. Fortunately for us, the room turned out to be reasonably good for the price and the walk to the center was only 25 mins, rather than the claimed 15 minutes. We chilled out for a couple of hours while waiting for the rain to ease and had dinner in an Italian restaurant surrounded by vines.

Day 9: Zagreb for free

After a home-made oyako omelette and a satisfying hot shower, we packed our back packs to our 2nd backpackers in Zagreb. Zagreb's efficient tram system took us to the next nearest stop and we offloaded our bags to start our first proper venture in Zagreb city centre. In addition to Zagreb's impressive tram system (which is also free), Zagreb also offerred comprehensive information and pamphlets on the city's free highlights. Armed with the glossy sheets, we started our tour of Upper town, which is a loop walk that passes by all the major tourist sights.

We took a nice leisurely stroll to the Jelaicica square and people-watched for some time. Though it was still morning, we could see people of all ages, sitting in cafes, sipping on beer or espressos. It was a very relaxed pace of life and people were simply enjoying the sunshine and conversations. Unlike Vienna and Ljubljana, it was a city that was not over-run by tourists. We admired the mosaic tiles on St Mark's Church and fresh fruits and berries in Dolac Market. The fruits and vegetables gleaming with colour from the summer sun. We decided to indulge in some juicy raspberries for tomorrow's brekkie (only cost a little more than one euro for huge punnet!). We rested our feet at the Virgin Mary and four angels fountain and admired the Cathedral and its grandeur. It was nearly lunch so we ended off our morning walk with a lovely stroll through the forests of a small park. It formerly served as the local priests vegetable gardens.

Despite the city's popular cafe lifestyle, we found it difficult to find an outlet that served food and

unfortunately for us it was just starting to drizzle. Thanks to Robin's naviagational skills (again), we found ourselves in terrace cafe in the Museum of fine Arts. In just 15 mins, we settled into comfy chairs and sipped wine spritzers while waiting for our food.

After satisfying our tummies, we strolled around Lower Town which mostly consists of historical statues and tree-lined streets. Despite the rain, we enjoyed the fresh air, listening to the soft rustle of leaves as the wind blew and watching businessmen/women, moms and grandpas helping children getting on and off the trams. Every corner you turn is a little cafe or bakery selling fresh homemade bread. What a beautiful city to be in.

Finishing off the afternoon with 2 cups of cappucino in a cafe, we headed back to the hostel on foot. After we rested our weary feet, we headed out to a restaurant serving traditional Croatian food and topped off our amazing day with an even more amazing feast of succulent grilled meats and Teran wine.

Day 8: Onward to Zagreb

We packed up our tent for the first time on this trip, happy with our first European camping experience. We may have had our best nights of sleep here and the setting had been perfect.

We bought train tickets to Zagreb and rushed to the platform only to discover that the 11:19 Zagreb train we saw on the board was an arrival and not a departure. Oh well. We sat in a cafe and spent a couple of hours drinking wine and a strange brew of beer with grapefruit juice which is very popular here. It is surprisingly good. If you are reading this go and mix some up yourself and let us know what you think.

Arriving in Zagreb's main train station, we stepped out to a vista of open paved square, public gardens and trams trundling by. This was definitely a better first impression than Ljubljana made. The city was bustling with people, tourists of course but also plenty of locals going about their daily business. This was a different sense to what we got in Ljubljana and Vienna where it seemed that the city almost existed purely for the escapist tourism fantasy.

We hopped on the tram and followed our hostel's detailed directions. It was centrally located but we almost walked by it due to its practically non-existent signage and though the street number was correct, at first we couldn't believe that this was the place. We spied bunk beds through an open window on the ground floor and only a single sticker stuck on the door jam above the door bell confirmed its existence. The hostel looked dilapidated from the outside with graffitti (becoming a common sight in these parts) and an old facade that was probably best before 1850. We were paying 50 euro for the privilege of staying here so it was with trepidation that we ventured through the doorway. We were pleasantly surprised then, to find that our room was the height of modernity and utilitarian design and we settled in for an evening cooking at a kitchen we would happily live in.

We passed up the opportunity to explore Zagreb that night and opted instead to cook our own long-missed home-style cooking. We listened to some music on our ipod speakers and chilled out. Zagreb could wait til morning.

Day 7: Skojcan Caves, Piran, Prosciutto and wine tasting

Woke up to sore feet, the adventurous pair had a shower and snacked on yesterday night's Mexican cold leftover. We were picked up by a friendly Slovenian guide in a van and she explained the iteniary to the group which consisted of 3 Aussie gals, a Belgian hermit and the 2 of us.

First stop was a cooling walk in the Skojan caves and we were rather disappointed to learn that we were not allowed to take photos as the group was too big for the guide to control. Nevertheless, we took in the wondrous sights. The 1.5 hr walk was mostly on man made pavements meandering along deep chasms. The group seemed to sort itself in order of descending IQ (us in front of course). Not the most amazing we have ever seen but we were definitely impressed with the "cups chamber" - terrace effect of cup shaped steps - uncanny for a natural formation and the depth of the caves - over a 100 metres of descent with a flowing river beneath the bridge.

The dynamic six moved on to the much anticipated prosciutto and wine tasting under some lovely vines in a quaint little winery outside the caves. It was not just a booze session as we learnt that the world reknowned prosciutto originated in Slovenia, not Italy. The lovely lady working in the vineyard showed us her pet hedge-hog, Jacob, which she rescued off the road, for some photos. What a cutie!

An hour later, we were bussed to romantic Piran. Finally! Some free and easy time to ourselves. Unsatisfied with the few slices of proscuitto, we decided to have some more cold cuts and wine spritzers to go with for lunch by the sea, admiring the Adriatic sea and Croatia from the cafe.

The view was somewhat tainted by uninhibited sun-bathing Europeans but it did not stop the brave couple from exploring the coastal sights. As our feet were still feeling the effects of yesterday's hike, we took it easy and strolled the city at a leisurely pace.

Just as we were ready to board the van back to the city, the weather took a turn and lashing rain came pouring down. We snuggled in the comforts of our spacious van and enjoyed a little snooze back while listening to the pitter patter rain.

Day 6: Walked 'til our feet Bled

The agenda for today was to take public transport to Bled and explore. Bled offers the only lake in Slovenia, nestled beneath high Julian Alps and forested trails. The lake has a made-for-tourism tiny island with church on it and a castle overlooking the scene perched atop a rocky cliff.

We chose first to walk to nearby Vintgar Gorge. This was a unique walk through a high-walled gorge with a mix of wooden cross bridges and cliff-side trails with crisp blue water flowing beneath, deep pools filled with fish and a cool forest shade. Three hours of walk through the gorge and countryside and we sat our weary bones down at a local pub

for some Slovenian fare.

In the afternoon we walked around the lake choosing to pass on the opporunity to take a gondola to the island. Instead we hiked a very steep hill to gain the picture-postcard view of the entire vista that Lake Bled offered. Very happy with the result but drained after a total of 15 kilometres of leg work we could make it no further than the local "Irish" pub where we caught the bus back to Ljubljana where we quickly sunk two pint bottles of Bulmers. We caught the bus back to the city and stuffed ourselves with Mexican food.

Day 5: Ljubljana on foot

After a night in the hostel we awoke to find the weather had improved. We decided to make our way to the campsite on the edge of town. This involved a "quick" bus ride but first we had to figure out the bus system.

As we were beginning to learn with painful regularity, the Lonely Planet guide-book proved worse than useless as it gave incorrect information. Disregarding the advice that we could pay on the bus (we couldn't) we studied a vending machine located at the bus stop and using our extensive knowledge of Slovenian surmised that this must be somehow related to getting a bus ticket. We asked around. The first lady's English was very poor so Robin left Jess to her specialist subject - mime with a foreign language speaker - while he went to ask the not-so-friendly kiosk vendor.

"Do you speak English?" This elicited a grunt and a shrug.

"How do I buy a ticket for the bus?"

"Card!" he barked helpfully holding up a card.

Jess had independently verified by means of mime that the vending machine did indeed issue "card!" We bought two cards and having just missed our bus while struggling with the machine, waited for the next bus. After half an hour the next bus arrived and we boarded only to be told our cards had no credit. What was the two euro that the cards cost us for? We gracelessly reversed our considerable backpack-carrying bulk off the bus and went to charge our cards as our long-awaited bus pulled away. We charged our cards for the minimum 10 euro in total knowing full well that 75% of these fares would go un-used as we were tourists staying for only a couple of days. Jess got full value from her card regardless, by accidentally swiping her card multiple times as she boarded the bus at our third attempt.

The campsite or laguna resort as they call themselves was very good and included amongst many sporting facilities a swimming pool that we never got a chance to use. We were happy to just set our tent up under the shade of some trees in the quietest spot we could find.

Exhausted after the morning ordeal, we decided to de-stress by soaking in this romantic city (or what Frommers claims it to be) and what better way to do that than a city hike? After a quick bus ride, we were in the heart of the city. Surrounded by Venetian styled architecture, we strolled on the cobble-stoned streets along the river, and like true tourists, we ventured into every interesting alley we could find and admired the intricate items in each display window as we passed by the quaint shops. The city centre was another world, with its limestone buildings and copper statues, it was a city lost in time. It was built on both sides of the river with most restaurants, gelato cafes and bars on either side.

We stopped by the tourist office and decided to book ourselves into a guided tour of the Skocjan caves and explore Lake Bled with our "trusty" guidebook. At the end of our our fruitful morning, we rewarded ourselves with some nice lunch and sampled ice-cold Slovenian beer while watching the city go by.

As the afternoon subsided, we hiked up a short but steep hill to the Ljubjana Castle. The castle was not as impressive as the surrounding forests. The air was crisp and fresh and we admired the city views from above.

The city was packed with tourists, mostly Italians and Austrians and we all had the same thing in mind, to enjoy the sights without incurring too much costs. We decided to escape the crowds by taking a longer route back to the city through the forests. Unfortunately, nature calls for Jess and we soon discovered that there was a serious absence of toilets while we needed it most. After a desperate search along the river, we found ourselves in a gelato cafe (was really an excuse to enjoy some gelato on a hot day) borrowing the toilet under the pretense of enjoying 2 massive scoops of raspberry and vanilla gelato. It was pure heaven.

After we satisfied ourselves, we headed into the city park which was a disappointment compared to the rest of the city. It was clearly neglected and disfigured by vandalism. Jess made the most of it in the kiddies' swing until we were driven away by a noisy Slovenian family with 2 toddlers. Heading back to the city, we ended our afternoon hike with a leisurely stroll along the bank of

the river and resting our feet in a quiet corner.

Night falls and Robin decided on a cosy Slovenian restaurant with a friendly waiter. We sighed in contentment as we enjoyed the simple fresh food and wine.