Welcome to our holiday blog



Welcome to our holiday blog

This blog records the daily activities on our holiday from mid- May to mid-June 2011. The main purpose of the holiday is to visit Nicky, John and Amelia in London.

We will also be going to places we have never seen before including Beijing (China), New Forest (UK), Barcelona (Spain), Croatia and Dubai (UAE).



Friday 3 June 2011

Day 22 - Friday 3rd June

Despite the forecast of isolated showers, it was warm and sunny this morning and so we decided to have breakfast on the terrace next to the ancient stone walls of the hotel.

Today's driver and guide, Rada, met us at the hotel reception when we were checking out of the hotel at 9:30am. She would be driving us to our next hotel at Split. Rada lives in Split and had already driven all the way to Zadar to pick us up.

The first destination was Krka National Park near the town of Sibenik. John and Gaye had suggested we should go along the coastal road rather than using the motorway. Although this road is slower, it gave us the scenic view of the coastline.

Krka National Park is a beautiful natural valley where two rivers meet to form lakes and waterfalls. Just like the Plitvice Lakes, the water is a stunning blue colour. It was bright and sunny despite the forecast. Nevertheless we packed our rain jackets in the backpack that I carried. It turned out that we didn't need them.

After passing through the entrance, you catch a full-sized bus down the side of the mountain on a narrow road with hairpin bends. It's amazing to see how the drivers manage to get past buses coming in the other direction without driving over the cliff.

At the bottom of the hill, Rada guided us through a series of traditional Croatian houses that showcased life over the centuries. The path then took us on a complete circuit around the lakes and waterfalls. It is very nicely laid out for visitors with well-made paths and well-positioned viewing areas to give you the best photographs.

The full circuit took about two hours. We probably enjoyed it more than yesterday's trip to Plitvice Lakes - mainly because the weather was so much better today.

Rada then drove us into Sibenik. She parked in a parking area on the wharf and took us on a guided tour of the town. Once again, the town contains a range of architecture from Roman times onwards. We'd decided this time not to bother taking our raincoats on our walking tour but when we got to the centre of the town near the cathedral, there was a sudden downpour.

One of the highlights for today's itinerary was a very special lunch at Pelegrini Restaurant in Sibenik. Originally, we supposed to eat on the outdoor terrace. Because of the rain, they put us inside which didn't worry us because the internal eating area of the restaurant is built within the stone walls of the ancient fortress. It was a leisurely lunch of at least six courses with a different wine for each course.

After lunch, Rada took us inside the cathedral and then back through the town to her car. John and Gaye had suggested that he should go to another town called Trogir. Although this wasn't on the itinerary, Rada agreed to take us there - even though it added more than an hour to her already long day.

Trogir is indeed worth a visit. It has a beautiful seaside setting. The architecture is fascinating. It is a well-preserved example of a range of architectural styles dating back to Roman times.

It was about 7pm by the time we got to the outskirts of Split. Because of tonight's international soccer match between Croatia and Georgia, the traffic was heavier than normal. Furthermore, our route to the hotel went right past the stadium. Large crowds in Croatian colours were heading towards the stadium on the footpaths and across the roads and so it was challenging for Rada to navigate her way.

We reached the hotel at about 7:30pm and thanked Rada for a most enjoyable day.

On our way through the ancient laneways to the hotel, we'd noticed that they were setting up a large TV screen on the promenade next to the sea. For a while we watched the game on the TV in our room and then we ventured out to explore the town.

The crowd watching the outdoor TV seemed rather subdued. Perhaps this was because Croatia was down 1 goal to nil. After such a big lunch, we weren't feeling hungry and so we settled for some coffee and cake in an open-air cafe in one of the plazas.

Croatia ended up winning the game 2 goals to 1.

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