Saturday 4 September 2004

Day 4: Krk; Rijeka to Dubrovnik



Another really early start and off to the island of Krk for the day. Spent a few hours on the pebble beach catching some rays and swimming in the warm Med. We had a beautiful seafood Risotto and Spaghetti for lunch before heading home.

Packed our stuff and caught the bus to Rijeka from where we caught the ferry to Dubrovnik.

Boarded at 8pm. Had dinner in the restaurant on board before hitting the sack - our sleeping bags on the floor under some tables on the deck!

Chat soon,
DelBoy

Friday 3 September 2004

Day 3: Plitvice


Up at 8am and headed into Opatija after a quick (cold) shower where we hired a (VERY EXPENSIVE) Opel Astra for 2 days with Josh and Shell. We decided to drive to the Plitvice Lakes which is about 200km away. It took 3 and a half hours to get there, but we did get to see some of Croatia's magnificent coastline. We also stopped to buy some homemade cheese, honey and Grappa!

We spent a total of 5 hours sightseeing and walking around Plitvice's 16 stunning lakes and waterfalls; a total of about 18km including 2 bus rides and a short ferry trip across one of the lakes. After stopping in a local supermarket, we made the 3 hour journey home on the freeway.

After dinner of beer, cheese, bread and cold meats, we hit the sack around 11.30pm.

Chat soon,
DelBoy

Thursday 2 September 2004

Day 2: Trieste to Opatija, Croatia


Bright-eyed and bushy tailed (NOT), we were up at 6am leaving plenty of time to hit the showers and get to the ferry. We arrived at the ferry terminal only to be told that thte captain will decide in half an hour whether or not to sail 'cos of the weather. About 45 minutes later the decision NOT to sail was made so off to the bus station it was!

We met another Aussie couple, Michelle & Josh, who also joined us on the bus. We decided for a small change in plans and booked a bus to Opatija instead of Pula (our original ferry destination).

Opatija is a small town on the bay in Northern Croatia. Loads of rich people from Italy and Rijeka come here on holidays.

We found the tourist office and a very friendly Croatian lady helped us find accomodation in Voskovo which is about 10 minutes walk from Opatija. The owner of the guesthouse came to pick us up by car.

Our room was small but cosy with a kitchen and a bathroom, a fridge and a small table for eating. The couple that own the house are really friendly.

After settling in, we headed out for a seafood lunch. Delicious! We then went for a loooong walk along the marina before heading home. The couple had prepared a BBQ for us, inlcuding 'cevapcici' a type of Croatian sausage.

Chat soon,
DelBoy

Wednesday 1 September 2004

Day 1: London to Trieste


After a hectic Carnival weekend in Notting Hill, we had to get up at 08:00 this morning to catch our train to Stansted Airport for our flight to Italy.

We arrived at Ronchi dei Legionari at 15:35 and then caught bus 51 into Trieste. After about one hour on the coach we arrived at Trieste bus station. We made the short walk to our hotel, Hotel Alabarda, in Via Valdirivo and checked in. Our room was massive and the bathroom was very clean. After dumping our backpacks, we set off for the harbour to find our ferry. We got some info from the ferry office then went for coffee and 'tost'.

After returning to the hotel and chilling for about 2 hours, we went out for dinner - cottoletta Milanese for Deb and pizza for me. The food was OK, but the service was non-existant and it was all quite expensive! On our way home, we stopped for gelato!

Chat soon,
DelBoy