Croatia Sightseeing Trip Log - October 11-21 with Zagreb Tours
For the birding part of our Croatia trip on
October 5-10, see http://web.ncf.ca/ed143/Croatia/Croatia Val Tours.htm
For all the bird photos on our trip, see http://web.ncf.ca/ed143/Croatia/croatia%20birds.htm
For the Dubrovnik part of our trip on October 21-22, see http://web.ncf.ca/ed143/Croatia/Croatia Dubrovnik.htm
Tuesday, October 11: Zagreb Tours
Day 1 with
guide Davor Miskic
We finished our amazing week of birding in Dalmatia and headed to
Zagreb on the bus to meet our four friends at the airport. This
was an exciting ride through several tunnels in the Velebit
Mountains, two of them over 5 km long.
Our group of six carefully planned our trip with Zagreb Tours http://www.zagrebtours.com/en/. It was a customized trip with a Croatian guide and van
for 11 days. We planned to explore the north, west and southern
parts of the Croatian boomerang, travelling west from Zagreb to
Istria and then down the Dalmatian coast to Dubrovnik.
Zagreb Tours plan
Transfer to hotel in Samobor.
Overnight in Samobor. www.lavica-hotel.hr
http://www.croatiatraveller.com/Zagreb_region/Samobor.htm
Davor Miskic, Zagreb Tours, met us at the bus station in Zagreb
and drove us to the airport where John and Mary Anne (via
Venice/Vienna) and Rich and Lorna (via Ottawa/Hamburg) were just
arriving. The six of us hopped into Davor's van with our luggage
and he drove us to Samobor, a community near Zagreb, where we
would hike and explore a gorge area, staying for two nights. For
the trip, our guide would be Roni Brandl who would meet us in
Samobor the next morning. In the meantime, we set out to explore
Samobor.
Highlights
hotel in park setting
Samobor Square
Hike to fortress on hill
Togetherness drinks
Dinner at our hotel
Our reflections
We quickly oriented ourselves to our new surroundings in Samobor.
We hiked about town and then set off for the vertical climb to
the 13th century fortress which towered above the town. We
returned to town to find the some beer and wine and celebrated
the beginning of our sightseeing trip we had planned so carefully
together. The cheerful lights on Samobor Square reflected our
spirit as we enjoyed our first dinner together in Croatia.
Wednesday, October 12: Zagreb
Tours Day 2 with guide
Roni Brandl
Zagreb Tours plan
Samobor - Samoborsko gorje /
Japetic Mt. - Zagreb - Samobor
Exploring the Samobor region. Visit to Zagreb in the afternoon.
Overnight in Samobor.
http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Europe/Croatia/Inland/Zagreb/Zagreb/
Highlights
early morning birding
hiking in gorge area
picnic lunch at Eco-park
kremsnite creamy cake,
specialty of Samobor
Zagreb tour
Our reflections
The day started out well for Bill who discovered a Coal Tit, a
lifer, in the hotel garden. With John's help, he also had some
good sightings later in the day, including a Magpie, another
lifer. We felt right at home in downtown Samobor with shaded
walks, bridges over a stream and laundry hanging on balconies.
Roni drove us through a gorge area to an Eco-park where we were
soon hiking a large hilly route through a forested area. He drew
our attention to three very colourful, large salamanders in the
leaves. Some of us cooled off by unzipping our pant legs.
After a picnic lunch at the Eco-park and tasty kremsnite cakes in
Samobor Square, Roni introduced us to the historical landmarks in
downtown Zagreb. As the sun was setting we returned to Samobor
where we found a local restaurant for our dinner and a discussion
of the day's activities.
New Birds Today Photos at Croatian Birding Tour October 5-10 http://web.ncf.ca/ed143/Croatia/croatia%20birds.htm
97. Coal Tit
98. Magpie
Thursday, October 13: Zagreb
Tours Day 3 with guide
Roni Brandl
Zagreb Tours plan
Istrian Tour: Roc - Hum - Motovun
- Rovinj
Departure from Samobor in the morning. Driving across continental
part of Istria visiting little medieval towns towns: Hum, Roc,
Motovun. Overnight in Rovinj. www.hotel-vilalili.hr
http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Europe/Croatia/Coast/Istarska/Rovinj/
Highlights
hiking the Glagolitic Ally, 7km, featuring sculptures of
the ancient Slavic alphabet
lunch at Hum, the smallest
town in the world
delicious pasta with truffles and krostoli
pastries
12th century frescoes in
Church of St. Jerome
busy hilltop town of Motovun
discovering Rovinj old town
Our reflections
Leaving Samobor, we spotted a stork in a field, another lifer for
Bill. This day introduced us to some old stone walled villages,
still intact. These small hilltop villages are popular with
tourist buses so we encountered large buses on narrow roads when
were hiking and crowds of sightseers in the streets. Luckily Roni
knew the secrets of finding and squeezing into small parking
places and circumventing crowds by guiding us, sometimes asking
workers if we could pass through their work areas. This enabled
us to have a more personal - and more peaceful - experience. He
was able to get the key to the Church of St. Jerome in Hum so we
could admire the well preserved frescoes. Our Istrian lunch at
Hum was amazing. Cold beer hit the spot. The practice of chilling
red wine, however, did not suit us.
We were delighted with Rovinj when we arrived at our cosy
family-run inn. A fish dinner at a local restaurant was
excellent. We anticipated having time to explore the old town of
Rovinj with its predominant church the next morning.
New Birds Today Photos at Croatian Birding Tour October 5-10 http://web.ncf.ca/ed143/Croatia/croatia%20birds.htm
99. White Stork
Friday, October 14: Zagreb Tours
Day 4 with guide Roni
Brandl
Zagreb Tours plan
Pula - Moscenice - Opatija
(Kvarner Gulf)
Departure from Rovinj in the morning. Driving to Opatija visiting
Pula and Moscenice. Overnight in Opatija. www.villa-kapetanovic.hr
http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Europe/Croatia/Coast/Istarska/Pula/
Highlights
amazing breakfast at Hotel Vila Lili in Rovinj
old city of Rovinj
intriguing doors
scenic drive to Pula
lively guided tour of Roman
amphitheatre at Pula
special Croatian lunch
coastal drive to Opatja
end of day walk along the
Opatja promenade
Our reflections
Roni encouraged us to spend some
time exploring the old city of Rovinj. We enjoyed the colourful
market and the narrow twisty streets. We were able to do a little
birding near the church where Bill spotted a Shag, a Magpie and a
Redstart (a lifer!). Then Roni chauffered us through the
countryside, south to Pula. What a delight to have a personal
animated tour of the Roman amphitheatre by a friend/guide. Bill
was pleased to find some Black Redstarts and White Wagtails
hopping near the wall. Our guide recommended a local restaurant
where we lunched in style. A beautiful drive brought us to
Optaija where we hiked along the waterfront promenade. A relaxing
end to a busy day.
New Birds Today Photos at Croatian Birding Tour October 5-10 http://web.ncf.ca/ed143/Croatia/croatia%20birds.htm
100. Redstart
Saturday, October 15: Zagreb
Tours Day 5 with guide
Roni Brandl
Zagreb Tours plan
Opatija - Plitvice Lakes
Departure from Opatija in the morning. Driving to Plitvice Lakes
National Park. Overnight on the Lakes http://plitviceetnohouse.com
http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Europe/Croatia/Coast/Licko-Senjska/Plitvice_Lakes/
Highlights
good morning in Opatija
scenic stops en route to
Plitvice
picnic lunch beside River
Gacka
homemade plum brandy
cosy lodge in the park
a walk in the park
Our Reflections
This was a full day of spectacular scenery. It started with an
amazing breakfast sunrise in Opatija. We were treated to stunning
vistas of the blue Adriatic en route to Plitvice National Park,
with the strong bora wind blowing over the sea. Mary Anne
suggested a picturesque picnic spot for lunch on the Gacka River;
a local resident treated us to some of her homemade plum brandy.
Finally, when we arrived at Plitvice, we settled in our rooms in
a cozy cabin, then hiked trails to the magnificent waterfalls.
Groomed trails and shuttle ferries and buses made getting around
very easy. After a few hours of exploring we enjoyed dinner
together in the dining room at our lodge, appreciating fresh
trout and with excellent Croatian white wine.
Sunday, October 16: Zagreb Tours
Day 6 with guide Roni
Brandl
Zagreb Tours plan
Plitvice Lakes
Exploring the Park for most of the day. Overnight on the Lakes
Highlights
misty morning
bright fall leaves
hiking paths
hiking stairs
cave without a floor or
ceiling
good luck rub
waterfalls
lucky sighting of a dipper
surprise meeting with Davor
(see Day 1)
Our reflections
We had a full day to explore the
park. We set out looking forward to another great hiking day.
Unfortunately a park ranger deterred us from our ambitious plan
as a selected trail had not been opened up and was unmarked. We
sampled some apple strudel and readjusted our plan. We still put
in a full day. Lots of photography opportunities! The many stairs
gave us, and our poles, a good workout. We relaxed in the evening
over a hearty chicken dinner at our lodge, again selecting the
excellent Croatian white wine.
New Birds Today Photos at Croatian Birding Tour October 5-10 http://web.ncf.ca/ed143/Croatia/croatia%20birds.htm
101. Tree Creeper
Monday, October 17: Zagreb Tours Day
7 with guide Roni
Brandl
Zagreb Tours plan
Plitvice Lakes - Paklenika
National Park - Zadar
Departure from Plitvice National Park in the morning. Driving to
Paklenika National Park. Exploring the park for half a day.
Driving to Zadar. Overnight in Zadar.
www.villa-hresc.hr
http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Europe/Croatia/Coast/Zadarska_Zupanija/Zadar/
Highlights
farm hay and corn stacks
coffee at Roni's
mother-in-law's café
brown bear
return to Paklenika National
Park
impressive hotel suite
hiking in Zadar
sea organ http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9359/1/Nikola-Baiae-author-of-the-Zadar-Sea-Organ.html
Barbara's
You Tube video
salute to the sun http://www.inyourpocket.com/croatia/zadar/sightseeing-culture/landmarks/Greeting-to-the-Sun_49466v
Barbara`s
You Tube video
fish and gelato
History
Croatian War of Independence airbase
underground airstrip
Our reflections
This was a day of contrasts. After some early morning birding at
our lodge, we bid farewell to the lush greenery of Plitvice and
headed to rocky Paklenika. The green farmland near Plitvice
contrasted with the dull grey and brown of an old military
underground airstrip - several km of underground runway!
After a day outdoors in nature we were amazed by two creative
inventions in Zadar. Check the links above to share the
experiences of a sea organ, underground pipes using tidal action
to create harmonious sounds which rise through openings in the
promenade, and of a solar powered circle of shifting light
patterns, a salute to the sun with a background of a magnificent
sunset.
Tuesday, October 18: Zagreb
Tours Day 8 with guide
Roni Brandl
Zagreb Tours plan
Zadar - Krka National Park - Split
Departure from Zadar in the morning. Driving to Krka National
Park. Exploring the park for most of the day. Driving to Split.
Overnight in Split.
www.villamatejuska.hr
http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Europe/Croatia/Coast/Splitsko-Dalmatinska/Split/
Highlights
morning views at Zadar
visit to village of Nin
another amazing national
park
Crested Larks in Krka
parking lot
refreshing swim
ferry ride
views of Trogir
our historic Split apartment
early evening hike
History
statues of warriors in Nin (rubbing toes is good luck)
9th century church
12th century church
Our reflections
We had another scenic start to our
day. After leaving Zadar we visited the village of Nin. This time
we did not return to the salt pans to bird as we had done the
week before on our birding trip. We enjoyed the historic statues,
buildings and church, with Roni as our guide. Our next stop was
Krka National Park. More verdant streams and beautiful
waterfalls. We even had a short dip in a large pool of clear
water. Driving from Krka to Split we passed the beautiful
waterfront town of Trogir (the home of Robert, our birding
guide). For the next two nights we would be staying at a downtown
apartment on a small cobbled street in Split. Parking was a
challenge! As usual, we went for an exploratory hike - our
destination was an outlook with an overview of Split. The view
was well worth the steps up. Continuing our quest for sunset
views over the water we continued a loooong climb upupup a large
hill. Rich was the only one to make it to a viewpoint, but we did
get some red sky views from the path. We looked forward to
learning more about Trogir and Split the next day.
Wednesday, October 19: Zagreb Tours
Day 9 with
guide Roni Brandl
Zagreb Tours plan
Sightseeing of Split and Trogir.
Overnight in Split.
Highlights
laundry
Trogir old town
Trogir Cathedral of St.
Lawrence
klapa - Dalamatian acapella
singing
Croatian lunch
Cetina River gorge
Split at night
Velebitsko beer
History: evening tour of
Diocletian's palace built 293-305AD
Our reflections
We started the day driving through the narrow Split streets on
our way to Trogir. Our birding guide, Robert, had told us about
his home town of Trogir so we were pleased to have a half day to
explore the old city on the water. We headed to the Trogir
Cathedral of St. Lawrence where Robert was married by the bishop.
We were puzzled by the spikes around the statues - pigeon
deterrents. Unfortunately, the cathedral was closed for
renovations but we were able to wind our way up a narrow winding
stone staircase to rooftop views. Here we could see the contrast
of dark old roof tiles and bright new ones. We had a delicious
Croatian lunch at a local restaurant. Then Roni offered us a boat
trip on the Cetina River, which meets the Adriatic Sea at Omis.
We dropped Rich and Lorna off to hike about Split and the rest of
us headed for the water. Rock climbers greeted us at the Cetina
dock where vertical rocks ascended. We enjoyed a relaxing boat
ride, observing the scenery and water life, stopping at a park
for a short hike. After this leisurely break, we drove back to
Split for an evening exploring the palace of the Roman emperor
Diocletian. Interestingly, the palace has not been preserved as a
museum but is a living building with residents, stores and
restaurants. Roni introduced us to a small take out spot where we
bought some local food which we took to a small bar which served
dark Velebitsko beer - we toasted another amazing day.
Thursday, October 20: Zagreb Tours
Day 10 with guide Roni
Brandl
Zagreb Tours plan
Departure from Split in the
morning. Ferry to Hvar Island. Exploring Hvar. Overnight in Hvar.
www.hvar-petricic.com
http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Europe/Croatia/Coast/Splitsko-Dalmatinska/Hvar/
Highlights
fresh morning by the water
Great Cormorant stealing
fish
ferry to Hvar island
room with a view
hike along windy, rainy harbour
promenade
glistening fruit
meeting another Canadian
exploring Hvar town
hike to medieval fortress
above town
hike military road to
outlook
supper at small local bistro
up stone steps
Our reflections
It was another day of discoveries,
this time with wind and rain making the day a bit more
challenging. At 8am we departed by ferry from Split to the island
of Hvar. We passed Diocletian's palace, enjoying the view from
the water. On our two hour voyage, Roni gave us an interesting
summary of Croatian history
Roni drove us from the ferry to the town of Hvar where we were
staying in a lovely home with rooms overlooking the harbour. Hvar
is a popular upscale tourist mecca in the summer, but quiet in
October. On our hike about the town of Hvar it was fun meeting
another Canadian, Shareen (sp?) who works with the Katimavik
youth program. She hiked up to the fortress above town with us;
unfortunately the fortress was closed because of the weather.
Still, we enjoyed this hike and another one later up an old
military road. At night we visited an out-of-way bistro part way
up some steep stone steps in Hvar - we enjoyed reflecting on our
day with Croatian food (and chilled red wine). On our drive after
dinner, we were impressed by the fortress which was brightly lit
up, adding some drama to the foggy scene.
Friday, October 21: Zagreb Tours Day
11 with guide Roni
Brandl
Zagreb Tours plan
Departure from Hvar in the
morning. Ferry to Hvar Island. Driving to Dubrovnik with stopping
in Ston. Arrival to Dubrovnik. The end of the Tour.
Highlights
early morning drive to south of Hvar island
scenic stop en route
ancient stone walls
pleasant wait for the ferry
ferry to mainland
tangerine brandy toast
stone in Ston
photos above Dubrovnik
tour of Dubrovnik
our goodbye to Roni
Birds: Our Sightings Today and Metkovic Ornithological Collection
Ring-necked Pheasant, Sparrow Hawk and Kingfisher
Roni surprised us by offering a visit to the Ornithological
Collection in a small town, Metkovic. Over 300 stuffed birds (and
a few animals) to view. Here is a comment from Robert Crnkovic
our orthinologist birding guide about this collection:
"Hi You there, on the opposite side of the globe! Actually, I am glad that You were able to see that great and precious collection - all speciments were made by same person - Dragutin Rucner, famous croatian ornithologist. He died recently (maybe about 10 years ago), and his wife, Renata, who was long time the director of Croatian Institute of Ornithology - she is, as far as I momentary know, still live, having almost 100 years!!! I saw particular collection only once, during war, when my brigade was in Metkovic background - so I have my kalanjikov, life-proof jacket and helmet while visiting and inspecting the collection."
Our reflections
Roni did an amazing job of driving us in the rain to the south of
Hvar island to catch a ferry to the mainland. This was a long,
tortuous, twisty road. Fortunately, the rain lifted and we were
able to stop at an outlook.
Hvar has a UNESCO world heritage site. This is the Stari Grad
Plain, a gridwork of dry stone walls built by the Greeks 2,400
years ago. Although you can only see the pattern from the air, we
did get some good close up views of old stone walls on our drive
to the ferry.
Our route took us along the coast where we had to cross through a
short stretch of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Roni stopped at a store
where we looked in vain for Bosnian beer; and all the souvenirs
were Croatian. Although it was Roni's last day with us, he found
time to take us to Ston, to the Metkovic Ornithological
Collection and to give us a driving tour of Dubrovnik before our
final farewell. It had been an enriching, memorable ten days
together.
We would be on our own for the next few days...
Zagreb Tours Summary
For this second part of our trip, guide Roni Brandl, Zagreb
Tours, drove us to our selected destinations for ten days. We
found having a personal driver/guide was an ideal way to learn
about Croatia and to avoid the challenging drives, particularly
through and parking in old towns with narrow windy streets. We
spent our first few days near Zagreb, at Samobor, hiking to an
old fortress and in a scenic gorge. Roni also drove us into
Zagreb to see the capital. We then headed to the Istrian
peninsula near Italy. Here we discovered the powerful bora wind,
rolling hills with quaint villages, the amazing historical towns
of Rovinj, Pula and Opatija. We visited three national parks,
Plitvice, Paklenica and Krka with great hiking, spectacular
waterfalls and beautiful vistas. Roni shared his expert knowledge
of his country, often providing a personal tour of historical
sites. At Pula he arranged a tour by a friend, a spirited guide
who brought the amphitheatre to life for us. He introduced us to
a secluded military base used in the Croatian War of
Independence. As well, he took us to incredibly beautiful sites
overlooking the clear blue-green Adriatic Sea. And he introduced
to Croatian cafés and local lunch spots.
Days were filled with a variety of activities, keeping us
interested in learning about this amazing country...
exploring.. hiking... climbing... birding... swimming... sampling
cuisine... reflecting...
We now had 101 bird species on our Croatia trip - in total, 83 lifers!
For the last part of our trip in Dubrovnik on October
21-22, see http://web.ncf.ca/ed143/Croatia/Croatia
Dubrovnik.htm
For earlier parts of our Croatia trip, see:
History: http://web.ncf.ca/ed143/Croatia/Croatia
history.htm
Val Tours birding trip: http://web.ncf.ca/ed143/Croatia/Croatia Val
Tours.htm
Birds: http://web.ncf.ca/ed143/Croatia/croatia
birds.htm