Croatia Continued

Part II of the Journey:

After our respite in Plitvice we got back on the road and headed for the coast, specifically the city of Senj. The weather was cloudy and the roads were narrow. We got a speeding ticket for 100 euros in the middle of a desolate field (of which I financed 30% of, in E.U. currency) because Martin was driving 100 km/h in a 50 km/h zone. Just a note - an oncoming driver flashing his high beams at you is an INTERNATIONAL SYMBOL for COPS AHEAD. Our wallets a bit lighter, we moved on and came to a mountain pass and began the quick descent to the coast. Suddenly the sun was shining and the wind was blowing forcefully.


The "MartyC Mobile" heading down the mountain.

Our arrival in Senj - where we had a quick grocery-store lunch before heading north again.


My personal favorite: DO NOT DRIVE INTO THE OCEAN:


After that, we took the ferry (pictured previously) to the island of Krk and drove across it -


- and then it was on to the next island, Cres, where we spent a day and a half. Cres is a long skinny island, and its main city where we stayed bears the same name.



As you can see, the water was beautiful and clear, the town small, and the atmosphere nice. We stayed in an entirely renovated and furnished apartment with complete kitchen, terrace, and view of the bay for a little less than €30 for the night. I sat on the beach and collected rocks and explored the tiny and charming alleys and pedestrian areas of the town. The beaches in Croatia are not sandy, but rather made of small stones. This is perhaps slightly less comfortable to walk on, but a huge benefit in that anybody with children takes them to the beach in Italy instead. And given the quality of the water, its really not so tragic. And eating a cheap dinner on the bay watching the sunset far from the maddening crowd is priceless.


After all of that, we headed north again for a short stopover in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. Its a nice enough smallish city, with a canal running through the center and none of the detritus you would expect of the former Eastern Bloc. In fact, the whole place felt very western with its ritzy shops and expensive hotels. Perhaps the recent introduction of the Euro as the official currency has helped. Then, it was on the road again to "Avstrija":


In my experience, driving through Slovenia is always a nightmare. Whether its paying a €7 toll for an autobahn that doesn't exist, or paying a €7 toll for an autobahn that functions in the same manner as a parking lot, its never much fun. Remnants of the communist mentality, maybe? But, no pain, no gain, right?


And here's the final proof that we had a lovely holiday.