OK, so that time in the year arrived again.
As June began, my heart began to run faster. I was at that time in a business trip to Brazil, and I knew that from the moment I was supposed to arrive back home it was a question of two weeks for June 28th to arrive and with it my summer vacation.
This time we had a very interesting destination – or destinations, would be the right way to say it: Slovenia and Croatia.
Hotels were already set since February (and so the motorcycle rental), flying tickets were in place, and so it was only a question of doing the last adjustments in the itinerary, to represent the last discoveries of interesting places to visit, and move all the maps into the GPS.
In terms of friends, Shmil and Louiza were back with us for this trip, but unfortunately Eitan and Anat could not come. So, just like in 2017, this year we would be at a 2-couple configuration as well. Best trips are always done with best friends, so we were bound to a treat.
This was supposed to be our itinerary:
As June began, my heart began to run faster. I was at that time in a business trip to Brazil, and I knew that from the moment I was supposed to arrive back home it was a question of two weeks for June 28th to arrive and with it my summer vacation.
This time we had a very interesting destination – or destinations, would be the right way to say it: Slovenia and Croatia.
Hotels were already set since February (and so the motorcycle rental), flying tickets were in place, and so it was only a question of doing the last adjustments in the itinerary, to represent the last discoveries of interesting places to visit, and move all the maps into the GPS.
In terms of friends, Shmil and Louiza were back with us for this trip, but unfortunately Eitan and Anat could not come. So, just like in 2017, this year we would be at a 2-couple configuration as well. Best trips are always done with best friends, so we were bound to a treat.
This was supposed to be our itinerary:
The map is not completely exact, but it is quite near reality. In the daily maps you will be able to see the exact way that was done.
And so, on June 28th, at 5 AM, Shmil, Louiza, Lily and myself were at the Ben Gurion airport entering the LOT flight to Warsaw with connection to Ljubljana.
We arrived to Ljubljana approximately at 14:00, and from the airport we went directly to the hotel. There we discovered the first mistake we did in our hotel choices (there were 3 mistakes, none very serious, but you will read about that later).
Well, our hotel was in a sports compound, and it was meant to be more of a guest house to sports teams that came to train in the place. Someone decided to call it a hotel, gave it a name Sport Hotel Ljubljana, and put it in booking.com.
Being what it was, the hotel did not have double bed rooms. Only those kinds of rooms for teenagers that come to train sports and get a room together with a room-mate. So we were, for the first night, in those rooms. Not a big problem, as the place was clean and comfortable, but it was strange to Lily and me to sleep each in one extreme of the room, as you can see in the panoramic photo below.
We went to visit the old center of Ljubljana, which proved to be a very beautiful, nice, and lively place to spend the night. We ate dinner there, the girls made some visits to shops, and then we walked back (2.5 Km) to the hotel, a beautiful walk in a very nice weather.
One of the things I like most when we do these trips in Europe is the summer daylight which goes until 9:30-10 PM. This is something we don’t have in Israel, and it allows us to arrive to a place after a riding day and still feel that we have half a day to know and enjoy the place.
Friday, June 29th – the beginning
Morning came, and we got up from bed for the day to come.
It doesn’t matter how good the trip will be, this is always the most thrilling day of the trip – the day you go to the rental agency to receive the motorcycles.
This time we rented the bikes from Adriatic Moto Tours. We received two very new BMW R1200RT, mine was with 1600 Km. Shmil’s bike was similar. The bikes were in great shape, although already had some of those inevitable signs that you always find in rental bikes, even if they are very new. But this is not a complaint, they were perfect and served us very well during all the trip. With them we got the two standard RT cases at the side, and a big 52 liter Givi Explorer top case. Enough for all our luggage and emergency tools.
We left our suitcases at the rental agency, loaded everything in the bikes, and immediately began our trip.
The first stop was approximately after 85 Km from Ljubljana, at the Franja Partizan Hospital. There was a relatively large partisan movement in Slovenia during WWII who fought against the Nazis, and one of their expertises was to build hospitals that were very functional and very protected by the environment, mountains and vegetations. These hospitals were difficult to be found by the Nazis, and very difficult to be attached. They included everything, emergency room, surgery room, dentist room, dorms and meal rooms for officers and soldiers, and much more.
This is a gallery of pictures of the Franja Hospital. You can click in any photo to enlarge the gallery and navigate between the pictures.
From Franja we had a very nice country ride to Postojna, our next stop.
Our first thing to do in Postojna was to visit the Postojna Cave (or Postojna Jama in Slovenian). We are talking about a cave which is so big that most of the time you travel inside it in little trains. You only walk 1.5 Km out of its whole size. The cave is one of those stalactite-stalagmite caves, with gorgeous formations which are very well conserved. You can see a set of pictures from the cave below and get your own impressions of it.
Our first thing to do in Postojna was to visit the Postojna Cave (or Postojna Jama in Slovenian). We are talking about a cave which is so big that most of the time you travel inside it in little trains. You only walk 1.5 Km out of its whole size. The cave is one of those stalactite-stalagmite caves, with gorgeous formations which are very well conserved. You can see a set of pictures from the cave below and get your own impressions of it.
Well, I told you that we walked only 1.5 Km in it, but it wasn’t an easy walk. Stairs up and stairs down all the time. Together with the Franja hospital, we had around 500 stair steps up and down to do that day.After visiting the cave, we proceeded to our hotel in Postojna, the Postojna Cave Rooms and Apartments Proteus, which was a gorgeous “town-within-a-town” kind of hotel. It was made of some separate buildings, every one with 3-4 rooms, with streets between them, a very nice place to stay.
After getting organized there, we went out to the town to visit a little. It was a Friday night, so commerce shut down early. But the whole town and all the tourists around were out to enjoy the cafes, bars, beer houses and restaurants of the place. We chose an interesting restaurant, the Storja Pod Stopnicami, from Google Maps recommendations, but the place was full and asked us to wait and return within half-an-hour.
After getting organized there, we went out to the town to visit a little. It was a Friday night, so commerce shut down early. But the whole town and all the tourists around were out to enjoy the cafes, bars, beer houses and restaurants of the place. We chose an interesting restaurant, the Storja Pod Stopnicami, from Google Maps recommendations, but the place was full and asked us to wait and return within half-an-hour.
So we went to walk a little more, and returned, something that proved to be a very wise choice. The restaurant was simply perfect. We had there the best meat meal that we had in Slovenia. And then, fully satisfied, we went back to our hotel to finish that day and get some rest to be ready for the next day of the trip.
Saturday, June 30th – Predjama, Skocjan and into Croatia
Sunrise came, we woke up, and began getting set to the next day of the trip.
Saturday, June 30th – Predjama, Skocjan and into Croatia
Sunrise came, we woke up, and began getting set to the next day of the trip.
This day was planned to definitely be a long day. According to our plans, we were supposed to visit the last visit points in that region, and then to cross into Croatia and travel around 200 Km until Plitvicka Jezera, or in English, the Plitvice Lakes Natural Park.
So we began by the closest attraction, the Predjama Castle.
So we began by the closest attraction, the Predjama Castle.
Predjama Castle is, as you can see from the above photo, a Renaissance Castle built within the mouth of a mountain cave. The castle is known since 1274 and has served generations of knights and rulers of the region, until after WWII, when the communist regime of Yugoslavia nationalized it and transformed it in a museum.
From there we continued to the Skocjan cave. This was a place that Shmil wanted very much to visit, and for this reason we added it to the plan.
In my ingenuity I was asking myself why to go to a second cave so near the previous one. I was bound to say “once you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all”…
Well, all my questions received answers at the first moment we went into this cave. It was completely different from Postojna. This was a cave formed by the Reka river which managed to dig a whole in the ground at a certain point and then go underground for dozens of kilometers. At this point, the cave is known to have an area of 413 hectares, and the explored length of the cave is currently of 6.5 Km. From those, we walk approximately 2.5 Km, going down approximately 160 meters and then back up. This sums up to approximately 800 stair-steps during the way from the entry to the exit.
It is not permitted to take pictures there as a measure of security (due to the number of people that fell in the stairs while they were busy with their cameras), but I managed to take some single pictures to show here.
In 1986 the Skocjan Caves made their way to UNESCO’s list of natural and cultural world heritage sites.
In my ingenuity I was asking myself why to go to a second cave so near the previous one. I was bound to say “once you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all”…
Well, all my questions received answers at the first moment we went into this cave. It was completely different from Postojna. This was a cave formed by the Reka river which managed to dig a whole in the ground at a certain point and then go underground for dozens of kilometers. At this point, the cave is known to have an area of 413 hectares, and the explored length of the cave is currently of 6.5 Km. From those, we walk approximately 2.5 Km, going down approximately 160 meters and then back up. This sums up to approximately 800 stair-steps during the way from the entry to the exit.
It is not permitted to take pictures there as a measure of security (due to the number of people that fell in the stairs while they were busy with their cameras), but I managed to take some single pictures to show here.
In 1986 the Skocjan Caves made their way to UNESCO’s list of natural and cultural world heritage sites.
From that point, we began riding Southeast to the inner part of Croatia, taking the direction of Plitvice via the mountains (there is another way by the sea). It was a hot day, which also had some rain, so we had to do some 3 stops in the way in order to rest from the long ride. We arrived in Plitvicka Selo, where our hotel was situated, under heavy rain. We had not ordered dinner at the hotel, and there was no point in going out on motorcycles in the rain to eat, so the owner tried to organize a light meal for us, which was quite a disaster.
The hotel (Villa Nena) was not exactly a hotel, it was more like a B&B or a guest house, run by Nena and her husband, an old couple that lived in the region. They told us that most of the people in Plitvicka Selo are more than 80 years old, and that during the winter they stay 4 months completely isolated from the rest of the world. The place is nice but a little confused – I don’t know exactly how to explain why and how. Breakfast is good, but we did not enjoy dinner. However, it is walking distance from a gorgeus restaurant in which we had dinner in the following day.
The hotel (Villa Nena) was not exactly a hotel, it was more like a B&B or a guest house, run by Nena and her husband, an old couple that lived in the region. They told us that most of the people in Plitvicka Selo are more than 80 years old, and that during the winter they stay 4 months completely isolated from the rest of the world. The place is nice but a little confused – I don’t know exactly how to explain why and how. Breakfast is good, but we did not enjoy dinner. However, it is walking distance from a gorgeus restaurant in which we had dinner in the following day.
Sunday, July 1st - The Plitvice Lakes National Park
We woke up, ate a good breakfast, and prepared to our visit to the Plitvice Lakes Natural Park. First, Shmil and myself travelled to buy tickets for going into the park, and then returned to hotel and walked with the girls to entry P3 which is at walking distance from the hotel. At P3 we took the boat to the lakes.
Plitvice Lakes NP is also a UNESCO protected area. It made its way to UNESCO’s list in 1979.
The lakes in the park are arranged in cascades, or in levels. This means that you begin from the lower lake where the boats run, and as you walk up to the top, new lakes show themselves, and they pour their water in the form of waterfalls to the lower lakes. This means that all waterfalls that we see in our way are waters coming from the upper lakes, and that is a beautiful thing to see.
Whoever goes to Plitvice needs to know that he will walk at least 10.5 Km there, in most cases going up from level to level. It is a visit for a full day, don’t plan any less than that, otherwise you won’t see enough. There are people that take buses from entry P2 or P1 directly to the upper part and then go down, but the distance is the same and in my opinion this opposite direction is less beautiful than the one from the lower lakes to the upper ones, because then you will most of the time be walking down with the waterfalls in your back, and will be loosing much of the beautiful views that we will see below.
Plitvice Lakes NP is also a UNESCO protected area. It made its way to UNESCO’s list in 1979.
The lakes in the park are arranged in cascades, or in levels. This means that you begin from the lower lake where the boats run, and as you walk up to the top, new lakes show themselves, and they pour their water in the form of waterfalls to the lower lakes. This means that all waterfalls that we see in our way are waters coming from the upper lakes, and that is a beautiful thing to see.
Whoever goes to Plitvice needs to know that he will walk at least 10.5 Km there, in most cases going up from level to level. It is a visit for a full day, don’t plan any less than that, otherwise you won’t see enough. There are people that take buses from entry P2 or P1 directly to the upper part and then go down, but the distance is the same and in my opinion this opposite direction is less beautiful than the one from the lower lakes to the upper ones, because then you will most of the time be walking down with the waterfalls in your back, and will be loosing much of the beautiful views that we will see below.
I must recognize, though, that these 10.5 Km, after 500 stair-steps in Franja and Postojna, and around 800 stair-steps in Predjama and Skocjan, were that drop of water that broke the dam for me. I was in the middle of physiotherapy for my knees due to a problem with a medication that had side effects on my knees and legs muscles, and after three days of such exercise, both my knees entered a “shock” state in which it was difficult for me to go up, down, sit or raise up from sitting…. Something that had an effect in my whole trip.
Nevertheless, I was very happy I did all that. I would never forgive myself if I would have missed any of these attractions that we did in the first three days. And despite the problem it created, I managed to, with much effort I must say, do every single other activity that we had at the remaining of the trip, and did not waive on any one of them.
So we walked our 10.5 Km up the lakes, took a bus to the P2 entry, there they had a nice restaurant where we could eat a (very) late lunch, and at approximately 4 PM we begin walking from P2 to P3 to return to our hotel. When we arrived to P3, the point where everything began, we were surprised to find this:
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We sat there and just watched for around half an hour, and then walked back to Villa Nena.
On our way to the hotel, we went through the ad of a restaurant called Ethno Restaurant, and checking on it we discovered that it was one of the best restaurants in the region, so we decided to call and reserve a table.
Arriving to the hotel, we cleaned-up, rested a little, and then took the motorcycles to to travel to the restaurant, a 5-minute trip. The Ethno restaurant is a part of the 4-star hotel Ethno Houses, a gorgeous hotel which sells for $145 per night. If you have the budget, that’s the place to stay in your visit there. Most of the other places around are B&Bs, and they are not much cheaper.
Dinner there was nothing less than perfect. Another unmissable place of the regional culinary. If you are in the region, don’t miss a dinner there.
Monday, July 2nd – beginning the way to Dubrovnik
On our way to the hotel, we went through the ad of a restaurant called Ethno Restaurant, and checking on it we discovered that it was one of the best restaurants in the region, so we decided to call and reserve a table.
Arriving to the hotel, we cleaned-up, rested a little, and then took the motorcycles to to travel to the restaurant, a 5-minute trip. The Ethno restaurant is a part of the 4-star hotel Ethno Houses, a gorgeous hotel which sells for $145 per night. If you have the budget, that’s the place to stay in your visit there. Most of the other places around are B&Bs, and they are not much cheaper.
Dinner there was nothing less than perfect. Another unmissable place of the regional culinary. If you are in the region, don’t miss a dinner there.
Monday, July 2nd – beginning the way to Dubrovnik
We woke up early in the next day. Our final destination would be Dubrovnik, but this would take two days to do. We planned 200 Km in the first day to Sinj, and 227 Km in the second day from Sinj to Dubrovnik. We would do most of the way via the Croatian mountains, through side roads, far from the sea and the main roads, so this would take some time.
And so it was. We left around 9 AM, travelled and travelled and travelled, under a terrible heat, did some coffee stops (two if I recall well), and around 3 PM we were parking in front of the Alkar Hotel in Sinj.
Sinj was a place which was chosen with a pencil on the map. I just looked at our 427 Km way from Plitvice to Dubrovnik, placed my finger in the middle of the map and asked “which relatively big place do we have around here to sleep?” and then Google Maps and booking.com pointed me to the Alkar Hotel, which looked good. So, the decision was taken.
We arrived to the hotel thirsty for some swimming pool. “Sorry, we don’t have a swimming pool, but there is the local swimming pool which is a 5-minute walk and is very good”, said the hotel clerk. We asked the price, and she said “I can provide you a free-pass from the hotel”. And so it was. In less than one hour we were already walking to the swimming pool, where we stayed until nearly 7 PM.
At night we went to dine at Sinj’s old town, which is the center of the town and also a 5 minute walk from the hotel. I was surprised that such an isolated place like Sinj could offer a lot of interesting tourist attractions like museums, and even an yearly reproduction of one of Sinj’s battles. Also good restaurants and bars were found in the place, too, but not too many.
Tuesday, July 3rd – Biokovo Mountains and Dubrovnik
We woke up and ate breakfast at the Alkar Hotel (which proved to be a wonderful choice), and continued our way to Dubrovnik.
During the way, we passed through the Biokovo mountains, one of Croatia’s mountain chains, which separates the internal part of the country from the littoral. This was a beautiful trip, and even more beautiful was the moment in which we go out of a tunnel and see the sea for the first time.
During the day, one of the stops we made was at the Rizman Winery, where we found a stop with a nice view and refreshments. A nice place.
During the way, we passed through the Biokovo mountains, one of Croatia’s mountain chains, which separates the internal part of the country from the littoral. This was a beautiful trip, and even more beautiful was the moment in which we go out of a tunnel and see the sea for the first time.
During the day, one of the stops we made was at the Rizman Winery, where we found a stop with a nice view and refreshments. A nice place.
After this stop we continued south to Dubrovnik until suddenly we saw a border control station. What? So where was Dubrovnik? Where, it comes out that in the division of the land of former Yugoslavia to the different countries that were formed then, they had to solve the problem of giving Bosnia-Herzegovina an access by the sea. They found the solution this way. We went into Bosnia and travelled in Bosnia territory for approximately 6-8 Km, just to find another border control station that would take us back to Croatia. And in both stations, stamps in the passports and all the rest… funny? Definitely yes. Strange? Even more. Couldn’t they build a tunnel or a bridge for whoever wants to stay in Croatian territory? This is yet to be answered.
We continued to Dubrovnik, and arrived there around 4 PM. The Adriatic hotel was not a real success, but was bearable. Rooms were comfortable, but the service was very problematic, and they made us feel very “not-welcome”. Should I have the opportunity to be in Dubrovnik again, this surely won’t be the hotel that I will choose to stay in.
During the first afternoon, we went to the main promenade at the Lapad beach neighborhood in which the hotel was situated. We also ate some fast food there.
We continued to Dubrovnik, and arrived there around 4 PM. The Adriatic hotel was not a real success, but was bearable. Rooms were comfortable, but the service was very problematic, and they made us feel very “not-welcome”. Should I have the opportunity to be in Dubrovnik again, this surely won’t be the hotel that I will choose to stay in.
During the first afternoon, we went to the main promenade at the Lapad beach neighborhood in which the hotel was situated. We also ate some fast food there.
Later, we took the bikes and travelled to Stary Grad Dubrovnik, or in English, the old town of Dubrovnik. This was a beautiful old town, very touristic, with the old port and the old buildings, most of them converted into shops or restaurants. There are some beautiful monuments, churches, there is the 2 Km wall of Dubrovnik, and the old synagogue, known to be the second oldest in Europe, only after the Prague Synagogue.
We stayed until dark walking the streets of old Dubrovnik, and then returned to the hotel to sleep.
We stayed until dark walking the streets of old Dubrovnik, and then returned to the hotel to sleep.
Wednesday, July 4th – Dubrovnik Islands
During our previous night of walks in Old Dubrovnik, we bought tickets to a 5-6 hour cruise through three of the main islands of Dubrovnik: Kolocep, Sipan and Lopud.
After breakfast, we took the motorcycles and travelled again to the old port to take our cruise. This was a very beautiful day which we all enjoyed… and additionally, although it wasn’t in our plans, we don’t know much what we would have to do in Dubrovnik shouldn’t we take the cruise – seems that the only option was going to the beach.
During our previous night of walks in Old Dubrovnik, we bought tickets to a 5-6 hour cruise through three of the main islands of Dubrovnik: Kolocep, Sipan and Lopud.
After breakfast, we took the motorcycles and travelled again to the old port to take our cruise. This was a very beautiful day which we all enjoyed… and additionally, although it wasn’t in our plans, we don’t know much what we would have to do in Dubrovnik shouldn’t we take the cruise – seems that the only option was going to the beach.
We arrived back around 4 PM and went to the hotel. I called a restaurant which had been recommended to me as a MUST DO visit, the Konoba Dubrava at the neighbor town of Bosanka.
So at 7 PM we left the hotel to Bosanka, to arrive to our table at 7:30 PM – not without stopping in the middle of the way to take some beautiful pictures of Dubrovnik from the top of the mountain.
So at 7 PM we left the hotel to Bosanka, to arrive to our table at 7:30 PM – not without stopping in the middle of the way to take some beautiful pictures of Dubrovnik from the top of the mountain.
Well, do you remember how I enjoyed in the previous days the restaurants in Postojna and in Plitvicka Selo? Well, Konoba Dubrava managed to beat both of them. We began the evening with the best liqueur I have ever had – the Vishnja (pronounced Vishnyia – the “J” in Slovenia and Croatia sounds like an “yi”), a cherry liqueur made from sour cherries. Then we ordered a plate of mixed grill for Shmil and myself, another meat dish for Lily and a vegetarian dish for Louiza. I can say that we all became very satisfied with what we got.
We also understood there why we need to make a reservation in advance. During all our stay there, the flow of taxis bringing people to eat there was unstoppable. It was incredible. Luckily, the place is big and has a lot of tables, otherwise… if you are interested in taking a look at the menu, you can find it at this link.
Note that if you want to have an even more special experience, there is a section of the menu that includes some dishes of the Dalmatian cuisine that MUST be ordered with three ours in advance at least. We did not order any of these, and I must say the experience was great.
After that evening, we spent all the rest of the trip trying to find where to buy a bottle of Vishnja to take home… luckily we managed to find it for sale at the Ljubljana Duty Free, because it couldn’t be found elsewhere. Every place had their homemade Vishnja for the internal use with their clients – but no bottles for sale.
Full and satisfied, we rode back to the hotel to sleep.
Thursday, July 5th – From Dubrovnik to Hvar Island
We also understood there why we need to make a reservation in advance. During all our stay there, the flow of taxis bringing people to eat there was unstoppable. It was incredible. Luckily, the place is big and has a lot of tables, otherwise… if you are interested in taking a look at the menu, you can find it at this link.
Note that if you want to have an even more special experience, there is a section of the menu that includes some dishes of the Dalmatian cuisine that MUST be ordered with three ours in advance at least. We did not order any of these, and I must say the experience was great.
After that evening, we spent all the rest of the trip trying to find where to buy a bottle of Vishnja to take home… luckily we managed to find it for sale at the Ljubljana Duty Free, because it couldn’t be found elsewhere. Every place had their homemade Vishnja for the internal use with their clients – but no bottles for sale.
Full and satisfied, we rode back to the hotel to sleep.
Thursday, July 5th – From Dubrovnik to Hvar Island
Next day we woke up ready to continue our trip to the Hvar Island. We took our breakfast at around 8:30 AM, went to our rooms, got organized, and left.
The first part of the way was going back through the same road we used to arrive to Dubrovnik, via the sea (and via the 6 Km of Bosnia). We took the opportunity to stop again at the beautiful Rizman Winery site. There, the worker already recognized us from the previous visit.
At some point, Shmil asked the guy: “Tell me, where is Mr. Rizman? I want to talk to him”. The guy began with a very loud laugh and said (or shouted): “Dead! You can’t talk to him! He has been dead for 100 years!”. We began to laugh as well and then he completed: “Good answer, isn’t it?”, and that made us laugh even more.
We continued travelling North at the seaside until the town of Drvenic, where we had to take the ferry boat to Hvar Island. The trip at the ferry boat takes around 40 minutes, and after we land in Hvar at the town of Sucuraj, we still had around 50 Km to travel in the island until the town of Vrboska, where our hotel was supposed to be.
We arrived to Villa Welcome, our base for the next two nights, around 2 PM.
Villa Welcome was an apartment house, a family business run by the nicest girl in the world Maryiana (or Marijana in their writing). When we arrived she was already waiting for us with refreshments and a garden table for us to talk. While we drank, she explained how the house works – that they don’t offer breakfast but they have a kitchen room with a refrigerator only for us to fill with food for all our meals if we wanted to.
We went to Vrboska’s center to have lunch. After a delicious pizza, we also went to some grocery store and a bakery to buy food for the next two breakfasts. We found Vrboska to be a beautiful harbor town, for fisherman and boats that do tours around the island.
Friday, July 6th – Hvar Island
Next day we went to visit HVAR Stary Grad (the old town), and the town of Hvar. Hvar was larger than Vrboska, but similar. Difficult to explain in what. There is an old castle on the top of the mountain, with a view of the whole town, and the town at the bottom, with the port and the boats and the restaurants and local shops.
Next day we went to visit HVAR Stary Grad (the old town), and the town of Hvar. Hvar was larger than Vrboska, but similar. Difficult to explain in what. There is an old castle on the top of the mountain, with a view of the whole town, and the town at the bottom, with the port and the boats and the restaurants and local shops.
After we finished the visit to Hvar, we went for a ride at the Pitve-Zavala tunnel, a very old tunnel that the locals call “the scary tunnel”. That was an interesting experience. The tunnel can only be used one way at a time, so it alternates the direction from time to time – approximately every 3-5 minutes. When you go in you see it was built for cars. The walls are in an arc which is not very high. In the very middle of the road (between the wheels of the cars) there are water drains. That means that, if you travel with a motorcycle in the middle, you will fall in every one of these holes. If you travel at one of the sides, you are risking to hit your head on the wall, which is the mountain rocks, and is definitely not smooth and leveled – every now and then there is a rock which “points” to the road there… so you need to ride very carefully to avoid both the drains and the rocks. After you exit the tunnel at Zavala – then you have to turn around and do everything back in the other direction!
We arrived back at the hotel and went again to the town of Vrboska to walk a little… but returned early to the hotel since our host Marijana explained to us that if we lost the ferry boat of 7:30 to the continent we would need to wait 4 hours to the next one.
Saturday, July 7th, 2018 – Pag Island
We woke up early to have our breakfast and leave to the port for the ferry. Luckily, our ferry to return to the continent left from a different port, at Stari Grad, a 9 Km distance from Vrboska, and not from the port that we entered the island, from which we were 55 Km apart.
The boat was also a lot bigger, to compensate the 4 hours wait for the next one. The trip to the continent would take 2 hours.
The boat was also a lot bigger, to compensate the 4 hours wait for the next one. The trip to the continent would take 2 hours.
The ferry landed at the port in Split, and from the port we went to the center of the city to walk a little. Split has a nice center, with some historic places which are worth seeing. We didn’t have much time to spend there, due to the long trip (261 Km) to Pag Island and the places to visit in the way, so after approximately 1 hour we left on our way.
Our first stop was in a small town inside the Krka Natural Park. The town was called Skradin. A nice town with many restaurants and a marina for yachts from around the world. We were tipped by someone that it was worth visiting.
Our first stop was in a small town inside the Krka Natural Park. The town was called Skradin. A nice town with many restaurants and a marina for yachts from around the world. We were tipped by someone that it was worth visiting.
My conclusion from that visit was as this: the town is very beautiful, and it would be very interesting if I wouldn’t have seen 3 of those in Hvar. Vrboska, Stari Grad and Hvar are all done with the same template. So I was sorry that instead of going there I didn’t go to the Krka park to see the waterfall.
Anyway, we were already there, so we ate lunch at the place. Yes, after the early breakfast, walking in Split from 9:30 to 10:30, and the trip to Skradin, it was already lunch time. After lunch, we took the bikes and continued North.
Next stop: Zadar
As a city, Zadar has nothing to offer. But there is one thing that whoever is passing by cannot miss. That is the Zadar Sea Organ, or in Croatian, Morske Orgulje.
Why do I say that it cannot be missed? Well, we are very used to seeing the sea. But most of us don’t know that the sea can create music, and that we can hear it… have you ever heard sea music? So, that’s why you can’t miss it.
Let’s try to understand it: during the days after WWII, a lot of reconstruction work was done in Zadar to fix all the damage the war made to it. At that time, a Croatian architect called Nikola Bašić had the idea to build a sea organ, made with underwater tubes which come out to the open air, in which the water movements create random harmonic sounds. The organ has become a tourist attraction which brings dozens of thousands of tourists every year to Zadar.
We stayed at the place for around half an hour, listening to the sounds and sitting in the sun. If it wasn’t for the large number of people there, it would be a great place just to close our eyes and do some meditation.
See the pictures, and specially the video:
Anyway, we were already there, so we ate lunch at the place. Yes, after the early breakfast, walking in Split from 9:30 to 10:30, and the trip to Skradin, it was already lunch time. After lunch, we took the bikes and continued North.
Next stop: Zadar
As a city, Zadar has nothing to offer. But there is one thing that whoever is passing by cannot miss. That is the Zadar Sea Organ, or in Croatian, Morske Orgulje.
Why do I say that it cannot be missed? Well, we are very used to seeing the sea. But most of us don’t know that the sea can create music, and that we can hear it… have you ever heard sea music? So, that’s why you can’t miss it.
Let’s try to understand it: during the days after WWII, a lot of reconstruction work was done in Zadar to fix all the damage the war made to it. At that time, a Croatian architect called Nikola Bašić had the idea to build a sea organ, made with underwater tubes which come out to the open air, in which the water movements create random harmonic sounds. The organ has become a tourist attraction which brings dozens of thousands of tourists every year to Zadar.
We stayed at the place for around half an hour, listening to the sounds and sitting in the sun. If it wasn’t for the large number of people there, it would be a great place just to close our eyes and do some meditation.
See the pictures, and specially the video:
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From there we continued to Pag Island, which was already very near Zadar. Pag is an iland which is very near the continent, especially in its Southern part, in which a bridge connects the island to the continent. Like Hvar, the island is very big, and you travel there dozens of kilometers.
The base of our visit to Pag was riding and seeing the views from the motorcycle. And it was beautiful. But we wouldn’t stay two days there. We set our hotel for one night, at the small village of Borovici, a hotel called Villa Mediterranean.
The place was a piece of paradise. It has been reformed around 2 years ago, and it is brand new. Apart from a neighboring camping field (which seems to belong to the same owner), the place is alone, isolated, with a private seashore.
The base of our visit to Pag was riding and seeing the views from the motorcycle. And it was beautiful. But we wouldn’t stay two days there. We set our hotel for one night, at the small village of Borovici, a hotel called Villa Mediterranean.
The place was a piece of paradise. It has been reformed around 2 years ago, and it is brand new. Apart from a neighboring camping field (which seems to belong to the same owner), the place is alone, isolated, with a private seashore.
We arrived there, changed immediately to swimming suits, and went to the seashore bar to seat and relax, and stayed there until the evening. There at the bar we ate our dinner. We didn’t have to hurry this time, because we knew there were ferries every 30 minutes to return to the continent, and we were planning on taking the 9:30 AM ferry. So we went to sleep late that night.
Sunday, July 8th – Rovinj
Sunday, July 8th – Rovinj
After breakfast, we took the bikes and travelled to the port. We arrived there at the last minute for that ferry boat. That feeling that you enter the ferry with the motorcycle and immediately after you those ramps begin to go up. That’s what we had.
The boat left us at the shore near the village of Prizna, and from there we continued north and west to Rovinj. We arrived around 3 PM.
Rovinj is a fishermen town, already known from before the Roman empire. It was created by Venetian Italians. As usual, there is the modern town, the ancient town… in its case there is also Rovinj Selo, a kind of an annex town 6 Km from there. That was the place where we took our hotel this time, the B&B Villa Oasa 2.
As usual, the hotel was run by a family, the mother and two of her children, two youngsters at their low 20’s. The hotel was a pearl – everything was new and well-maintained, of the highest possible quality. The children told us that the building, from the beginning and to its last details, was built by their father with his own hands. One needs a lot of talent to do that.
Good news! This hotel had a swimming pool! So our next step was to change clothes and go to the swimming pool, where we stayed until approximately 7 PM.
Rovinj is a fishermen town, already known from before the Roman empire. It was created by Venetian Italians. As usual, there is the modern town, the ancient town… in its case there is also Rovinj Selo, a kind of an annex town 6 Km from there. That was the place where we took our hotel this time, the B&B Villa Oasa 2.
As usual, the hotel was run by a family, the mother and two of her children, two youngsters at their low 20’s. The hotel was a pearl – everything was new and well-maintained, of the highest possible quality. The children told us that the building, from the beginning and to its last details, was built by their father with his own hands. One needs a lot of talent to do that.
Good news! This hotel had a swimming pool! So our next step was to change clothes and go to the swimming pool, where we stayed until approximately 7 PM.
Nearly at 8 PM, we left the hotel to visit Rovinj center. It is definitely a beautiful town, and with its colors it reminds us a little of Venice and Chioggia.
We were planning to eat at a restaurant recommended by the hotel, but when we arrived to it they were closing the external area, saying that a storm was coming. So we went to a nearby closed (by a roof and walls) restaurant. We sat there, ordered our food, and waited for the storm.
Did the storm come? Definitely yes, and how!!! It was only 20 minutes of rain, but during those 20 minutes it seemed that the sky was falling on us. But anyway, until we finished our dinner, everything was almost dry again – except for the motorcycles, which were completely wet. So we rode our wet motorcycles back to the hotel.
Monday, July 9th – the way to Bovec
Did the storm come? Definitely yes, and how!!! It was only 20 minutes of rain, but during those 20 minutes it seemed that the sky was falling on us. But anyway, until we finished our dinner, everything was almost dry again – except for the motorcycles, which were completely wet. So we rode our wet motorcycles back to the hotel.
Monday, July 9th – the way to Bovec
We left Rovinj after breakfast, and took the direction back to Slovenia, to Bovec.
On our way, we heard that there are paragliders jumping from the Kobala Peak, so we decided to go up to the top to see. It was not an easy climb. As we go up, the road becomes narrower and very badly maintained, and there were points in which we were lucky not to find a car coming from the opposite direction.
But the view from the top is worth all the effort.
On our way, we heard that there are paragliders jumping from the Kobala Peak, so we decided to go up to the top to see. It was not an easy climb. As we go up, the road becomes narrower and very badly maintained, and there were points in which we were lucky not to find a car coming from the opposite direction.
But the view from the top is worth all the effort.
After coming down, Shmil wanted at any price to set a jump for himself and Louiza from there. He was directed to a camping nearby. “Leave it” – I said – “surely from Bovec they will have paragliding from the Mangart, it is a lot closer to there, otherwise you will loose half a day travelling”.
Well, he didn’t want to leave it, but at the camping place nobody knew what he was talking about, and the only place where we had a chance to find it was closed. So we continued our way to Bovec.
We arrived to Alp Hotel in Bovec around 4 PM. After some rest, we went out. First thing was to find the adventure shop in Bovec in which we would be able to book the paragliding and the rafting for the next day.
Well, we found it with the help of our hotel clerk. At the end of a very difficult price negotiation, we closed it for 170 Euros per person, for both activities. Still not cheap, but very promising.
After that, we were free to eat, and discovered that all the restaurants were full, and there were no tables without a reservation.
At the end we found a restaurant that was a little further away, and we could find a place for us there. We had a nice meal, and back to hotel to sleep for our extreme day which was just at the other end of the night.
Well, he didn’t want to leave it, but at the camping place nobody knew what he was talking about, and the only place where we had a chance to find it was closed. So we continued our way to Bovec.
We arrived to Alp Hotel in Bovec around 4 PM. After some rest, we went out. First thing was to find the adventure shop in Bovec in which we would be able to book the paragliding and the rafting for the next day.
Well, we found it with the help of our hotel clerk. At the end of a very difficult price negotiation, we closed it for 170 Euros per person, for both activities. Still not cheap, but very promising.
After that, we were free to eat, and discovered that all the restaurants were full, and there were no tables without a reservation.
At the end we found a restaurant that was a little further away, and we could find a place for us there. We had a nice meal, and back to hotel to sleep for our extreme day which was just at the other end of the night.
Tuesday, July 10th - Extreme day
We woke up and went to breakfast, there we received a message from the adventure shop that they wanted to make our paragliding earlier, due to a possibility of a change in weather. We agreed and travelled immediately to the meeting point, the landing field. After 15 minutes, the van with the paragliders arrived and we went in.
We were 9 people: 4 paragliders that would take us, the four of us, and one driver that would bring the car back down. The car began the ride up to the Mangart Peak.
The Mangart is the third highest peak in Slovenia, after the Triglav and the Skrlatica, with 2,679 meters height.
For jumping, we don’t get to the very top of it, we jump from approximately 1,900 meters, and land at a height of approximately 600 meters. So we go down approximately 1,300 meters, which is not bad.
The road to the Mangart reminded me the road to Kobala, but it was in worse conservation and very difficult.
Our driver almost got stuck with another car in one of the 180-degree turns, and a motorcyclist that came after the car fell from his motorcycle when he stopped after the car, due to the inclination. We saw that other motorcyclists were helping him to lift the bike, so we continued on.
The view from the departing point was beautiful. Here are some pictures of it.
Here are also the videos of the take-off of Shmil and Lilly:
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And now some pictures of us in the air, and of our landing. Pictures taken from the air were taken by us, and pictures taken from the ground were a courtesy of a British paraglider pro that landed before we did.
After the paragliding, we went back to the hotel and waited to be called for the rafting. That happened within 2 hours from our arrival, and a group of youngsters, rafting guides, came to get us with a van.
The preparation for the rafting was very funny, due to the funny heat clothes that they gave us to keep us "wet but warm”
The rafting session began very nicely. Our instructor gave orders on how to do to correctly avoid obstacles.
At some point in the river, there was an inclined rock. He approached the rock, and told everybody to go up. When we were already there, he turned the boat upside-down over the rock and said “Now the boat is a Tobogan. Each and every one of you will slide down to the water. Excellent idea, except that I had to take care of Lily as well, who can’t swim. We all had life-saving vests, but I was afraid that she would go down the river without my help.
Well, I don’t remember who went first. My first memory of the event is from the moment I touched the water, and understood why we were using that weird thermal suits. The water was so cold that from the shock I couldn’t breathe. It took me some moments to restore my breathing, and then I suddenly looked up and saw my wife coming down. Well, I managed to hold her vest and bring her to me, and we lived happily ever after until these days 😊.
Unfortunately, I couldn't take pictures during the rafting itself, because I forgot the waterproof action camera at the hotel.
After this experience, which was tough but great, we boarded the boat again and continued along the river until the end of the rafting track.
We had dinner in Bovec (this time we ordered a table) and went to sleep in deep happiness.
Wednesday, July 11th – the way to Bled
This was the day we left Bovec to Bled.
We had only 85 Km to do, so we had time to do some visits.
We began by visiting the Boka Waterfall. A beautiful small park with a nice waterfall. But we were told that usually it has much more water than this.
We continued by the Soca Gorge – a beautiful gorge, not too big and not too deep, along which flows the Soca river. Like in the waterfall, it must be much more beautiful when there is more water flowing. But the color of the water is just beautiful…
We continued from there to the Triglav Natural Park. As I told in the previous day, the Triglav is the highest mountain in Slovenia, 2,863 meters high. It is built of three peaks, and that is the reason of the name Triglav, which means three heads.
We used the road no. 206, which cuts the Triglav Natural Park and a fourth mountain there (which is part of the Triglav formation, but is much lower, arriving to approximately 1,700 m height), to find its way to bled. We were told that, if we are really motorcyclists, we couldn’t miss this mountain pass.
It proved to be much more interesting and beautiful than we thought. The twisty road goes through the forest in a sequence of 49 sharp curves (with uncounted less-sharp curves) that turned us every time by 180o to continue going up around the mountain. Around half of them were in the way up, and once we got to the top at approximately 1,700 meters, we found ourselves going down inside a dense fog from the clouds that were at the same elevation. It took us around 30-40 minutes to go through the mountain pass, and it was one of the most beautiful ones I have ever ridden.
We used the road no. 206, which cuts the Triglav Natural Park and a fourth mountain there (which is part of the Triglav formation, but is much lower, arriving to approximately 1,700 m height), to find its way to bled. We were told that, if we are really motorcyclists, we couldn’t miss this mountain pass.
It proved to be much more interesting and beautiful than we thought. The twisty road goes through the forest in a sequence of 49 sharp curves (with uncounted less-sharp curves) that turned us every time by 180o to continue going up around the mountain. Around half of them were in the way up, and once we got to the top at approximately 1,700 meters, we found ourselves going down inside a dense fog from the clouds that were at the same elevation. It took us around 30-40 minutes to go through the mountain pass, and it was one of the most beautiful ones I have ever ridden.
After the mountain pass, we joined the fast road, and then we had a fast track to Bled.
Our arrival in Bled was a little confused. For some reason I transmitted a partial address of our hotel to the GPS, and not the full address, so it took us to a nearby place instead of the hotel. Our hotel was called Nature Hotel Lukanc, and was supposed to be a Farm Hotel, so we did not question the GPS that was taking us to a farming area in Bled.
Well, the GPS took me to a big house, and when I got near the door it said “You have arrived to your destination”. I looked inside the big door and “Moooooooo!!!!” – I had arrived to a cowshed, and there were around 20 cows looking very interested by the view of our motorcycle.
At that moment I understood the mistake, went back and told Shmil that it wasn’t there, and he told me that he already had the full address in his GPS, so he guided us until the building.
Nature Hotel Lukanc was fantastic! A beautiful hotel, very well maintained, managed by the nicest lady you can find, rooms with a terrace that looks to the fields of the farms around.
We got organized in the hotel and went out to visit Bled. It was a beautiful afternoon and evening, enjoyed in one of the most beautiful and romantic places I’ve been. We visited the Bled Castle, the lake itself, the town, and many other places around. It was just very pleasing.
Our arrival in Bled was a little confused. For some reason I transmitted a partial address of our hotel to the GPS, and not the full address, so it took us to a nearby place instead of the hotel. Our hotel was called Nature Hotel Lukanc, and was supposed to be a Farm Hotel, so we did not question the GPS that was taking us to a farming area in Bled.
Well, the GPS took me to a big house, and when I got near the door it said “You have arrived to your destination”. I looked inside the big door and “Moooooooo!!!!” – I had arrived to a cowshed, and there were around 20 cows looking very interested by the view of our motorcycle.
At that moment I understood the mistake, went back and told Shmil that it wasn’t there, and he told me that he already had the full address in his GPS, so he guided us until the building.
Nature Hotel Lukanc was fantastic! A beautiful hotel, very well maintained, managed by the nicest lady you can find, rooms with a terrace that looks to the fields of the farms around.
We got organized in the hotel and went out to visit Bled. It was a beautiful afternoon and evening, enjoyed in one of the most beautiful and romantic places I’ve been. We visited the Bled Castle, the lake itself, the town, and many other places around. It was just very pleasing.
Thursday, July 12th – Vintgar, Bohinj, and Ljubljana
Well, and here we were, waking up to the last day of our journey.
Again, we had only 60 Km to do, so we had plenty of time to visit some more places. And we began by Vintgar Gorge, a beautiful place in which you walk together with a river under mountain walls from both sides. We walked about 3 Km from one side to the other, and then went back to the motorcycles.
Again, we had only 60 Km to do, so we had plenty of time to visit some more places. And we began by Vintgar Gorge, a beautiful place in which you walk together with a river under mountain walls from both sides. We walked about 3 Km from one side to the other, and then went back to the motorcycles.
Next we continued to Bohinj lake, a lake around 20 Km from Bled lake. A beautiful lake, but frankly, I liked Bled most. If you need to visit one and give one up on the other, chose Bled.
After Bohinj, we continued our way to Ljubljana. Last day, so we decided to take the fast road and arrive early to Ljubljana.
We arrived to Ljubljana, and had a problem at the hotel. We had ordered two similar rooms, and the hotel could give us one room like we ordered, but the other was an attic room in which even the shortest of our ladies could not stand straight.
After some discussion, the hotel owner agreed to cancel our reservation without charging us. So I went into booking.com and after cancelling our reservation there, found that a 4-star hotel in Ljubljana, the Austria Trend Hotel, had cut its fees for that weekend to 89 Euros per night. Quickly we ordered 2 rooms there and went to the hotel. It was definitely the most luxurious hotel we had in this trip.
Dinner was, as expected, at the Ljubljana old center, by the river.
We arrived to Ljubljana, and had a problem at the hotel. We had ordered two similar rooms, and the hotel could give us one room like we ordered, but the other was an attic room in which even the shortest of our ladies could not stand straight.
After some discussion, the hotel owner agreed to cancel our reservation without charging us. So I went into booking.com and after cancelling our reservation there, found that a 4-star hotel in Ljubljana, the Austria Trend Hotel, had cut its fees for that weekend to 89 Euros per night. Quickly we ordered 2 rooms there and went to the hotel. It was definitely the most luxurious hotel we had in this trip.
Dinner was, as expected, at the Ljubljana old center, by the river.
Friday, July 13th - Ljubljana
In the morning we left the girls at the shopping place they spotted – the BTC Ljubljana – and travelled back to Adriatic Moto Tours to return the bikes.
While the girls were shopping, Shmil and myself went to look for a motorcycle equipment shop, and found it to be in the same BTC. After the shop, we went to eat in the BTC market, and found a place with great beer and sausages. While we ate… we were surprised by the girls who passed by in their shopping frantic… don’t need to say that they left a pile of bags with us to take to the hotel, and continued their shopping.
In the evening, feeling lighter after a good nap, and with my wallet a lot lighter after the shopping, we went to dine at the Ljubljana old center for the last time.
Saturday, July 14th – back to Israel
Well, the trip was finished, but it will certainly leave great memories.
Quoting what I posted in Facebook in the last day: “Summing-up: 14 days, 4 people, 2300 Km, 1920m of altitude difference, and 1 big friendship between the two couples which is getting bigger and bigger, deeper and deeper, as the years go by. It was a great trip - but every good thing also ends... Waiting for the next one.”
Having a joint motorcycle trip with good friends is something that tightens the friendship, gets people close and more understanding one to the other. Having a motorcycle trip abroad is something special, because everyone sees something different in the views and sites.
The Brazilian Fernando Pessoa once wrote: “Travels are travellers. What we see is not what we see but who we are.”
I have seen a beautiful piece of land, in two very young countries that were submitted to chaos not many years ago. I saw very well treated touristic sites, a very efficient network of roads, beautiful nature, and specially very nice and welcoming people.
Travelling around new and unknown countries is definitely something special; doing it in a motorcycle gives it a new, unexpected, new dimension. That is the full experience in its full meaning.
In the morning we left the girls at the shopping place they spotted – the BTC Ljubljana – and travelled back to Adriatic Moto Tours to return the bikes.
While the girls were shopping, Shmil and myself went to look for a motorcycle equipment shop, and found it to be in the same BTC. After the shop, we went to eat in the BTC market, and found a place with great beer and sausages. While we ate… we were surprised by the girls who passed by in their shopping frantic… don’t need to say that they left a pile of bags with us to take to the hotel, and continued their shopping.
In the evening, feeling lighter after a good nap, and with my wallet a lot lighter after the shopping, we went to dine at the Ljubljana old center for the last time.
Saturday, July 14th – back to Israel
Well, the trip was finished, but it will certainly leave great memories.
Quoting what I posted in Facebook in the last day: “Summing-up: 14 days, 4 people, 2300 Km, 1920m of altitude difference, and 1 big friendship between the two couples which is getting bigger and bigger, deeper and deeper, as the years go by. It was a great trip - but every good thing also ends... Waiting for the next one.”
Having a joint motorcycle trip with good friends is something that tightens the friendship, gets people close and more understanding one to the other. Having a motorcycle trip abroad is something special, because everyone sees something different in the views and sites.
The Brazilian Fernando Pessoa once wrote: “Travels are travellers. What we see is not what we see but who we are.”
I have seen a beautiful piece of land, in two very young countries that were submitted to chaos not many years ago. I saw very well treated touristic sites, a very efficient network of roads, beautiful nature, and specially very nice and welcoming people.
Travelling around new and unknown countries is definitely something special; doing it in a motorcycle gives it a new, unexpected, new dimension. That is the full experience in its full meaning.
“God lives in Zagreb”
One last comment in order to finish this article in a humoristic way:
During this trip, I came to the conclusion that if God lives somewhere, it must be in Zagreb.
Why? And how did I come to this conclusion without didn’t even visiting Zagreb?
Simple: based on the Croatian roads.
We are used to say that God is omnipresent, meaning, God is everywhere.
Well, when you travel in Croatian roads, it doesn’t matter if you are travelling North, South, East or West, you will always see distance signs telling you how many kilometers to Zagreb.
So it is all summed up to a logical equation:
God is Everywhere AND Zagreb is Everywhere => God is in Zagreb.
See you all in my next post.
Meanwhile, choose one of the two videos of the trip to see. There is a longer video of 45 minutes that shows better the story of the trip and the riding in it, and a shorter video of 17 minutes for those who just want to "get an idea".
One last comment in order to finish this article in a humoristic way:
During this trip, I came to the conclusion that if God lives somewhere, it must be in Zagreb.
Why? And how did I come to this conclusion without didn’t even visiting Zagreb?
Simple: based on the Croatian roads.
We are used to say that God is omnipresent, meaning, God is everywhere.
Well, when you travel in Croatian roads, it doesn’t matter if you are travelling North, South, East or West, you will always see distance signs telling you how many kilometers to Zagreb.
So it is all summed up to a logical equation:
God is Everywhere AND Zagreb is Everywhere => God is in Zagreb.
See you all in my next post.
Meanwhile, choose one of the two videos of the trip to see. There is a longer video of 45 minutes that shows better the story of the trip and the riding in it, and a shorter video of 17 minutes for those who just want to "get an idea".
| 45 minutes video | 17 minutes video |
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