Temples of Tamil Nadu (2): Chennai to Thanjavur

Itinerary (1)
Thanjavur to Madurai (3)
Impressions (4)

Rock cut Pallava temples

Different parts of Tamil Nadu have been ruled by different kings with their own culture and architectural styles. The Cholas were based in Thanjavur, and ruled from the 9th to the 13th century CE. The Pallavas developed Mahabalipuram and Kanchipuram and their temples from the 4th to the 9th century CE. And the Pandyas built the temples of Madurai, ruling in the state on and off from 3rd century BCE to the 14th century CE.

Because of all these different empires, the temples in different regions vary somewhat. And during our travels, we got a chance to explore and appreciate some of these different temple styles.


Day 1: Chennai

On our first day, we landed at Chennai airport from Delhi. We didn’t do much touristy stuff that day though. We just went saree shopping in the city and then drove to Mahabalipuram where we were staying for the next three nights.

Chennai airport felt quite old unlike the shinier airports of Bangalore and Delhi. We found our driver in the parking lot and then we were off. We drove to Ranganathan Street in T. Nagar area, in the older part of town. There were many huge saree showrooms there. We first walked into Kumaran which had about 3-4 football sized floors displaying all kinds of sarees. However, the people there did not seem very interested in selling - there was no salesmanship and we were quite underwhelmed. So we went to RMKV and Nallis after and bought a few sarees from there.

Tamil Nadu is saree heaven! Women in the state wear sarees regularly and the state is home to many regional weaves. There are many types of cottons, like Coimbatore cotton (or silk), Kovai Cora cotton, Chettinad cotton (also known as Kandaangi), Chinnalapatti cotton, Dindigul cotton, Thousand Butta cotton and Kanchi cotton. There are many varieties of silk sarees too like Kanchipuram silk, Konrad silk (temple design from Arni), Rasipuram silk (also known as Salem silk), Thirubuvanam silk (from Kumbakonam) and Thanjavur silk. There are also some other traditional styles like the Kodalikarrupur sarees which are very rare now. And Madurai has its very own Sungudi cotton weave.

I checked out a few of these types of sarees in the shops. And I am sure, there is a lot more to see than in my list. Still, it was such a pleasure to learn about them and try to figure out the differences. There are many shops to go to. The large retail chains like Nalli, Pothys, RMKV, Kanakavalli and Chennai silks are popular. For a more premium experience, one can go to exclusive stores like Sundari silks, Tulsi silks. Hayagrivas silks, Palam silks, Srinivasa silks and Rasi silks.

After the tiring saree shopping, our driver took us to a local eating place, Geetham and we were impressed. First of all, one had to specify whether they want to go to a veg or a non-veg restaurant before going there - that was important! But either way, the food was outstanding. The dosas were so tasty, the food cheap and the service extremely quick and efficient. We enjoyed the experience. And this became the norm going forward.

The weather in Chennai didn't feel as hot as I had expected, it was quite comfortable. The city felt relaxed and slow. There was a lot of greenery around. And like other typical Indian cities, metro construction was going on 😂. There were hundreds of temples, everywhere. I also noticed that nothing was written in Hindi anywhere, at all. It felt so different to be in India and not see any Hindi. The only place I saw something written in Hindi was on the Board for Allahabad Bank, SBI and Indian Oil. It did feel weird in the beginning, but felt normal over the next few days. And the city was so disciplined! Everyone just drove calmly and properly, definitely a different experience after having just landed from Delhi. 

After the shopping, we drove towards Mahabalipuram, on the East Coast Road (ECR) which apparently runs all the way till Kanyakumari. There was construction all along the road, and we could not see the sea from there at all. Didn’t really feel like a coastal road 😂. The drive was quick and comfortable though, took us less than 2 hours.

Four Points

Our hotel - Four Points by Sheraton, Mahabalipuram - was lovely. It has small villas surrounded by trees everywhere. It had a huge pool and there were hammocks everywhere to relax. You could walk around within the huge hotel compound itself. The hotel was outside of town, in the midst of rural greenery. Everyday in the evening, there was a sea breeze which made the weather quite pleasant. As it was December, it was fully lighted up too. Overall it was very quiet and had a very relaxed resort-ey vibe to it.


Day 2: Kanchipuram

We did a day trip to Kanchipuram and was I impressed by all it had to offer! Kanchipuram was a city built by the Pallavas and was their capital from the 4th to the 9th century CE. It is known as the “City of a thousand temples”, though we got to see only three of them. And it's also famous for its stunning Kanjeevaram sarees, a true display of skill and art! The Kanchi Matha is also one of the seven sacred spots or sapta puri of Hinduism and a prestigious seat of Hindu learning. It just has so much history and culture to offer. We went to a few temples and did saree shopping. I wasn’t aware we could visit the Matha though, would have loved to go there too.

The drive from Mahabalipuram to Kanchipuram was through green areas, and took us about 2.5 hours. Kanchipuram town felt like a bustling place, after the calmness of Mahabalipuram outskirts. It felt like an old city with its narrow roads. But surprisingly, it didn't feel chaotic. While driving in the city, we passed by so many temples, I could now believe there were 1000+ temples in town. There were carved statues on the roads too. We also encountered loads of buses taking groups of pilgrims (mostly women) to temples. And many of these buses were quite colourful and loud. Seeing so many tourist buses with pilgrims was definitely a new sight for me.

Kailasanathar temple sculptures

We first went to the Kailasanathar temple, which is supposedly the oldest surviving temple from 7-8th century CE and not an active temple now. The architecture and sculptures there were quite rich, and there was a sense of quiet and calmness there. Inside the temple, there was a very narrow tunnel that one can choose to crawl through for attaining moksha. We didn’t walk through it though. We then drove to the next temple, and realised that temples in Tamil Nadu close in the afternoons! This one was closed from 1230 pm to 430 pm. That was a bit of a surprise for us as we had no clue!

As we had time now, we drove to A.S. Babu Sah, a shop someone had suggested we go to (and which was marketed all over town). When driving there, many people tried to divert us to some other shops too. At A.S. Babu, we had to leave our shoes outside before entering. And when we walked in, we were in for a shock!

It was an enormous wholesale shop with four floors, each selling a different type and range of sarees (though only from Kanchipuram). One floor for cottons, one for cotton-silk, one for silks less than Rs. 10,000 and the fourth floor for expensive silk sarees. Each floor had sales people who spoke multiple languages (hindi, english, tamil, telugu, kannada, malayalam, gujarati and more). And based on what language you spoke, a salesperson would approach you, put a bedsheet on the floor and then start showing you hundreds of sarees within your range. Till you get exhausted!

The number of designs they had were unlimited. All around, the shelves were stacked with sarees. It was also very loud and there was so much chaos all around. It was maddening. The processes were all streamlined though, working like a well oiled machine. And there were so many people, families from different states, many in big groups, buying sarees in bulk for weddings. It was lovely to see all the saree designs, but so tough to choose from! So we spent a few hours there, while waiting for the temples to open.

Ekambareswarar gate

After one burst of saree shopping, we left to visit the Ekambareswarar temple, one of the Pancha Bhoota temples of Shivji. (There are eight major shivlings in India almost in a straight line. Of which, some of the temples depict the five elements. This was one of them. And on this trip, we visited two more of them - Chidambaram and Ramanathaswamy temples). We went there at 430pm when it was about to open again, but were shocked by the number of people waiting to get in! We avoided the crowd and went in 15 mins later. It felt more normal then. Still we encountered a long queue for the darshan. You could get VIP (faster) darshan though by paying Rs. 100.

Ekambareswarar tank

I walked around the vast complex (it’s 25 acres!), admiring its many beautifully adorned gates and the hall with the 1000 pillars. There was also a water tank in the complex. The temple has multiple gopurams, whose reflections look ethereal in the waters of the pond. There is an ancient mango tree there which I could not find. I also saw some women at one side wearing the same coloured sarees (yellow and green), dancing (in a style similar to garba) and singing bhajans. My guess is they were pilgrims from the same sect and following some specific rituals. We also saw loads of women in red sarees, all coming in the pilgrim buses we had seen earlier. I think there was some traditional pilgrimage happening at that time of the year.

Kamakshi Amman temple

We then walked to another nearby temple, the Kamakshi Amman Temple which had a water tank within the complex and a stunning view at sunset. It was still closed though, as different temples have different opening and closing times! So we walked around, and seeing the queue of people sitting in line, we ate prasad, sat there for a while and then went back to saree shopping 😍. There were some more famous temples to visit in town, like the Varadharaja Perumal temple and the Vaikuntha Perumal temple but as we were short on time, we skipped those.

I was quite surprised to see how temples were different here than what had I experienced before. Most of the women wore sarees in the temples while the men mostly wore dhotis. And that the pujaris put ash on the forehead of the devotees, that was new for me.

After a few more hours spent shopping for sarees (we spent a total of 6 hours in the shop!), we finally ate food at another ‘veg restaurant’, the Adyar Anand Bhavan. While we were eating, girls wearing bharatnatyam costumes just walked in for dinner after a performance. It was nice to see girls walking around in such traditional clothes. After a tasty meal, and with our hearts (and shopping bags) full, we drove back late at night to Mahabalipuram.

The drive back was quicker, taking us just 1.5 hours. On the way, we saw lots of churches decorated for Christmas as it was close to Christmas time. The churches were gaudily decorated with flashy lights - I had never seen churches decorated so brightly before. Also, the driving felt so non-chaotic and relaxed. People even gave signals on the highways when overtaking someone! That felt so different from North India.


Day 3: Mahabalipuram

Rock cut hill faces

We spent one whole day exploring Mahabalipuram, though I must say I found it less impressive than Kanchipuram, which had a lot more to see and explore. Mahabalipuram is located next to the sea and for people from Chennai, is a kind of a weekend seaside getaway as it is cooler than the city. It was a major port from Pallava times from the 7th century AD, and also has a huge complex of rock cut temples near the sea which are quite impressive. In the morning, we explored those places, then tried to visit a nearby beach. In the afternoon, we went back to our hotel for an afternoon nap. And in the evening, we again went to the Shore temple to enjoy the Dance Festival.

Pancha Ratha

The whole Mahabalipuram temple complex is spread out near the sea and has a lot to see. There was a combined ticket for the whole area. We first drove to the Pancha Rathas, where there are five monuments named after the Pandavas and Draupadi.

The Shore Temple

Then we drove to the Shore Temple which is a historic Pallava temple surrounded by the sea on three sides. It’s a beautiful temple built in Pallava style of architecture. And in front of it, is a courtyard with hundreds of Nandi statues all around. On both sides of the temple is the beach but it wasn't very inviting. On one side, there were thousands of small shops crowded with people (I think it may have been a religious mela going on at that time) and even getting to the beach would have been tough. On the other side, it was rocky and didn’t look too clean.

Hill-top temple

From there, we walked towards the other group of temples inside the temple complex. There were just so many small and big temples, most of them within 5-10 mins walking from each other. There were hilltop temples, small shivs temples, viharas with sculpted pillars, temples cut into the hill faces and so on.

Viharas

They were all so intricately carved, so impressive. The famous lighthouse on the way also had a panoramic view of the sea and greenery around. It was raining that day though, so that tempered our experience. Also, the school holidays had started, and there were crowds everywhere. It was crazy. But overall, I loved these old magnificent temples.

Sadras beach

It was tough to get out of the complex though given all the crazy traffic on the roads. Somehow we got out and then thought of going to a local beach. We found one on Google, in Sadras village, called the Sadras beach. The beach was nice but there was nothing to do there. No facilities, no changing rooms, no place to sit, nothing. Just some fisherman with their boats going out to sea. And the ruins of a Dutch fort. There were too many waves in the water as it was a very windy day. Everything made it tough to swim there, so we didn’t. (I should have made a note to myself to not listen to Google anymore too 😜).

Dance festival

We went back to our hotel for an afternoon nap, and then came back to the Shore Temple. In the evening, there was a week long Dance Festival being held in front of the temple in the open air. We saw a few folk and bharatnatyam performances there. It was just so nice to be out in the open with the sea breeze blowing - the whole atmosphere was so pleasant. We walked to the temple again, it looked so serene, lighted up at night amid the sounds of the waves on the beaches around. It was so beautiful, we enjoyed our evening out a lot.


Day 4: Pondicherry and Chidambaram

After Mahabalipuram, our next stay was in Thanjavur, the old Chola capital. It was a long day of driving till there, at least 6 hours. So we broke up the driving by stopping at two places on the way. First was Pondicherry, which was a bit of a let down as it was too crowded for us to enjoy its serenity and calmness. The second was the famous Nataraja temple of Chidambaram, which was a dream. I loved it.

The route from Mahabalipuram to Pondicherry is also along the East Coast Road but there was no coast to see again 😂. The roads were far from the coast. We did see a lot of waterbodies and backwaters there though. And all along there was a lot of greenery, including many mango orchards. The houses around were colourful and we drove by loads of temples on the way. But overall, it wasn't really too scenic a drive.

Alamparai fort

We took one detour on the way and stopped by a random fort next to the sea. It was the Alamparai fort, located next to a fishing village, with a beautiful backwater beach next to it. It was a 17th century fort, but in ruins now. The walls were so thick and the beach there had such clean water with no waves. It was so calm, I loved it. It would be a beautiful place to host corporate events in the evenings. While driving back from there, we bought local coconut oil from a village on the way.

In Pondicherry, we first visited Auroville which was a bit of a mess to get to as Google Maps was taking us through small forest roads. We followed it for a while, through orchards and huge bungalows on both sides. But then we chickened out seeing the narrow barely there road and drove back to take the main but longer route. It was also narrow, with loads of traffic but at least there was a road. We were impressed with the number of fancy cafes on the way though.

We didn’t know the philosophy or what to expect in Auroville. Apparently it is an experimental township inspired by the teachings of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, and has attracted many people from India and abroad. People visit Auroville to learning more about this philosophy. And when visiting, most people visit the Matrimandir (the meditation centre).

The Matrimandir

Auroville from the inside was huge with lots of green space and had loads of activities going on. Apparently for entering the Matrimandir hall you need to register a few days before. Otherwise if you turn up on the day, you can take a walk and view Matrimandir from afar.

So we decided to walk there. And the walk was weird. The path took us through things like an artificial zoo! There were a few boards explaining the philosophy of the place. I didn’t find any of it interesting though. Even the Matrimandir, (which you can only see from far) was not that impressive. I didn't understand the concept of this place and why people visit it. We could have definitely avoided it - it felt like a total waste of time and effort.

Temples on the way

After that, we drove to Pondicherry town. It felt more like a Tamil town than an ex-French place. We had lunch at Meenakshi veg restaurant right in front of which was another temple. And enjoyed the food.

Streets of Whitetown

After that, we drove to Whitetown, the old French part of town. We mostly walked through the old streets with their pastel coloured houses, all along the sea. It had a very European feel to it, tree lined streets with two storey coloured houses around. It would have been beautiful in the past.

I walked along the Rue Dumas and Rue Romain Rolland. Then by some parks and old churches. And some cute cafes. The whole area was a pedestrian only zone and easy to walk along. But with the crazy end of year crowds, it wasn't as fun as I expected. A bit underwhelming actually. I could see the potential of its charm, but didn't feel it really.

Pondicherry Waterfront

We then walked on the waterfront, which had a rocky beach and didn't feel that inviting either. We walked past the Gandhi statue and went into a shilp mela with handicrafts from different states. It was the most interesting place we saw in Pondicherry 😂. Not really impressed, we left soon enough. Our next stop was the Chidambaram temple in the town of Chidambaram. And all along the way, we drove by loads of decorated churches.

Chidambaram city was a bit tough to get into. The roads were all clogged with traffic. We also passed by tourist buses with women dancing inside. At one point, we just got out of the car and walked to the temple. And what a majestic experience it was.

Pillars in the temple

The Chidambaram temple is a huge complex, surrounded by a huge water tank and with pillared halls and many smaller temples around. The main temple was just massive. It has four main gopurams and thousands of sculptures and pillars everywhere. It felt like such a spectacular architectural marvel built of solid rock which has stood its ground for centuries.

We walked inside with awe. There was a festival going on - the Brahmotsav - so there were hundreds of priests chanting mantras. Everything was lighted up, inside and outside. We saw the Nataraja moorti but from so far, it looked different from how I had imagined it to be. The temple is also said to be the home of bharatnatyam. Then we saw some bharatnatyam performances being done by children. It felt so different from North Indian temples - rock solid, with no bells, no water anywhere. Everywhere, there was just so much energy, it was infectious. There were also a lot of crowds inside. But somehow everything still felt spiritual. 

Chidambaram gate

On the outside too, there were people everywhere. The temple gates decorated with colourful statues stood as guardians to this stunning temple. The water tank was huge and reflected the lights from the gopurams. But I felt a strange calmness even though it was filled with thousands of people. It did have a power to it. An energy which I can’t explain.

Chidambaram temple tank

We had dinner at Adyar Anand Bhavan which was the first place we ate at, where the food was not that tasty. And then we drove to Thanjavur all the way at night. When we reached Thanjavur, it felt so empty. It also felt like a smaller town than the others. 

There were a few more places to see on this drive but we didn't have time. I was fascinated with Tranquebar, an old Danish fort along the sea. But we couldn’t go there. It had been a long day anyways, with 8 hours of driving, and 7 hours of visiting places. Also, I had been excited about Pondicherry but it was a disappointment. Maybe it had more to do with the time of the year and the crowds than the place? Maybe my experience would be different at a different time? But I loved the Chidambaram temple, totally. 

Temples of Tamil Nadu (1): Itinerary

I had lived in Tamil Nadu for a year in 1987-88 when we had toured some places around. But since then, I somehow never got a chance to revisit the place. So last year, we spent a week travelling and exploring the state. We criss-crossed across, visiting a few historical towns, doing darshan in temples, shopping for sarees and stopping at a few of the beaches. Overall, I was amazed by the outstanding temple architecture and the deeply embedded presence of religion in daily life in the state. I have somehow never experienced it so much anywhere else. I was also quite struck by the distance between north and south India, both physically and metaphorically.


Itinerary

Our overall holiday was for about 8 days and 8 nights, with stays at the following locations:
Day 1 - 3: Land in Chennai, drive to Mahabalipuram (2 hours); 3 nights stay in Mahabalipuram at Four Points by Sheraton, Mahabalipuram
Day 4 - 6: Drive to Thanjavur (via Chidambaram temple and Pondicherry, 6 hours); 3 nights stay in Thanjavur at Hyders Mahal and Hotel
Day 7 - 8: Drive to Madurai (via Rameswaram, 7-8 hours); 2 nights stay at Taj Gateway Madurai


The detailed itinerary was as follows:

Day 1: Land in Chennai, saree shopping at Ranganathan Street (in T. Nagar), drive to Mahabalipuram (2 hours) (Potential stops to add to the itinerary: visit to Kapaleeshwarar Temple (Mylapore, Chennai), classical performances at Kalakshetra or Narada Gana Sabha and visit to Chennai beach)

Day 2: Day trip to Kanchipuram (2.5 hours one way), visit to Ekambareshwarar Temple, Kailasanathar Temple and Kamakshi Amman Temple, and kanjeevaram saree shopping at AS Babu Sah (Other places to add to itinerary: Varadharaja Perumal temple, Vaikuntha Perumal temple, and Kanchi Matha)

Day 3: Exploring the rock-cut temples of Mahabalipuram - Shore Temple and Pancha Rathas, visit to Sadras beach and dance festival at night by the Shore Temple

Day 4: Drive to Thanjavur (6 hours), visit Pondicherry and the Chidambaram Nataraja temple on the way (Other places to add to the itinerary: Tranquebar)

Day 5: Visit Kumbakonam temples (30 mins one way) (Kumbeshwarar and Mahamaham Tank) and Chola Brihadeshwar temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram (60 mins one way)

Day 6: Visit Brihadeshwar Temple and Thanjavur Maratha Palace in Thanjavur

Day 7: Drive to Madurai via Rameswaram (7-8 hours); visit Ramanathaswamy temple and Dhanushkodi beach

Day 8: Visit Meenakshi Amman Temple and saree shopping in Madurai

Day 9: Fly back to Delhi


In the end we visited about 9 temples on this trip, while one other was closed by the time we reached. Ekambareshwarar Temple, Kailasanathar Temple and Kamakshi Amman Temple (closed) in Kanchipuram; Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram, Chidambaram temple in Chidambaram, Kumbeshwarar temple in Kumbakonam, Brihadeshwar temple in Cholapuram, Brihadeshwar temple in Thanjavur, Ramanathaswamy temple in Rameswaram and Meenakshi Amman temple in Madurai. If someone wants, they can visit hundreds more, they just need to plan their days better as most of the temples close in the afternoon.

Other than these, there is no dearth of ancient ruins and regions to visit in Tamil Nadu. One can also visit the Chettinad region (near Karaikudi) for its heritage, haveli architecture and cuisine, Kanyakumari and Padmanabhaswamy temple in Trivandrum, and so on. If we just had the time.


Map



Itinerary (1)
Chennai to Thanjavur (2)
Thanjavur to Madurai (3)
Impressions (4)

Driving through the Balkans (4): Zadar to Portoroz (and around), and back

Itinerary (1)
Kranjska Gora (Slovenia) (2)
Zadar (Croatia) (3)

Portoroz is a quiet seaside resort along the coastline of Slovenia (which is very short, about 46 kms). The towns here make up the Slovenian Riviera, small but quite charming. Many of Slovenia's rich come here regularly, and you can see it in the feel of the place. And both Italy and Croatia are less than half an hour’s drive from here.

Rovinj

We spent 6 nights in and around Portoroz, exploring the Istrian region. It was a small town and it had been tough to find a good airbnb there. We mostly visited coastal towns nearby, like Piran and Izola in Slovenia, Rovinj and the wine region in Croatia, and Trieste in Italy. All these places felt different yet similar. September was already a quiet period as it was post summer, so it felt like slow heaven everywhere.

And we mostly took it easy, walking around, eating, listening to local music and enjoying the sunsets around. The weather was not helpful though as it had gotten cold and rainy by then. My favourite days were our visit to the town of Rovinj and the day in Kabola winery. I must say though, I found the first two weeks of our vacation definitely better than this part.


Day 14: Exploring the town of Rovinj (1 hour drive)

Our first day, it was raining all morning, so we started our day late after 2 pm. Given the long summer evenings, we still got enough time to explore around. As our airbnb in Portoroz was very close to the border, we planned to go south to the Croatian town of Rovinj. We reached the border within 10 mins, and thankfully remembered in time that we needed our passports when crossing between Slovenian and Croatian borders. So we were able to go back to our airbnb and get our passports. 

The drive to Rovinj first goes past the salt pans near Pororoz, where salt is produced. They are huge fields where sea water is evaporated. Past the saltlands, we drove through green rural areas, with some scenic towns on the way.

Rovinj

When we reached Rovinj, we were blown away by our first view of the town. It's a small town on a raised peninsula, surrounded by the sea on three sides. There were boats and yachts moored all around. And all the warm toned coastal houses on the peninsula made for a great view. Most of them were in pastel colours, shades of yellow, orange and pink. When we reached the town waterfront, we saw loads of activities being advertised, including dolphin tours. We however kept walking along the waterfront and reached the pier which allows one a nice view of the whole town.

We slowly started walking up towards the main church. We first stopped for snacks at a restaurant on the sea, Ascora. The views from there were outstanding. As we made our way through the old town, we passed through its winding streets full of activity. There were shops with beautiful clothes, art, handicrafts and other interesting things to buy. And musicians playing relaxing music on the streets. As the sun started to set by then, it all felt so magical - I think this is when I realised I liked this town 😀.

Sunset at Rovinj

As we kept walking, we saw 100s of people sitting along the rocks next to the sea, waiting for sunset. As there were clouds in the sky, the sunset that day was magnificent, with all shades of orange, red and purple in the sky. We hiked all the way up to the church on top which gave a nice view of the town and many islands around.

When we came down to the town square, there was a concert going on in the main area. And loads of crowds around. We stopped again now in the main square to have dinner at Atlas. We could hear the concert playing in the background while eating. The vibe there was great. It was nice to eat outdoors too. It was soon time to go back and we suddenly realised that the day was over, just like that. We don't know what we did all day other than walk around soaking the feel of the place, but we enjoyed the experience a lot.


Day 15: Exploring Piran and Portoroz

Breakfast with a view

We spent the day exploring both Portoroz and Piran. They are towns very close to each other, barely 20 mins apart. Piran is a historical town while Portoroz seems like a new resort town right next to Piran. The views all around of the charming towns was just so serene. We loved our meals in the airbnb balcony, with views of these towns around, rains and cold permitting of course.

We first went to Portoroz marina and walked along the waterfront crossing all of Portoroz. We made our way past hotels, resorts, restaurants, malls, yacht clubs, salt warehouses and other tourist buildings all the way. The whole waterfront felt quite upmarket and posh. It was barely a 5 kms walk to Piran all along the sea, but we decided to eat first on the water front and then drive to Piran. So we had lunch at Lanmar Portoroz. The food was quite average, with limited fish options available and not tasty either.

Piran

After lunch, we drove to Piran and walked around. It was another nice seafront town, with boats moored all around, sun washed houses, narrow streets, restaurants and the church on top. We circled all around the town, and could even see Italy across the bay. We hiked up to the church and got a panoramic view of the town around. We could see all the way till Italy and Croatia, with the lights twinkling along the sea. We saw some fort ruins on one of the mountains around. We could also see the whole town spread out around us, with the orange roofs spread out as far as the eyes could see. The view reminded me of a smaller version of Dubrovnik.

Piran at night

We walked down the hill to the main square, as the lights all around started lighting up. The town was not too crowded though. We stopped at a local cafe and ate the famous local cake, the S'Torta. It was a bit underwhelming though. As was the town. Rovinj felt a lot more buzzing than Piran. As we were walking around, it started raining again, so we ran to our car and didn't explore the town more.


Day 16: Trip to Trieste (Italy) (40 mins away)

The next day we visited a city in Italy (quite interesting that every day we would drive to a new country 😂). My friend was flying back from Trieste, so we drove there and explored the place before she flew out. Even though it was so close, we could feel a stark difference between Slovenia and Italy. In the architecture, in the driving, and definitely in the food.

On the way to Trieste, we stopped at a mall in Koper for the supercharger. It was quite a nice mall and we saw such stylish clothes in the shops there, we already knew we had reached Italy ☺️. And then there was the chaotic traffic when we got close to Trieste. People were honking on the streets, not following traffic rules and driving rashly. We were clearly in Italy!!

Walking through Trieste

Trieste city was quite huge and spread out. We had to drive quite a bit to get to the station. From there, we first walked to the city centre. It was full of imposing buildings - ornate offices and elegant palazzos - something we hadn’t seen in the last 2.5 weeks as we hadn't visited any city for a while. Though we could see hills in the background and felt that nature was close. We explored the local streets for a while, checking out the shops and enjoying the sun. It was a sunny day but the weather had turned extremely windy. So it wasn't as comfortable as I would have wanted it to be.

Trieste

There were a few canals in Trieste too, and the buildings around them were built in typical Italian style architecture. In fact some of the areas arount the canals looked straight out of Venice. We strolled through the high streets, near the canals, the waterfront, and explored the shops and restaurants there. The city was quite interesting, it had Italian, Austrian and Slovenian influences everywhere. But it felt quite chaotic and dirty, also a lot less safe than Slovenia and Croatia.

After all the walking around, I had an italian lunch in the sun, at Al Barattolo, a highly rated restaurant. Lunch took 2 hours to finish, it really felt like an Italian lunch. The restaurant was located in a closed street, so the wind was limited and it felt warmer to be outside. And the food was so tasty, after such a long time! It’s interesting how just being 30 mins away in Italy made such a difference to the food quality and taste. I loved the lunch there.

But I think I had had my fill of the craziness of a city already. While driving back, I almost felt happy to leave Italy and its chaos behind, to go back to my small little Slovenian town, Portoroz. With quiet around, nature everywhere and few people. It’s interesting how a few days in the countryside does to someone. Back in Portoroz, I recorded the sunset with timelapse on my phone, for the first time. And it came out quite dramatic.


Day 17: Sunset at Izola (20 mins away)

My last two days in Portoroz were lazier than usual, a lot more of just being than doing something new all the time. Today was a bit warmer than other days, so I spent the first half of the day swimming along the Portoroz waterfront. The water was fine to swim but a bit coolish. It still felt amazing to swim in the open sea here in such serene and pristine surroundings, with a stunning landscape in the background.

Izola from afar

In the evening, I drove to one of the towns we had seen while driving to Trieste but hadn't visited yet, Izola. It looked stunning from afar, a small spot of red along the water. I must say all these Istrian towns were quite atmospheric but they had started looking similar to me by now 😂. Izola was again a small touristy seaside town along the coast, with colourful houses, a small church on the hillside, loads of boats along the water, nice beaches and locals playing street music. People around the town were just sitting and chilling, so I did the same.

Izola at sunset

I walked along the marina and stopped at a restaurant on the beach to eat while enjoying the stunning sunset in the sea. Somehow the place was less crowded than the other towns, and I enjoyed the calmness here. And of course, I didn't mind it either, after the craziness of Trieste the day before. It was a short stop in this town but a nice quiet one. While driving back I noticed that the entire Istrian coast sparkles at nigh, dotted with all the villages and towns along the coast. It was quite a sight to experience at night.


Day 18: Visit to Kabola winery (Croatia) (20 mins away)

On my last day in Slovenia, I spent the first half of the day walking along the Portoroz marina, while waiting for my car to be washed. It was a long row of hotels, shops and restaurants along the marina including some luxury ones like the Kempinski right next to the water. There were some casinos too! I walked past some of the residential areas, and most of the houses there looked like holiday homes, they were simple but also posh.

Croatian Tuscany

After the car wash, I drove out towards Croatia towards a region known as Croatian Tuscany. It's a place away from the sea with small hills dotted with vineyards. The road to get there was a bit rough in places, and felt very remote. Until I came across row after row of vineyards in this very green part of the country. It was a picturesque valley, lined with vineyards everywhere. And even though I had driven only 20 mins from Portoroz, I felt I had come to a different world altogether.

Kabola chalet

A friend had suggested a few places to visit, and I stopped at the first of those wineries I came by - Kabola winery. In the end, I ended up spending all my time there. There was a small chalet with a very limited menu of cheese and meat. I tried the food and as I was the only customer for a while, I spoke to the waiter to learn about the place. He was Croatian and sounded very proud of his country. He had worked in many countries but kept coming back as he said Croatia was extremely safe. The downside was it was quite corrupt and wasn't very welcoming to immigrants. It’s also apparently a 100% Catholic country.

He also shared that this year they had had three months of no rain, which affected the wine harvest that year. Though we got all that rain in September while we were there 😂. Even though it was a quiet day that day, he said it was mostly Americans who visited the wineries here. He talked for so long that I felt guilty about not buying much. So I also bought a few olive oil bottles from there, one of the tastiest olive oils I have ever had. Overall, it was a relaxed day and I enjoyed it. The drive back to Portoroz was scenic again, through green hills with some orange roofed houses. It was a pleasure to explore the area for one last time.

View from our airbnb

Finally today evening was not that cold, so I managed to sit outside my airbnb for a little while to enjoy the sun going down, and the lights coming up slowly. It was a gorgeous view, and seeing it at night was even better when it wasn’t cold. Sadly, this only happened on the last day of the trip.

Overall, I had a nice time in Istria, all the towns were quite picturesque. My favourites from this part of the trip were the town of Rovinj and the day in the vineyards of Croatia. But overall, I wasn’t very impressed.


Day 19: Drive back (7.5 hours) from Portoroz to Greding (Germany) with lunch stop in Radstadt (Austria); night stay in Greding

And just like that it was time to go back. I was planning to visit Munich and Salzburg on the way, but then decided to just finish the drive back to Amsterdam over two long days of driving. The first day, the initial drive was through green areas on the Alps foothills. The mountains seemed so majestic all around but I seemed to be driving around them for a long time. Then I drove a bit through the Italian Alps which were great, the driving not so much. I also stopped at a supercharger in the middle of the mountains near an abandoned mall! There were some shops there but not many, it felt weird.

Austrian valleys

Then I entered Austria and mostly drove through the Alps there. The mountains were gorgeous, paintings in green, and it was a pleasure to drive through them. I mostly drove on highways with charming villages on the sides. There was some snow on the far-off peaks, but most of the drive felt like late summer. The landscape all around was so stunning, it kept me entertained on the long drive. In fact, I wanted to stop at every turn and didn't even realise how the long drive flew past.

Lunch view in Radstadt

For lunch, again I stopped at a random town called Radstadt. I had lunch at the Stegerbrau hotel with a magnificent view of the valley below. After that, I wandered around the high street which had typical Austrian architecture. But it was totally empty. And the views from everywhere in town were just magnificent. Somehow in Austria, even pit stops feel like perfect paintings, such a beautiful country it is.

After Radstadt, I got stuck in traffic for an hour. But the views were so engaging all around, I didn’t mind it much. From Austria, I drove into Bavaria which had smaller hills, but still green. And the villages were also less dramatic here than Austria. Also the drive felt so different, I feel I took a different route this time than the way to Slovenia.

For the night, I had picked a random small town on the way, Greding to stay at. I reached there around 9:30 pm and checked into the hotel, Hotel Bayernhof. It was a small old style hotel, where I got a physical key for the room! And the staff closed the doors after I checked in, and left, at 10 pm!

Greding at night

Which should not have surprised me so much. After check-in, I went out into the town for a stroll. It was a nice little place with pretty buildings, a town centre, and strong town walls all around. Though there was not a soul out at 10 pm! In fall time! Everything was shut - shops, restaurants, even hotels - and all the residents were asleep. It felt like a ghost town.

Even my hotel had no staff to do anything at that time 😂. This was quite an interesting experience for me, as we city people always assume things will be open late, but places in remote places don’t work like that apparently.


Day 20: Drive back (7.5 hours) from Greding (Germany) to Amsterdam

I had liked Greding at night but felt too scared to explore it given there was not a single soul in sight! So I decided to explore it in the morning, and it turned out to be a pretty Bavarian town, with a lot more hulchul during the day. Many cafes were open, people were sitting in the squares and sunning themselves. It felt nice.

Greding through the gate

There were three churches in town, I walked up to one of them and it turned out to be quite a simple one. There were so many old people tending to the garden in the cemetery there. When I saw that, I thought to myself, there are some joys of living (and dying) in the same town or village for generations.

And then I was off, on my way back home to Amsterdam. This last day of the drive was quite boring. The landscape was mostly the green fields in the plains of Germany, which don't offer much variation. So I just drove continuously without many stops.

I stopped at a supercharger in Geiselwind, it felt like such a modern and cool one. The town looked pretty too. Then I stopped at another supercharger where I had a Subway lunch. The drive was green, though quite flat once I entered the Netherlands. I think it quickly got me out of my holiday mood, and I just drove on without breaks. Thankfully there were no delays today.

The stark difference from where I started, the green hills of Bavaria to the flatlands of Netherlands, was quite unmissable. Though after weeks of travel, I did welcome the simplicity and orderliness of my home in the Netherlands. It had been a great three weeks in the Balkans. I loved the experience of driving there, and exploring those areas. And looking forward to more visits, soon.

Driving through the Balkans (3): Kranjska Gora to Zadar (and around)

Itinerary (1)
Kranjska Gora (Slovenia) (2)
Portoroz (Slovenia) (4)

Juz Franza lagoon

The second week of our trip was spent in the coastal town of Starigrad - Paklenica near Zadar in Croatia. It is located on a quieter part of the Dalmatian coast, with Zadar (a more popular tourist town) located nearby. For a week, we explored places around - towns, beaches, islands, the sea, mountains, rivers, waterfalls and so on. The water there was the highlight - warm, clear and a sparkling green. We loved our stay on the coast and would love to be back.


Day 8: Drive (4.5 hours) from Kranjska Gora (Slovenia) to Starigrad-Paklenica near Zadar (Croatia) with lunch stop in Ljubljana (Slovenia)

The drive from Kranjska Gora to Starigrad-Paklenica was quite picturesque and not too long, though the day started a bit rainy. So we couldn’t stop as much on the way as we wanted. When we left from Kranjska Gora, we again drove towards the Lake Bled area through some hilly areas.

Initially we were not planning to visit Ljubljana (the capital of Slovenia) but as the rain seemed to stop for a while, we decided to pay the city a visit. And what a charming little place it was. On the outskirts, Ljubljana felt like a boring Soviet bloc kind of place with typical post-war apartment block architecture. But our view changed once we reached the city centre.

Ljubljana high street

We parked near Ljubljana castle which was on a green hill in the centre of the city. As we explored the area around, we were blown away by the beauty and simplicity of the place. We walked to a local square where a farmers' market was going on. Then we walked through one of the high streets where a lot of handicrafts were being sold. There was a lot of activity going on there, and it looked quite colourful.

Along the river

After the high street, I started walking along the river Ljubljana - what a walk it was. Old, simple and classy. The river turns around the hill, and so the Ljubljana castle on top of that hill was visible throughout the walk. On both sides of the river were parks, lot of trees and colourful buildings. And since it had just rained, it all felt so fresh and inviting. There were a lot of trees, lovely bridges, churches, shops, restaurants, museums and so on, all along the river.

Along the river

I loved the walk so much, I just kept walking. It felt like walking through a fairy tale village. And most of all, totally unexpected. I had not expected to see such a pretty town centre, especially given the Soviet-type housing we saw when we just entered the town. We explored the area for a bit, and left before the rains came back.

On the drive

After Ljubljana, the drive was mostly through green hilly areas. We got some gorgeous views on the way, of narrow country roads through green forests, charming villages and churches. We stopped at a village on the way with a spectacular view, and I remember thinking - even the cows here get better views than we do living in our cities 😂. I think this was one of the prettiest drives of this trip, so simple and so green.

After that, we drove on a highway all the way till Zadar. The hills were smaller here and not as pretty. It was again raining all the time, the dramatic gray clouds adding a darkness to the sky. Towards the end, we crossed a long tunnel, and when we got out of it, the landscape changed dramatically. The dark clouds vanished and the sun came out.

We were staying in the village of Starigrad-Paklenica, along the Dalmatian coast, next to the Velebit mountains. It was a very quiet area, away from the tourist zones. So we turned much before reaching the Zadar coast, and drove about 10 kms along the coast to get to our village. As it had got dark by then, we did the long winding drive along the coast without knowing what kind of terrain we were driving in.

Starigrad-Paklenica

There were many small villages all through the way, driving past which we reached our village, Starigrad-Paklenica. It was near the Paklenica beach, close to the Paklenica National Park. It was a small picturesque village on the coast with very few houses.

Our airbnb was an apartment on the ground floor of a two floor building, where the owner's family lived on the floor above. It was a nice cosy apartment, with three different sitting areas - inside the house, behind in the garden and in front outside the door. The garden thankfully had no wind, and not much sun either, which was helpful as there was a lot of both there. We again settled into our apartment for our five night stay there. We felt like we were living like the locals. Our airbnb was about 5 mins walking from the beach. And there were olive gardens on the way. 

That first evening, we walked out of our airbnb towards the water. The town was very small, with barely a few houses. There was a beach, a pebble beach. And the weather was so warm, with a cool sea breeze flowing. I loved it. As we walked more, we found some restaurants on the waterfront, and had pizza dinner at the Fratelli Pizza Bar. The food was average, and this is the point in the trip where our food quality started going down. After dinner we continued our walk along the beach, it all felt so quiet and remote.


Day 9: Exploring Starigrad and Zadar Old Town (45 mins away)

Swimming in Starigrad

The first half of the day we spent around our airbnb as we had had a long day the day before. We walked out to the waterfront and went swimming in the water. The day was quite hot and the water was so warm. The water there was protected by the Zadar archipelago, so there were no waves and the sea was so calm, it was fun to swim. The beaches were pebbly though. There were some people swimming in the water, but not a lot. It was just so slow, so relaxed as we were far away from the tourist zone. We loved it. And the town looked quite pretty, with deep blue sea water on one side, white houses with orange roofs and a lot of greenery in the centre, and the grey hills of the Velebit mountain range on the other side. Everything there was scenic. And slow.

Roman ruins

In the afternoon, we drove to Zadar which was the largest tourist town in this area. It was about a 45 mins drive, mostly through barren areas with shrub vegetation. We first walked all around the waterfront along the sea and it was lovely. The water here had a deep blue colour. And the sun was out - it felt like a perfect day to enjoy the Adriatic Sea. We first sat near the Sea Organ, a musical instrument set up on the waterfront where the waves coming in and out create musical sounds. It felt lovely to sit there enjoying the sea playing music. It was heavenly.

Sunset at Zadar

As we continued to walk along the waterfront, we came across some Roman ruins right next to a church - quite a scenic location I would say. We stopped for dinner at a sea front restaurant, the Tramonto and saw the sun set while having dinner. It was quite surreal. Apparently the sunset in Zadar is supposed to be stunning, and it was. 

After dinner, we walked through the old town and around the fort. The streets were made of white rocks (instead of black cobblestones). At night, it was brightly lit up, with all the shops still open and people filling up all the space. There was a party-like atmosphere at night. There were many lounges and clubs all ready for action, and party music was playing everywhere. Though all the places were still empty even at 10 pm! Clearly parties here started late.

But we had an early morning the next day, so we left before any of the action started. Also, the drive back from Zadar felt different than the one we had taken on the way there. This was a highway route whereas while driving in, we had gone through smaller country roads. Funny.


Day 10: Boat trip to Ugljan island (45 mins drive and then a boat ride)

This was one of my best days in Zadar. There are many islands off the coast of Zadar, and we booked a boat to take us to one of those islands, where we could jump off the boat and swim in the open sea. We left from Zadar harbour, on a small speed boat, with some 5-6 people on it and the captain. We first went along the main island, then turned and sped towards Ugljan island. The day was sunny and the water was sparkling everywhere.

Uvala Frnaza lagoon

We made a few stops along the Ugljan coast. The first one was in the wilderness, near Uvala Frnaza lagoon. The boat stopped there for a while and we jumped into the emerald green water! The water was warm and clear, we could see all the rocks on the bottom of the seabed. It was so clear, we could also see all the fish on the reefs just like that. I saw some needlefish and many many sea urchins on the seabed. It was so much fun.

Interestingly the captain was saying that the locals had already stopped swimming by now as the weather was cold by their standards (in the low 20s!). We were all laughing at how such things are so relative. I also convinced some other British tourists on the boat to jump in, given that the next 6 months we would not find anything close to such warm temperatures in the UK.

Our next stop was the nearby Zaljev Juz Franza lagoon. The water was completely clear here too. We jumped in and swam all the way till the beach. There were a lot of pebbles here too, but still fun.

After that, we went in the boat all along the beach. The island was lined with the typical houses of the region, yellow in colour, with orange roofs. There were some stunning seafront mansions also. All of that was surrounded with loads of greenery all around. And given how sunny it was that day, everything sparkled. The water, the trees, the houses, the sun; and the air was so fresh and crisp - it’s very difficult to capture the experience of that day.

Preko village

Our last stop on the tour was Preko village. We stopped our boat in the lagoon in front and jumped in again. The village had the typical yellow and orange houses, and looked so enchanting. We swam in the sea looking at all that scenery around us. I also thought to myself, that next time I should stay on the island. It would be a great experience. We had a lovely day just being out and about for about 4-5 hours, swimming in the open sea. It was tough to return to the city that day though.

Streets of Zadar

Once back on land, we explored Zadar more. We walked through the high street, it was fun, though not as much as at night. The town looked older during the day 😂. It still had an active vibe to it, with its narrow white streets, and the pastel houses all around. But as it was too hot, it was less inviting than the pleasant nights. 

Zadar downtown

In the late afternoon, we thought we would be experimental and drove to a beach slightly out of town, called Borik beach. Apparently that was where all the locals hang out. Though it turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. For starters, it looked a bit run down. There was grass on the side beyond the beach to sit and chill. The water was difficult to swim in because of all the waves. Honestly, it wasn’t fun to be there. So we just walked along the waterfront for a while and soon left for our small village of Starigrad.

During the drive, we got a view of Zadar from higher ground, it looked nice. A spreadout town on a small peninsula. The drive back today was through a country route with views of mountains and water all around. It was definitely more fun than the highway route.

We had dinner at Dalmacija restaurant, which was in one of the happening areas of Starigrad. The food was ok, but it was nice to sit outdoors, enjoying the cool ocean breeze.


Day 11: Exploring Starigard-Paklenica

We took a day off from all the travels given the busy past few days, and today was that day. It was raining most of the day, and that helped in not feeling guilty about doing very little. We spent most of the day near our airbnb, resting at home or exploring nearby areas. In the morning we first drove to the nearest supermarket, Tommy to shop for groceries, and then had coffee next to the the beach. It started pouring again as we tried to get back to our car after the coffee.

Starigrad-Paklenica

In the evening, we walked along the waterfront for about 3 kms one way, and saw the luxurious living along the Dalmatian coast. There were some beaches, some parks, and many magnificent holiday homes along the way. At one point, we walked right down to the water, enjoying the parked boats and all the waves lashing at them, and the pine trees and the white and orange houses on the other side. We sat there for a while, just enjoying listening to the waves.

We finally reached the lively part of town where there was a boardwalk with many shops and restaurants all lit up for the evening. There were a lot of billboards advertising different kinds of activities, like watersports, rental boats and so on. There were a lot more people hanging around there too. So this place isn’t as dead as we initially thought it to be.

While walking back we got caught in the rain and thunderstorms though. And I had to go and charge my car nearby, again all in pouring rain. But still it was nice that we took a walk in the area. It turned out that it was actually quite an interesting place, with lots to do around. It's just that as it's not on a tourist map, we didn't make many plans to explore it. Still its good we did see a bit of it that day.


Day 12: Hike in Plitvice Lakes National Park (2 hour drive)

Today was another one of my favourite days in Croatia. We drove to Plitvice Lakes National Park, about 2 hours away, and spent the whole day exploring it. The place is just spectacular, and has to be visited to be believed. The weather, which was supposed to be sunny, turned out to be very rainy. And we were not prepared for it, as the forecast had been for a sunny day. This did affect our experience as we walked all day in the rain. Still the place was so mind-blowing, it made up for the weather.

The drive to the lakes was quite scenic, through small green mountains, cute little villages, huge farms and just so much beauty all around, that I enjoyed the drive a lot too. There was a long patch of the road which was quite bad and bumpy, but most of it was fine. And close to the park, there were many towns which offered hotels and other amenities for tourists.

One of the upper lakes

When we reached the park, the weather did not look too inviting, so thankfully I changed into something more suited for the rainy weather. And it helped. There are two different entrances to the park. And when buying tickets, one needs to choose which route they want to take as there are 8 possible routes to choose from. Each one of the route covers a different part of the park, some routes are longer than others. We chose route C and were in the park for about 6 hours, walking past all the rivers, lakes and waterfalls, including a boat and tram ride also.

Once you enter the park, everyone must follow the standard path which takes you through the lower lakes, then to the upper lakes, through multiple levels in the park. It is very well managed and easy to follow. As you walk along, slowly the whole magical world of this place unfolds in front of you. 

Waterfalls in Plitvice
National Park

The Black river and White river combine and flow through the park. And given the mountainous nature of this park, and the soft limestone and dolomites rocks here, the rivers as they flow through the landscape create lakes, cascades across different levels, rock caves, waterfalls and many other interesting structures everywhere. As you walk along the path, you can see many of these places.

There are about 16 lakes which can be easily seen, some known as lower lakes and some as upper lakes. The colours of each of the lakes are different based on the vegetation around, the minerals in it and the angle of sunlight. And as the limestone karst rocks are all soft, many different structures are created across the park due to the flowing water.

Big Waterfall

When you enter the park, you first see the ‘Big Waterfall’, one of the defining photographs of the park. It is a single large waterfall with multiple branches, made by the Plitvica stream. It is quite impressive even from a distance, and it's also possible to go up close to see it. When we went near it, it was all misty there.

After the waterfall, one can walk for about 10 kms across the park. First you cross all the lower lakes, each on a different level creating small cascades and with a different colour. The water everywhere was so clear, one could easily see fish swimming everywhere. The shades of blue or green of the water, based on the minerals present in that lake are stunning to look at. And on both sides were high mountains with some fall colours already appearing. Every spot in the park was picturesque and it was lovely to walk around.

The walk

After that, we took a ferry across one of the lakes and reached a camp ground to reach the upper lakes. We ate a quick meal for lunch. We could have turned back from there but we chose to continue to walk forward. So we took another ferry and kept walking. (There is a maze of ferries one needs to take to be able to continue the walk). We walked up and down hills, through lush green vegetation and past so many lakes, it was tough to keep count. The upper lakes had many waterfalls, caves and lush green forests all around. The water was clear everywhere, and created many unique views. Every scene was just mesmerising.

And finally we reached the end of the trail when it started pouring like crazy. We waited and took a tram back to the starting gate before the park closed down for the day. The tram ride was very scary, as the tram moved very fast on very narrow roads along the cliffs. I really wonder how the driver could drive so fast without fear.

Top view of the cascades

Even after the tram ride, we were dropped a bit before the main gate. As we walked the last half a kilometer to the gate, we got to see all the cascading lakes from the top, another popular view of the Park. It was tough to walk back the last part as we were drenched in rain and very tired after walking the whole day. Though we still loved the place. I can’t imagine how it would have been if it hadn't been raining. I don’t think we would have left the park then 😂. I was also very impressed by how well organised the place was. It was very convenient, well marked and had many amenities within the park (including many eating places on the way). I loved it totally.

We had initially planned to eat at one of the towns nearby, but after the rain, all we wanted to do was get back to our warm airbnb. So we just drove back directly. The drive was again, as after the rain, it had got even more beautiful.

Once back in Starigrad-Paklenica, we changed and went out to one of the nearby restaurant, Kaleta, for another meal on the sea front. And just like that, this second part of our trip in the Balkans also came to an end. Soon we were to go back to Slovenia.


Day 13: Drive (4 hours) from Zadar (Croatia) to Portoroz (Slovenia) with lunch stop in Senj (Croatia)

The weather on this trip had already turned for the worse by now. Even on the day we drove from Zadar to Portoroz in Slovenia, it was raining most of the day. We did stop on the way in a small town, but couldn't explore much as it started raining again.

The route we chose to get to Portoroz was not through the highway, but a scenic route along the coast. And it was fabulous. We started from Zadar and continued along the Dalmatian coast for a few hours. On the one side were the mountains, and on the other was the blue-green Adriatic Sea. Every turn was picturesque, with loads of houses dotting the hills and boats dotting the water down below.

Cove on Dalmatian coast

Around many of the turns were small coves with shallow water where the light green was even more prominent. We stopped at one of these spots to dip our toes in the water. The colours of the water there were just out of this world. We later drove by a line of islands spread out in the sea on the other side. The views were so stunning, that after a while, even that began to feel normal 😂. 

Senj

On the coast, we stopped at a supercharger in a random town called Senj. Even the supercharger had an imposing view of the sea around! We walked around town and had lunch. We then explored the high street and the shops there, looking for local coral stones. It was a cute little town, nothing extraordinary though.

After Senj, we drove on some highways which were a lot faster but less scenic. When crossing back into Slovenia, at the border, we were asked for our passports! That was a big shock to us as we were within the Schengen zone and weren’t expecting to be asked for our passports. Anyways it was good learning for the next week when we would be skipping between Croatia and Slovenia quite often.

The drive now turned greener, and we drove past some cute little towns. The entry into Portoroz was quite impressive. You drive through a road covered with trees on both sides, like a tree tunnel. After that, you drive through a small pass, with the whole of the Piran and Portoroz valley opening up in front. Both towns are located on the sea, with hills all around and have some of the best views I have seen in a while.

The whole area felt very posh, so fancy. On the one side was the vast sea. And on the other, the green hills with orange houses peeping out from between. There was something very picture perfect about this place, it's tough to explain. And we hadn’t expected it at all.

Sunset in Portoroz

We checked into our airbnb on one of the hills and the view from there was something to die for. To get there, we had to drive up a small hill. And the view was of all the hills around, and the sea in front. We could have just sat there and enjoyed the sunset over the sea everyday. Though the first evening, there was a lot of rain, and we couldn't see the sunset. Anyways, we settled in our airbnb for the next six nights and rested after the drive in the rain.

In the evening, we drove to a local supermarket and then to the nearby Portoroz marina for dinner. It was pouring, so a bit difficult to get anywhere. Still we braved it. There were loads of restaurants along the marina, and we walked into one which had parking right next to it - Santa Lucija. They had local seafood on the menu and the food felt tasty after almost a week! So we were definitely looking forward to the next week in this coastal part of Slovenia.


Our week in Croatia felt very short. Especially because there was so much more to explore in the area (leave alone the rest of the country like Hvar, Split and Dubrovnik areas). I enjoyed all the places around Zadar, the highlight being the swims around Ugljan island and the day in Plitivice National Park. We all left with great memories from Croatia, and a resolve to be back.