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 (2): Amsterdam to Kranjska Gora (and around)

Itinerary (1)
Zadar (Croatia) (3)
Portoroz (Slovenia) (4)

Julian Alps

The first week of our Balkans road trip started from Amsterdam. We drove through Germany and Austria to reach Slovenia where we stayed in Kranjska Gora for a week, exploring the Julian Alps around us. And I totally fell in love with Slovenia. The Alps there are stunning, with loads of activities to do. Hike up the peaks, swim in the lakes, cycle around, enjoy the fall colours, explore Lake Bled and so on. I think this was my favourite part of this whole trip.


Day 1: Drive (7 hours) from Amsterdam to Erlangen (Germany) with a lunch stop in Limburg

It was a long two day drive from Amsterdam to Slovenia, and we stopped in Germany for the first night. We had a lot of driving ahead of us next few days, so everytime we would drive from one location to another, we planned a picturesque halt on the way for lunch or a walk - the joy of a European driving holiday.

The drive through the Netherlands was flat as usual. And once we reached Germany, we saw some mountains which already felt better. There was a lot of greenery around and we saw some lovely landscapes. Though there were lots of roadworks going on everywhere which led to many delays that day. It was fun to drive on the autobahn though, I touched 200+ kmph a few times (up to 220 kmph I think), but could never touch 250. Sigh!

Along river Lahn

For lunch we thought we should find a scenic riverside restaurant on Google Maps. So we drove to an Indian restaurant called Lahnterrase on the banks of river Lahn, in the town of Limburg. It was such a weird place, and the food was very bad too. I think after that we decided that we would prefer to go for good food rather than picturesque locations 😂.

The second half of the drive was quite boring, we were mostly driving through fields. The weather was also very hot and humid that day. We had picked the town of Erlangen for the night stay based only on its convenient location next to the highway. But it turned out to be a charming German town, with a cute little town centre.

Dinner at Kitzmann

We were staying at the Bayerischer Hof which was a nice comfortable hotel. After checking in, we walked to the nearest restaurant for dinner, a beer garden called Kitzmann Brauschanke. It was such a cosy place, very well decorated with lights. We sat outside on the wooden benches under the umbrella and had dinner enjoying the cool breeze. It was very nice to be outdoors, the service was quite average though. But it was all quite convenient for a night halt. And interestingly while we were walking back to our hotel, we heard someone playing hindi music in one of the apartments on the way. That was a surprise.


Day 2: Drive (6.5 hours) to Kranjska Gora in the Julian Alps (Slovenia) with stops at Hallein and Sankt Johann im Pongau (Austria)

The landscape today was so lovely, we enjoyed our drive even. Most of our day, we spent driving through the Alps, and the views around us were just majestic. We first drove through the small mountains of Bavaria, bright green in summer, with cows on the hills, valleys with orange roofed houses, and tall church spires peaking out from them. Every moment felt like we were driving through a painting. And then we entered Austria which was just picture perfect. Magnificent mountain peaks dotted with castles, and lakes and villages in the valleys. Every scene felt just divine.

On the way, we stopped twice. Once in a small town called Hallein, for charging our car. It turned out to be quite a pretty little town, located right next to a small river, and surrounded by mountains on all sides. Apparently the town is popular with tourists as the Eagle’s Nest (Hitler’s retreat) was nearby.

We walked to the nearest restaurant for lunch while waiting for charging, and it turned out to be a very nice one. Gasthaus Hager was run by a local person who was wearing a lederhosen in the summer heat! He told us that it is comfortable even in the summers (I am not that sure of it though!). We had a tasty lunch, again sitting outdoors in the sun. The owner predicted that it was going to rain soon. It had seemed unlikely when we started our lunch but by the end of it, it did start pouring! So we had to run to our car without getting a chance to explore the town.

Walk in St Johann im Pongau

When we left Hallein, we saw a car on the highway which had caught fire and was burning, like actually burning with flames! That was quite a sight. There was a miles-long traffic jam on that side of the highway too. Our side was clear though. We then drove through a few tunnels, coming out onto some spectacular landscapes on the other side - gorgeous hills, higher peaks, picturesque villages and castles on top of the mountains. We even saw some rainbows in the sky there.

Town of St Johann im Pongau

As we hadn’t got a chance to explore Hallein, once it stopped raining, we stopped at another town on the way, St Johann im Pongau. We mostly walked around the town centre which was quite lovely. We went into the cathedral, and then walked up one of the hills to get a feel of being in the Alps. We got a panoramic view of the town in the valley, with the Pongau Cathedral spire rising up high above it all. Apparently this village is also quite popular with tourists who come here to visit the Liechtensteinklamm gorge, one of the longest and deepest accessible gorges in the Alps. One can also take a balloon ride through the gorge.

After, St Johann, we continued driving through the Alps, with the peaks getting higher and the valleys narrower. We also saw some white rocky mountain peaks on this part of the drive. It got dark by the time we reached Slovenia. Also the roads became more winding there as well as narrower. We also couldn’t see much and weren't sure what kind of a place we were going to. 

We reached the town of Kranjska Gora quite late, and it took us a while to find our airbnb, the Apartment Kotnik. Google Maps took us to the middle of the national forest, which had us worried for a while. Finally when we found the apartment, we relaxed. The airbnb was in town, not in the remote jungle that Google Maps had us initially believe! The town also felt quite big (relatively). In fact, our airbnb was right across a huge casino hotel, so it definitely wasn’t as remote as we feared initially.

Daytime view from our airbnb

It was a cute little apartment, close to the main road and right on the boundary of the Triglav National Park. We had a view of high peaks on one side, and the Korona casino hotel on the other. And at night, we could even see the Milky Way up in the sky. After the long drive, we welcomes this break. And settled into our apartment for our six night stay.


Day 3: Hike up Slemenova Spica trail, near Vrsic pass (30 mins away)

For the next few days, we explored the areas around. There was just so much to do and see. On our first day, we drove till Vrsic pass in the Triglav National Park, which was a 30 mins drive away. The place seemed quite popular, as there was a lot of traffic on the narrow roads. We even got stuck in traffic at one point! There were loads of cyclists everywhere, definitely a faster way to getting around than a car stuck in traffic (tougher too though!). We stopped at a few viewpoints on the way to admire the high peaks.

On the hike

When we reached Vrsic pass, there was a traffic jam there too. It was quite crowded, with people and cars. And a lot of sheep walking in between the parked cars too 😂. It took us a while to find parking though we finally did find something, right next to the steep mountain edge. We started our hike from the Vrsic pass, which is at a height of 1,600 m.

Sheep on the hike

The hike was around 6.5 kms long, and took us 3.5 hours to go up and back. The views on this hike are just stunning. The path took us through different landscapes - we climbed up steep rocks, crossed through passes, walked through green meadows, and so on. The mountains all around were quite imposing. We crossed through the Saddle of Vratca pass, which opened up to a completely different landscape. There were sheep grazing everywhere in the meadows. We could see a village, Ratece, far off on the opposite side mountains. It was just fun to walk through it all. The trail was well marked too with loads of people going and coming.

View from the peak

And the view from the Slemenova Spica viewpoint was just spectacular. We could walk to the edge of the mountain, from where we could look down several hundred metres, getting a 360 degrees view of three different valleys down below (including Tamar valley). There were bare rocky peaks on one side, with the mountains looking like gray walls. And green valleys on the other two sides. It was a breathtaking view, as if one is standing on top of the world. It was just surreal to be there. (Interestingly a few days later we ended up in the valley below and could see the Slemenova Špica peak from there).

Meadows on the hike

When we had started our hike, the weather was hot, around 30+ °C and sunny. But while we were going back down, gray clouds started coming in and it looked like it may rain. No one could have expected that when we had started. And by the time we reached our car, it was pouring. Another reminder that weather in the hills can turn at any point, so one always needs to be ready.

Lake Jasna

While driving back from the hike, we stopped at a lake 5 mins from our airbnb - Lake Jasna. And it turned out to be so mesmerising, something I hadn’t expected at all. It had an emerald green colour and the reflections of the mountains and chalets around in the water were just breathtaking. I can only imagine how much more stunning it would look in the sunlight, as the clouds at that time had muted its colours. We walked all around the lake, checking out all the activities and cafes around, which had closed by that time though.

After our first day in Julian Alps, I realised they are as picturesque as the Alps in Central Europe. And a lot cheaper 😊. Also, I had been expecting the infrastructure to be less developed here, but that was not the case at all. Slovenia is known as a cheaper Switzerland, and I agree with that description fully.

In the evening, we walked to the city centre. It was quite small, lined with typical alpine buildings. It was full of tourists walking around that day. We had dinner at Vinoalpino and the food was outstanding. And this was the start of all the good food we found in our first week on the trip.


Day 4: Exploring Lake Bohinj and around (1 hour drive)

We spent one entire day around Lake Bohinj and loved it. Lake Bohinj is also part of the Triglav National Park and was about a one hour drive from Kranjska Gora. The drive till there was quite scenic (and we ended up on that route 3 times too!). As one leaves Kranjska Gora, the initial drive is through small country roads with charming little villages surrounded by high mountains on both sides. It was so green and felt so fresh to drive through every time - we always kept our windows open when driving there.

Then there was a short drive on the highway before we would take the exit to Lake Bled. That part of the drive got a bit crowded though. The day we were going to Lake Bohinj, we drove past Lake Bled and it was tough to not stop there 😂. This place is just so spectacular, there can be no words to describe it. The turquoise blue and emerald green lake, with a church in the middle and a castle perched on top of a hill overlooking the lake. It’s just a magnificent sight. There was a lot of traffic around here though, and it took us a long time to get past the area.

Ribcev Laz

The drive from Lake Bled till Lake Bohinj takes about 15 mins and we again drove through some dense forests and small villages with charming churches dotting the path. The two closest villages to the lake, Ribčev Laz and Stara Fužina were quite picturesque. The peace and quiet here felt nice after the craziness of Lake Bled.

Lake Bohinj

Lake Bohinj is a huge blue-green lake set amid some stunning mountain scenery, part of the Triglav National Park. The mountains here were not too high, and fall colours were already visible in the surrounding mountains. We decided to walk around the whole lake, which felt like a good idea initially but not later in the day 💦.

Colours of Lake Bohinj

The whole walk around the lake was around 12 kms and took us around 4 hours to finish. There was a path all around, through different types of vegetation. And twice, we stopped and swam in the lake. The water was such a vibrant green in colour, and even felt a bit warm. The lake shore was quite pebbly though. Swimming there felt like being in a dream. In such clear blue green waters with green and orange forests on the sides, and total peace and quiet all around. There were even fishes we could see swimming with us, so many of them. Some areas also had seaweed there.

Around Lake Bohinj

But then it started raining! And we had not prepared for it, in fact we had turned up mostly in summer clothes! So we had to finish most of the walk in the rain. We even stopped midway for tea at a lakeside hostel, hoping for the rain to give way but it didn’t want to. So we kept walking, through trails, on the road, past camping grounds and so on. And soon the clouds came down in the valley, making everything around look so dreamy. It was lovely though very cold and wet for us.

Anyways, we did manage to finish the walk somehow, but what a day it had turned out to be. With comfortable swims but also a long walk in the rain. Anyways, back in our car, we felt better. And then started our drive back to base. We drove through thunderstorms all the way back, which we didn't have to walk through thankfully. But the views all looked so magical. Driving in the rain through small charming villages in wide valleys, with fall colours on the sides and clouds in front. It was quite an experience, and was a cherry on the cake, after a day of swimming in turquoise blue and green waters. Wow!


Day 5: Exploring Lake Bled and Vintgar Gorge (45 mins away)

This was one of my most adventurous day on this trip. We drove to Lake Bled again through the scenic route and then rented mountain bikes from there. We cycled a bit around the lake and then towards Vintgar Gorge. We initially cycled through some built up areas, then through some unpaved paths, and then through small villages up the mountains. It was quite a strenuous climb up the mountain. We passed by such stunning views - alpine villages, green meadows, flower fields - it was fabulous. And Slovenia is absolutely gorgeous.

Radovna River

At Vintgar Gorge, we parked our bikes and hiked through the gorge. There is a long wooden platform built in the gorge for tourists, where one can walk all along the Radovna river with the gorge on both sides. It was such a stunning place, the river in emerald green gushing through the narrow gorge, over big and small rocks, creating small pools and waterfalls everywhere on the way. Every turn in the gorge was like a new painting made by a nature lover. The colours of the trees on the mountains were reflected on the water. This was another very magical place for me (such stunningness had become a daily occurrence in Slovenia by then though!). It was a long walk and the only way to share that is through photographs we took on the way.

Along the river

Along the river

Vintgar Gorge

The wooden platform is a one way path, and at the end, we started walking back towards the entrance. However, we got lost and ended up taking a very long path to come back. Through some fields, villages and mountain roads. The villages were full of fruit trees, many of them laden with peaches and apples. I plucked a few and ate them on the strenuous walk back.

While mountain biking back to Lake Bled, I had a nasty fall (I think I got too lost in the stunning views all around 😂). And that slowed me down for the rest of the trip. We cycled back to Lake Bled. And then spent some time around its shore. It was still sunny, so we had dinner at a restaurant on the banks of the lake - the Arroi. The food there was very tasty. And we tried Bled cream cake too, it was yum.

Lake Bled

We then walked around the lake for an hour or so. The lake just looked so enchanting and lively. And all around, the green was dotted with orange fall colours. The reflections on the lake made it very mesmerising. The whole area was so active, everyone was doing something or the other. People were swimming, kayaking or sailing on the lake, cycling and hiking up the mountains, walking around the lake, eating at the banks and so on. But it had become a lot quieter than before. So we enjoyed it a lot. I felt there was still so much more to be done there and was happy that we would be coming back soon.


Day 6: Hike to Mountain Home Tamar, visit to Laghi di Fusine, dinner at Tarvisio-Boscoverde (Italy) (30 mins away)

We took it easy that day, first doing a short hike to Tamar House, a mountain hut in the Tamar valley, then a visit to a lake in Italy before finally having dinner in the town of Tarvisio-Boscoverde.

Walk to Mountain Home Tamar

We first drove to Planica, a 30 mins drive away from where we could walk to Tamar House. There were loads of activities happening at Planica, including music stalls, food stalls plus a zipline. Apparently, they also have skiing here in winter. We however started on our walk through the woods to Tamar House. It was a 8 kms return trail and took us about 2 hours going and coming back. It was a beautiful sunny day and the walk was pretty, sometimes through forests, sometimes bare riverbeds. There were huge trees on both sides, which shaded us from the strong sun. And towards the end we walked past a few meadows which reminded me of DDLJ 😀.

Mountain Home Tamar

Mountain Home Tamar is a wooden mountain lodge located in the Tamar Valley and is in such a magnificent location. With huge meadows in front, green woods behind, and behind them are majestic mountain peaks towering up above, the same ones we had seen on the Slemenova hike. It was such a lovely spot to sit and lounge in. We stocked up on sugar there and tried the local snack, “struklji”. After a short break, we headed back. And while on the walk we ran into an Italian lady who said she came to Slovenia for holidays as it was cheaper than other similar places. She also told us about a few places nearby to visit, including Lake Fusine where we went next.

Colours of Laghi di Fusine

Then we crossed over to Italy, and stopped at one of the lakes, the Laghi di Fusine. We did a walk all around the upper lake first. It was about 2 kms and took us about an hour to walk around (with breaks of course!). It was just stunning, with the colour shifting between emerald green and turquoise blue depending on the light. The reflections of the trees on the banks created many picturesque scenes. I think by now we stopped noticing when the scenery was stunning 😂. It was like that everyday.

Reflections

We also drove to the lower lake but by then the sun had set, so the colours were less striking. Also somehow I felt that the moment we had stepped into Italy, everything felt cosier and warmer. Maybe it's the food or the people, but I just felt it.

Tarvisio-Boscoverde

After the sun set, we drove to the town of Tarvisio-Boscoverde where our friend was arriving by train. We picked her up from the station, a small place in the mountains and then drove into town. We had dinner at Hotel Pizzeria Trieste, sitting outside with a view of the mountains around. We enjoyed the food, the service was a bit lacking though. Then we walked through town admiring it, it felt like a cosy little place. And it also felt different from Slovenian towns, though it was so close to those. Italy definitely has a different vibe, always.

While driving back the 20 mins to Kranjska Gora, we saw exits to Austria. And it felt so different. This is the joy of being in Europe, moving between countries feels like one is skipping rope.


Day 7: Boating and swimming in Lake Bled

Lake Bled

On our last day in the Julian Alps, we went back to Lake Bled area, and spent more time exploring the place. The lake and the church on the island in the middle. We first took a local boat, a traditional wooden row boat called the pletna to the island in the middle of the lake. On the island there was a church, the Church of the Assumption. We went to the church and then walked all around the island. There were loads of people swimming around, with many boats parked all around the island. We also saw many large fish swimming in the waters. The water was so clear, we could just see them while walking around!

Around the island

The colours of the lake were stunning, a dark blue-green which was quite difficult to capture in a photograph. Apparently the angle of the sunlight changes the colour of the water, sometimes it looks teal, sometimes emerald, sometimes turquoise and sometimes something in between. Also the reflections of the scenery affect its colours. Anyways, all the colours are so stunning.

Lake Bled

We then came back to shore, and walked around the lake. I also swam in the lake. It was lovely, the water felt warm, the colours brilliant, and swimming in such lovely surroundings felt ethereal. The temperature suddenly started to drop and a cold wind started blowing. So we left, and thankfully at the right time. We got in the car just when it started pouring, again. Even though it was still early September, the weather had changed earlier this year and for the rest of the trip, we experienced mixed weather - some warm and sunny days, but mostly colder and rainier than expected.

Back at Kranjska Gora, it was pouring. But somehow, we did manage to get out of our airbnb and drove around town to find a restaurant open at that time. We had dinner at the Kekec ski restaurant, a huge alpine place where people eat when skiing around here. The food was very tasty and it also had a nice cosy ambiance.



Overall, I was quite impressed with all I learnt about Slovenia Its population is only about 2 million. But it has a lot to explore for tourists, the Alps, the coast on the Adriatic Sea, vineyards, plains and karst caves. The hilltop churches are a distinct feature of the landscape in Slovenia, we could see them everywhere when driving. Apparently Slovenia also has one of the highest number of rivers, 59 in total! That’s quite huge given how small the country is.

Slovenia also felt like a place of active holidays, there were so many cycles on the roads, boats in the waters, hang gliders in the sky, hikers in the mountains and swimmers in the lakes - it felt like everyone was busy doing something. 

Soon we had to say goodbye to Slovenia as we were heading to Croatia the next day. Overall, I loved this part of my trip. The people were very friendly and helpful. And quite cheerful too (well Slovenia does have ‘love’ in its name 😁). The food was top notch, and the places to see were all breathtaking. My favourite places on this part of the trip were Lake Bled, Lake Bohinj, Vintgar Gorge and the Slemenova Spica Hike. Basically everything we did 😁. And I surely became a fan of the country, from whatever we saw.

Driving through the Balkans (1): Itinerary

Kranjska Gora (Slovenia) (2)
Zadar (Croatia) (3)
Portoroz (Slovenia) (4)

In the fall of 2024, towards the end of my sabbatical year, we did a three week driving trip from Amsterdam to Slovenia and Croatia. We stayed for a week in the Slovenian Julian Alps, in Kranjska Gora and explored the mountains around. Then we spent a week in the Croatian coastal town of Zadar. The last week was spent in the Slovenian coastal town of Portoroz exploring the coastal towns of Slovenia, Croatia, and Italy. And then I drove back to Amsterdam.

I loved the travels and wished I could have spent more time at each of these locations - I enjoyed every moment of it. The lakes, the small towns, the beaches, the rivers, the beauty - everything was like the perfect dream. We crisscrossed many countries during this trip, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia and Italy. Here is the itinerary of what we did where (as well as all that we didn’t get time for!).


Day 1: Drive (7 hours) from Amsterdam to Erlangen (Germany) with a lunch stop in Limburg (Germany); 1 night stay at Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Erlangen

Day 2: Drive (6.5 hours) to Kranjska Gora in the Julian Alps (Slovenia) with a lunch break at Hallein (Austria) and a short hike in St Johann im Pongau (Austria) on the way; 6 nights stay in Apartment Kotnik in Kranjska Gora

Day 3-7: Exploring Triglav National Park and Julian Alps around Kranjska Gora

Vintgar Gorge

• Slemenova Spica hike near Vrsic pass (30 mins away) 
• Lake Jasna (5 mins away) 
• Walk and swim at Lake Bohinj (1 hour drive) 
• Lake Bled area (45 mins drive): Walk around Lake Bled, mountain biking till Vintgar Gorge, 2 hour walk in Vintgar Gorge along the Radovna River, boat ride in traditional pletna boats to visit the Island and the Church of the Assumption, and a swim in the lake 
• Hike to Mountain Home Tamar (30 mins away) 
• Visit to Laghi di Fusine and the town of Tarvisio-Boscoverde (Italy) (20 mins away) 
• Things we couldn’t do: 
• Visit Mojstrana (Peričnik Waterfall), Radovna Valley and Radovljica Old Town (20 mins away) 
• Hike the Path of The Pagan Girl around Hrvic pass (30 mins away) 
• Lake Bled area: Hike up to Bled Castle, hike up Osojnica, meal at Bled Castle restaurant (45 mins away) 
• Lake Bohinj area: Hike to Zajamniki Hut on Pokljuka plateau (a shepherd village), taking the Vogel Cable Car, and hike to Savica Waterfall (one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Slovenia) (1 hour drive) 
• Scenic drives to Sorica and Škofja Loka (1.5 hour drive) 
• Soča River Valley including the towns of Bovec and Tolmin (1.5 hours drive) 

Day 8: Drive (4.5 hours) from Kranjska Gora to Starigrad near Zadar (Croatia) with lunch stop in Ljubljana (Slovenia); 5 nights stay in an airbnb in Starigrad-Paklenica

Day 9-12: Exploring beaches and the Croatian coast near Zadar

• Swimming in Starigrad-Paklenica 

  

  Plitvice National Park

  
  
• Exploring Zadar Old Town and Borik beach (45 mins away)
• Boat to Ugljan Island and swimming at some beaches (45 mins drive and boat to the island)
• Hike in Plitvice Lakes National Park (2 hours drive) 
• Things we couldn’t do: 
• Kolovare Beach, Marina Borik and Zadarska sfinga within Zadar 
• Visit to Sibenik town, and kayaking from Vodice to Prvic Sepurine island (1 hour drive) 
• Visit to Pag island (1.5 hour drive) 
• Boat ride to Kornati islands and Kornati national park 
• Trip to Krka National park (1 hour drive) 

Day 13: Drive (4 hours) from Starigrad to Portoroz (Slovenia) with lunch break in Senj (Croatia); 6 nights stay in an airbnb in Portoroz

Day 14-18: Exploring Istrian towns and vineyards

• Rovinj (1 hour drive) 

  

  Piran town
  
  

• Piran and Portoroz 
• Trieste (Italy) (40 mins away) 
• Izola (20 mins away) 
• Kabola Winery (Croatia) (20 mins away) 
• Places we couldn’t visit: 
• Nearby Croatian towns of Motovun and Pula (1 hour drive) 
• Dolphin watching in Rovinj (1 hour drive) 
• Skocjan Caves (45 mins away) 

Day 19: Drive (7.5 hours) from Portoroz (Slovenia) to Greding (Germany) with lunch stop in Radstadt (Austria); 1 night stay at Hotel Bayernhof

Day 20: Drive (7.5 hours) from Greding to Amsterdam with lunch stop at supercharger on the way


I absolutely loved this road trip and have become a huge fan of both Slovenia and Croatia. Both these countries seem amazing for tourists. The highlights from the places we visited were:

• Around Kranjska Gora, the visits to Lake Bled, Lake Bohinj, Vintgar Gorge and the Spica Hike (basically everything we did 😂)
• Around Zadar, the swims around Ugljan island and the day in Plitvice National Park
• From Portoroz, I enjoyed the visit to the town of Rovinj and the day in Kabola winery

I would absolutely recommend these places, any day!


Map

Neighbouring country trips from Amsterdam

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I did a lot of driving to neighbouring countries from Amsterdam. Most were longer trips, but some were just day trips across the border, mostly to Belgium and Germany. Here is a description of those days out.


Antwerp, Belgium (Sep 2022)

We did a day trip once from Amsterdam to the city of Antwerp, as it just a 2 hour drive one way. And though nothing extraordinary, it was definitely a good day out of Amsterdam. The drive to Antwerp was mostly through highways. We encountered fog on the way which was surprising, given the rest of the day was so sunny. And the roads deteriorated as soon as we got to Belgium, with lot more potholes, though they had a higher speed limit 😂.

Antwerp city centre

Once in Antwerp, we mostly did what we do on any trip to Belgium. Walk and eat. We walked around the city centre. The streets were all cobbled and looked charming, the houses were all built in the Flemish style, similar to Dutch houses but a bit different. We passed by a few diamond district streets, checked out the cathedral and the city hall. Then we stopped to have waffles at Waffle House. We bought some chocolates from Pierre Marcolini and I finished most of mine while my friends were still purchasing theirs 😂.

Old library

We walked through a few church squares and sat at one for a bit where someone was playing music in the sun. I think this was the highlight of the day for me, what European towns represent for me. We walked into a very old library where book restorations were going on, and observed what they were doing. We then walked towards the river Scheldt and saw the ruins of an old fort, the Steen castle, which was impressed. We then stopped at Quinten Matsijs, a 450 year old cafe.

Rubens' House

Our last stop of the day was Rubens' House which has been converted into a museum now. He is one of my favourite painters. But somehow the paintings in his home were less impressive than I expected. Maybe because all his paintings are decorating churches and museums around Europe 😀. Interestingly, the one painting I liked and photographed at his home was a Bruegel. Ha!

It was a very sunny day that day plus the Antwerp marathon was going on. So there were more crowds than usual. Overall, we didn't find a lot to do there, so after walking around a bit, eating some more fries and waffles, we were ready to come back.

The city does have an impressive history though. It was an important port in the middle ages before its importance fell. Also the visit made us realise that even though close, Belgians are very different from the Dutch. Their language, Flemish, is similar to Dutch but not the same. There aren't as many bikes as in the Netherlands. The Belgians are shorter, friendlier, more relaxed, and dress and eat better. It was definitely quite surprising to see so much of a difference within a two hour drive.


Bruges, Belgium (Dec 2022, Sep 2023, August 2024)

Bruges is a city which had been on my list of places to travel, for a long time. And I finally managed to visit it from Amsterdam, not once but thrice 😂. The first time in peak winter, the second time in fall and the third time in peak summer. Every time, I found the city to be so dazzlingly beautiful, just like a painting. Also every time, after a day, I did not know what else to do there 😂. All we could do is walk the same streets, admire the same buildings, and eat the same waffles, fries and chocolates. And that’s it! Still it always felt like a nice day out.

On our first trip to Bruges, in winter 2022, we passed by the beautiful islands of Zeeland which are large islands on the west coast of the Netherlands. They are quite green, full of forests, and refreshing to drive through. After we left the Netherlands, in Belgium, as usual the road quality dropped. But the beauty around increased.

There were a lot of fall colours everywhere, yellows and oranges. We took some detours and drove through rural roads in Belgium, loving the vibe. There were many villages on that route, with green fields in between. The village houses were picturesque, with pastel walls and orange roofs. We first stopped at a random cafe on the way, and then had a meal at a restaurant called Biestro d’Pleintje in the village of Maldegem. It was fun to stop at such a small place somewhere. The rest of the drive was lined with yellow and orange trees. And hills! Something we don’t realise how much we miss in the Netherlands!

Bruges winter sunset

When we reached Bruges, it was already night, even at 4pm. But the city looked magnificent at night. At sunset, all the differently coloured houses cast colourful reflections in the many canals in the city. And at night, the lights casting shadows on the trees and the water created many beautiful images. As it was winter time, we first walked around the Bruges Christmas market. Then had dinner at Oud Handbogenhof which was quite a big letdown. After that, we went to La Trappiste for drinks which was in an underground cave. The rest of the evening, we just walked around town looking at its wonderful sights. 

Bruges winter sunset

I really liked the city, it was so charming. Apparently Bruges had been a very rich city in the past, with a deep and old history, and a city of importance in the middle ages. And then it had been suddenly abandoned when the port silted up. So it is almost fully preserved as its slow urbanisation and modernisation never happened. And that is the reason it looks so surreal even now, like a perfectly preserved medieval town. Walking its streets is so much fun, with the old orange brick houses, narrow streets and many churches, separated by picturesque canals everywhere.

Oostende waterfront

On that trip, we had booked rooms at the last minute (while driving to Bruges!). So we had got the last available room in town, in the seaside town of Oostende. After the evening out, we had to drive to the sea, about 30 mins away, to our Hotel Leopold. The town felt quite different, quite modern. In the morning, we walked out to the seafront for a bit, just to get a look. But it was so cold and windy, we didn't last long.

Bruges canals

We then drove back to Bruges and walked around in town. It felt like a dream - all the canals and canal houses. I just wanted to walk around in this dream, just like that. I have done that on every trip to Bruges, but still feel I haven't seen all its hidden spots. It's just so damn beautiful! As the sun set, the day became very windy and chilly quickly, so we soon left for Amsterdam.

Bruges canals

On my next trip to Bruges in summer, the city felt quite different. There was more greenery around, and a lot more people and energy. The streets looked so cute, cobbled roads with blossoming flowers everywhere. Every building around was old, all orange and colourful. There were so many parks, all green. And churches and old buildings and squares full of people sitting outside and chatting away. On this trip too, we just walked and walked, by the canals, the central square, the markets and so on. We ate at the Waffle House, the same waffle chain from Antwerp. And then explored all the shops for chocolates. And laces, they were lovely. But the weather was so hot, we had to take breaks during the day to rest.

Concert in the square

As it was summer, there was a concert going on in the main square (and the next day too), which was lovely to sit at. Then we went for a short walk around, checking out the local fish market, churches, city hall, bridges over the canals and so on.

Bruges at night

There was this spot we saw which was just heavenly, both at night and in the day (I painted it later and I think it’s one of my best paintings). It felt heavenly to be in Bruges in summer, walking around. As I said, I just wanted to walk and walk there. The next morning though, some of the places did not look as great 😂. After a few hours, we did not know what to do, and so left soon.

Bruges canals

I visited Bruges a third time in summer 2024 and did the same - walk around all its streets, enjoying the stunning-ness of the place. It was as picture perfect as ever, a place which hasn’t changed for centuries. Here are some photographs from all my trips to the city.

Bruges winter sunset

Bruges at night

Bruges canals

Bruges canals

Bruges canals

Bruges canals

Bruges canals

Bruges canals

Bruges canals

Overall every time I visit Belgium, I feel I am visiting a poorer cousin of the Netherlands. They earn less in terms of per capita and have less infrastructure, but the country feels happier, friendlier, warmer, and better fed and dressed than the Netherlands.






Ghent, Belgium (August 2024)

Ghent city hall

Ghent is a town quite near Bruges (just 40 mins away) and very similar to it though a bit smaller. It has the same Flemish architecture and many canals adding to its graceful beauty. I have visited Ghent twice before, but as it’s so close to Amsterdam, I visited it again in August 2024 for a few hours. It was a lot of fun to walk its streets, eat waffles and french fries and just admire its beauty. I have always found Ghent not to have a lot to do for a long stay, but for a few hours stop, it never fails to deliver as a great day out.

Ghent is a gorgeous city, sharing a few pics below.

Ghent canals

Ghent castle

Ghent city centre

Ghent

Ghent

Christmas markets at Essen, Germany (Nov 2022)

Burg Vondern castle

In winter 2022, we drove one day to Essen, a nearby town in Germany, famous for its Christmas markets. There were some fall colours on the way which were pretty. On the way, we stopped at two places. Once was the castle of Burg Dinslaken, and the second was Burg Vondern. They were both quite small actually but cute in a way, though neither was something to write home about. The villages around were also quite boring but had nice decorations and Christmas festivity all around.

Essen Christmas market

Essen was a huge modern city which did not feel like the typical christmas market place initially. And there were four separate markets. We went to the main one and walked around all evening. There were loads of small shops everywhere, and huge lighted animals decorating the market. We tried langos for the first time at the market. To be honest though, I wasn’t impressed. Generally by Christmas markets and specifically with the Essen one either.

For me, the highlight on the trip of course was the autobahn - it was my first time driving there. I touched 200 kmph+ then 😃. Also the difference in roads from the Netherlands was quite stark. Netherlands generally has 3+ lane highways, less traffic and is all lit up along the highways. Also Netherlands has habitation all along the roads. Germany on the other hand had just 2 lanes and worse quality roads. But still you can drive faster there 😁. That was interesting.


All these city visits were quite a change from Amsterdam, and always fun. Writing these blogs, I am just asking myself why I didn't do more of them 😃.


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