Adriatic: Venice

July 14 to 15, 2017

We arrived in Venice mid-afternoon via train from Hermagor, Austria (both of us agreed that would make a good name for a metal band - see prior Villach on Fire days). We walked the maze of pedestrian streets (thankfully, Charlie has an internal compass and Venice street map in the quick reference synapses of his brain) and we were able to reach our destination directly (well, for Venice). Our domicile was the Universitaria Gesuiti, a converted dorm room in a prime location right on the canal near the airport vaparetto stop. It wasn't a barrel, but our 2nd floor corner room did offer amazing views and cross ventilation when the windows were open. We were unbelievably lucky in the fact that the temperature was moderate and the breeze constant.  We wandered the streets in search of spaghetti all'Amatriciana, which was finally found. We squeezed into our seats on the side walk terrace (now I know how dough feels like when pressed through a pasta maker) and had a delicious meal (at least the birthday girl did) accompanied by a marvelous house red wine. We strolled the streets in search of the perfect cafe latte; we remembered having great coffee at Mejor and Charlie was able to find the shop in 4 locations.  We tried out 2 of them and yes, it's still delicious! We then walked to the Piazza San Marco and took in the atmosphere. We were bombarded by men selling flying light-up helicopters (do we really look like we want to buy a toy?) and roses. 

The next day we found a Mejor in the Ghetto section and again enjoyed a cafe latte with tasty pastries. We again found our way to Sainte Marcos Square and toured the basilica and museum. The 4 horses dated back to the 1st century and were from Constantinople  (not exactly a gift). We dined at a restaurant that we found on our last visit and Charlie ordered the exact meal! The tiramisu was the hands down best I've ever tried. We enjoyed talking with the British couple at the table next to ours who were on their honeymoon.

Cathedral San Marco

Venetian scene

The Grand Canal

Adriatic: To Austria

July 13, 2017

Lake Bled is close to the three-way border where Slovenia, Austria, and Italy meet, so we decided to pop up to Villach, the nearest Austrian city. Upon arrival, we noticed banners announcing "Villach on Fire," which we thought was a great name for a rock festival. The city had even positioned fire trucks in the main square to go along with the theme. 

Villach's Main plaza with fired-colored streamers

As we ate lunch outside and observed the passersby, we realized the Austrians were a bit more literal than we: "Villach on Fire" was a gathering of teams of fire fighters from various European countries to participate in competitions. That also explains the tents set up in the main plaza selling fire-resistant safety boots and the large number of beer tents; fighting fires is thirsty work. Judging by our observations, Team Sweden and the Team Portugal department were the most color-coordinated teams.

Statue of beer man, Villach

After lunch, we noticed people boarding a boat in the river, so we did too. The boat went down and back up the Drau river for two hours, dropping off and picking up passengers at various informal ramps along the way. There were at least two dozen guys from the Porto, Portugal fire department on board with us (1). They seemed to enjoy shouting out encouragement to canoers on the river.

View from the boat, Drau River Valley

There was a shortage of rooms available in Villach (presumably due to Villach on Fire), so we hopped on a local train to Hermagor, about an hour west of Villach, up the steep-sided Gail River Valley. 

View from the train, Gail River Valley

We walked about a mile from the station to a campground that had a barrel available for us to sleep in. As we registered, the attendant inquired about our reason for visiting Austria. I said (half jokingly) that we came to try the Sacher Torte, a rich Austrian chocolate cake. He looked rather concerned and said he did not think the on-site restaurant had any (2). I assued him that I already had some at lunch.

The campground was filled with Austrians and Germans with camping trailers on summer vacation. There were indoor and outdoor pools and a spa (no incremental cost) with three different kinds of saunuas. I have never understood the point of saunas, but pictures showed what to do and in what order. Now I fully understand the point of a sauna.

Our sleeping barrel accommodations

(1) I hope no major fires broke out in Porto as the entire fire department seemed to be in Villach. 

(2) While they did not have Sacher Torte, the apple strudel was quite tasty.

Adriatic: Lake Bled

July 12, 2017

We caught the morning train up the Bohiny rail line to Lake Bled. The Bohiny line was built by the Austro-Hungarian empire between 1901 amd 1906 to more directly connect Vienna, the imperial capital, to Trieste, Austro-Hungary's main seaport. The line was officially opened by Franz Ferdinand, whose assassination 8 years later set off the First World War.

The rail line passes through very mountanous terrain. On the line's 144 kilometers, there are 42 tunnels, 5 galleries (1), and 168 bridges. As we rode, I pondered the train schedule. In addition to the numerous trains covering the whole line each day, there were 3 or 4 trains that only went a few stops in the middle, and had long pauses at the few stations. I saw one such train: it consisted of just one passenger car and a few freight flat cars in the back. A look at the topographical map revealed the point: there is a very long tunnel under a steep ridge and there is no road between these points. The trains are car ferries to travel between the Soči and the Sava river valleys. Otherwise, it is a very long drive around.

Junior station master signalling departure time

Upon arriving at Lake Bled, we rented a traditional wooden boat to row out to Beld Island. There is a church on the island that hosts many weddings. The local tradition is that the bride agrees to the marriage only if the groom can carry her up the steep stairs leading up the hill to the church; I counted 98 steps. 

Bled Island & Church

Stairs to Bled Island Church

Rowing to the far side of the lake, we had good views of Mount Triglav, which is depicted on the Slovenian flag and is the nation's highest mountain. Tradtion says that all true Slovenians must reach Triglav's summit at least once in their life.

Mount Triglav (the highest mountain in Slovenia) in the clouds

After a refreshing swim, we climbed up the hill to Bled Castle which was complicated by the informality of some of the trails and a lack of signage, but we found our way and enjoyed the views. We completed our circumambulation of the lake on the pathways that circle it.

Bled Castle

(1) A gallery is like a tunnel, except one side has some open arches. These galleries are used to build rail lines on steep hillsides.

Adriatic: Pula to Most na Soči (mostly) by train

July 11, 2017

The morning train from Pula to Buzet (at the Slovenian border) was a single self-propelled rail car with old-school windows that open from the top to let in the breeze and provide for an unencumbered view of the countryside. Judging by the map of southern Sweden affixed to the wall, the train car is second-hand from Sweden. 

Departing Pula

We climbed the rolling hills of the Istrian Penninsula, past olive groves, vineyards and tidy kitchen gardens. At Buzet, I heard the third worst phrase I've heard in my travels (1) "there is track work ahead, you need to take the bus."

The rolling Istrian Hills

Arrival at Buzet, last stop in Croatia

We just caught the train at Divača, Slovenia heading for Opicina, Italy, in the suburbs of Trieste. We walked over to the unique tram/funicular for the ride down the steep hill into Trieste, which many travelers consider the scenic highlight of Trieste. "Tram service is temporarily suspended, you can take the bus." Onto the crowded city bus for the ride down the hill to the city center, travelling narrow roads that were not designed with buses in mind.

The (temporarily-suspended) Opicina to Trieste funicular tram

We had a pleasant walk to the B&B I had arranged. No answer to the bell at the B&B after multiple attempts (nor to a text nor to email), so we decided to visit the nearby tourist office to see what to do in the city; tourist office closed for two days. Google says the Fountain of 4 Continents is nice to see. The fountain was turned off and partially covered. We took all these events as a sign, went to the train station and headed north toward our next destination.

The Italian train toward Gorizia was on time and we had nice views of the Northern Adriatic. At Gorizia, there is an Italian Rail Station in the southwest of the city (where we alighted), and a Slovenian rail station at Nova Gorica, just northeast of the city, where the train for Most na Soči departed (2). We had over 2 hours to walk across the town, which turned out to be quite nice. There was a nice park with war memorials, a pedestrian plaza with gelatto shops, and a Castle on the hill with good views of the town and the nearby Julian (Slovenian) Alps.

View of Gorizia, Italy from Gorizia Castle

The Nova Gorica, Slovenia train station was right on the Italian/Slovenian border (3), which had actually been set at the end of WWI to keep the rail line in Slovenia. We hopped on the evening train for the ride up the Soči Valley under threatening clouds and distant rumbles of thunder. The storm broke just as we arrived at Most na Soči, the station master pointed us in the right direction, and we were soon settled into a small hotel. The landlord, Marino, was a natural host and seemed genuinely pleased to have us visit.

Heading up the Soči Valley

Arrival at Most na Soči as a Thunderstorm broke

(1) No. 1: On top of a hill in Rio de Janeiro, a soldier with a machine gun said: " You're not supposed to be here."

No. 2: One Saturday: "Your flight has been cancelled, we have rescheduled you for Tuesday."

(2) I had never heard of this town until about an hour ago, but the train was scheduled to arrive while still daylight, there was a small hotel with a room available a short walk from the train station, and we could sleep until a reasonable hour the next day and catch the morning train to arrive at Bled (our next destination) by mid- morning. "Most na Soči" means bridge on the Soči river.

(3) With both countries in the Shengen zone, there were no border crossing formailties, just a sign announcing which country you were entering.

Adriatic: Pula

July 10, 2017

We timed our visit to Split so that we would be leaving on Monday, one of the two days a week there is a flight from Split to Pula. Pula is at southern end of the Istrian Pennunsula, and is a very long trip by land. There were 17 passengers (which was a full plane), only 6 of whom actually got off at Pula.

The plane to Pula

Pula is best known for remains from the Roman Empire. We visited the Temple of Augustus, built somewhere between 2 B.C.E. and 14 C.E. The structure is largely intact from that time, except for the west wall, which collapsed and was rebuilt in the 1700s and the roof of the portico, which was hit by a stray bomb during an air raid in the Second World War (the target was a large shipyard nearby). Inside the temple, there is a museum featuring sculptures and headstones, etc. from about the same time as the temple was built.

The Temple of Augustus

Medusa head in Temple of Augustus

The city also has remains of a Roman-era wall, and various arches and gates. Down an alleyway, then across what looks like someone's driveway is a tile mosaic that was once the floor of the main room of a wealthy Roman's house. The mosaic is about 6 feet below the current street level and has geometric designs and fish in one side. The other side depicts the Punishment of Dirce, a scene from Greek mythology. The mosaic was exposed when a stray bomb hit a house during a WW2 air raid.

Double arch entrance to City

Detail of the Punishment of Dirce from a Roman Mosaic

The most-well-known feature of Pula is the well-preserved Roman Amphitheatre /colosseum dating from the First Century C.E. The ancient structure dominates the skyline of the city.

View of Amphitheater from Hill-top fortress

By coincidence, we were in Pula one the few days in July when there was a Spectecal Antica, a recreation of the type of show put on to entertain the Romans. The show was quite fun with mimes, fire jugglers, a recreation of a Roman battle against the Istrians and gladiator fights. According to the Master of Ceremonies, this was the mix of entertainment on offer during Roman times. Apparently, there really are modern people who train and fight gladiator style, absent the real blood and death (1). When a gladiator was vanquished, the audience got to vote with shouting and hand gestures whether the losing gladiator would be allowed to live or be put to death.The final decision was made by the emperor, who was present, of course.

Re-enacting the Roman conquest of Istria during the Ancient Spectacle Show

Interior of the Amphitheater at Night 

We stayed at the Hotel Riviera. The formerly grand hotel was built in 1908, with wide marble staircases and an elaborate entrance hall. At this point, they accommodate just a few guests on the fourth floor, where there are nice views of the Amphiteater. It was a bit creepy climbing the un-lit staircase up to the fourth floor at night. 

(1) Although an ambulance was present and we did see one gladiator being attended to by an EMT after his fight.

The once-grand Hotel Riviera that is now reduced to accomodating a few lodgers on the fourth floor

Adriatic: Split

July 9, 2017

We took the passenger ferry to Split, and were again crowded into the stuffy cabin. The main archtectural feature of Split is the Palace of Dioclatian which was competed in 305 C.E. Three of the outer walls (all except the west wall) underground vaults, and the central circular auditorium remain from this time. The medieval and renaissance Venetian cities grew within the walls. We climbed the central bell tower to orient ourselves, then went for a nice walk.

At 7:00 p.m. after signing  a waiver, we hopped in the city bus to take us to the launch point of our night kayaking tour, for which we were the only participants. Our guide, Mijo, met us at the final bus stop within a large park. We set out while the sun was still up and had a great view of the sunset. Mijo had rigged flashing lights to snorkeling masks which we wore around our necks so that we would be seen by other vessels, although we were paddling in a quiet part of the bay. 

The official kayaking itinerary including jumping off a cliff into the bay. We preferred to skip this part and we paddled by Marshall Tito's seaside villa instead. Tito was the communist ruler of Yugoslavia from 1945 until his death in 1980. Our guide had a very dim view of Tito who was quite authoritarian (1). He shared the Croat view of the "Homeland war," as Croats refer to the wars associated with the dissolution of Yugoslavia. He felt that the Croats prevailed (which they largely did) because they controlled the seacoast, were better airplane pilots, and had better morale than the Serb forces, which, in his view, had unclear motives for fighting.

We paddled back to the starting point at Bene beach under the rising full moon. It was very quiet at the beach bus stop, as our guide had cycled away. This was the last bus of the night, and it would have been a long walk back to town if we had missed it.

(1) I once chatted with a woman from Bosnia who called her husband "Tito" because he was so bossy. She had a more favorable view of Tito than our kayaking guide. In her view, unlike the Serbs and Croats in the post-Yufoslav period, Tito did not engage in "ethnic cleansing" nor kill people solely because of their ethnic background.

View of Western Split from bell tower. The night kayak tour was on the far side of the hill in the background 

Interior view of southeast corner of Diocletian's Palace

Exterior view of North wall

View through the Oculus of the Vestibule, designed for its acoustics.

East Gate of Diocletian's Palace.

Adriatic: Korčula

July 8, 2017 

Up early for the passenger ferry to Korčula. The boat was jam-packed with people heading further up the coast, mainly to Hvar and Split. For some reason, we were not allowed to be out on deck, so the crew crowded us all unto the stuffy passenger compartment. The view from the lower deck was obscured by a boat-length ad, while visibility from the upper deck was limited by accumulated salt spray (1).

I had never heard of Korčula, but the ferry stopped there, so we decided to get off and continue on to Split the next day. Korčula was an amazing place. Located on Korčula island, this compact penninsula has been home to a city since at least the third century B.C. The city's modern form and architecture dates from the 1500s, during the period of rule by the Venetian Republic. 

Main street in Korčula Town with City Gate in the background

The town is rather low-key. The channel leading to the island is too small and shallow to accomodate large cruise ships (which call frequently at Dubrovnik and Split) and there are no flights to the island. The incremental time to get here keeps down the crowds, but the extra effort is well rewarded.

We climbed the bell tower of Sveto San Marka Church in the main square and lingered to enjoy the panoramic view of the city, the sea, and the archipeligo within which the island is located, and to hear the bells chime the noon hour. We poked into various museums and saw the house in which Marco Polo was born.

View of Korčula Harbor from bell tower

Detail of bell, which was cast in Veneto, Italy in 1923 and inscribed (in Croation) to Alexander I, King of the Serbs, Croats, and 

In the afternoon, we took the water taxi to the small Island of Badija, which has a Franciscan Monastery and a very nice beach with crystal clear, azure-tinted waters.

View of Korčula town from boat 

Franciscan Monastery on Badija Island off Korčula

(1) I've travelled in similar ferries through the Fjords of Norway and elsewhere, but apparently the sheltered and placid waters of the Adriatic are too dangerous. These limitations made the ferry ride only slightly more charming than a long-distance bus trip.

Adriatic: Dubrovnik

July 7,  2017

We spent the day exploring the medieval walled city of Dubrovnik. After a nice lie-in, we had a chat with Gabrijel, our host. He is a native of Dubrovnik, and loves to cozy up by the fire in his small house in the winter time.

We circumnavigated the city on the city walls. About halfway through the walk, there was a room built into the walls in which we watched a short promotional movie about Dubrovnik, then a video of scenes of the bombardment of Dubrovnik during the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s. There was no narration, so the context (e.g., who was bombing whom, etc.) was difficult to discern. In general, the city wears its war scars much more lightly than in Sarajevo or Mostar, where the war was longer and more intense.

Dubrovnik is a geographically compact city that dates from at least the 700s. The city was controlled by the Venetian Republic from the early 1200s to 1358 during which time, the city largely assumed its current physical form and the Venatian influence is evident in the architecture, street design, etc. After 1358, the city became an independent republic (the city was called Ragusa at the time). The Ragusa Republic lasted until 1806, when Napoleon arrived.

The city (and the whole Dalmatian coast) was ruled by Austro-Hungary or Italy throughout most of the 1800s. After the first World War in 1918, the architects of the post-war period decided to cobble together a country comprised of the southern Slavs, mainly Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. This Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes eventually became Yugoslavia (1).

After lunch, we went to the beach to cool off (it was a hot day and the city walls are made of stone). A beach in Dubrovnik consists of a rocky outcropping into which concrete steps have been built and/or metal ladders attached; you cannot tip-toe into the sea, you are either in all the way or you are out of the water. We people-watched for a while enjoying hearing people chatting with each other in variously-accented English (e.g., a Croat doctor who happened to be on the beach asking a French girl who had fallen and hit her back if she could bend a certain way). A cat was sitting patiently on a rock by the sea. I petted the cat and asked if he got any fresh fish today; the local fisherwoman responded disappointedly: "no fish today."

Our final visit for the day was up the cable car to the mountain overlooking Dubrovnik. The sunset was something special. As the sky darkened, a nearby group of people sent Chinese lanterns floating into the night sky and they drifted toward the rising gibbous moon.

(1) While this may have made sense to the negotiators in Paris, given the commonality of language (a) among the southern slavs (Yugo Slavs), there were importantly cultural differences among the southern slavs. For example, Croats were mainly Roman Catholic and (at least on the Dalmatian coast) had remained independent of the Ottomans, who controlled Serbia, where most of the people care Orthodix Christians.

I once had a chat with a young woman from Ljubljana, Slovenia who had an interesting way of phrasing the challenge of putting together Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (even leaving aside the Bosniaks (Muslim slavs) and Macedonians who were also in Yugoslavia): "Brothers in blood, cousins in language, strangers in culture." I did notice that Mostar (an Ottoman city) had a very different feel than Dubrovnik, even though they are geographically not that far apart.

(a) Serbo-Croatian was considered to be one language until the 1990s when Yugislavia disintegrated, although the Croats wrote in the latin alphabet, while the Serbs wrote in Cyrillic.

View of Dubrovnik from the city walls

The duller roof tiles are older and survived the bombardmant of the 1990s. The more vibrant-colored roof tiles indicate newer roof tiles, replaced mainly after the bombardment.

Small watchtower on city walls

Street scene, Dubrovnik

View of Dubrovnik from the top of the cable car

Twilight on the Adriatic

Adriatic: Bus to Dubrovnik

July 6, 2017

The on-again, off-again train service to the Croatian coast was off again, so we took the morning bus to Dubrovnik. We passed through Croatian immigration control three times (1), which caused some delays in our arrival.

We found our Sobe (room) in the ancient walled city then went for a sunset kayak paddle in the Adriatic Sea. We had a nice chat with Krešo, our paddling guide. He attended the RIT campus in Dubrovnik, but took an English test today as the first step (he hopes) to qualify as an air-traffic controller.

We paddled to a sea side cave with a small beach for a swim, then circled Lokrum Island to return to the launch point just outside the Pile Gate entrance to the city as the sun was setting. Inside the walls, Dubrovnik is purely a pedestrian city.

(1) We entered Croatia, then took the coastal road to Dubrovnik. There is a small strip of Bosnian territory on the Dalmatian coast (a). We therefore had to leave Croatia, get an exit stamp in our passports (after being in country for about an hour), ride about 12 miles in Bosnia and then get another Croatian entrance stamp upon re-entry to Croatia. I'm glad I have a passport with extra pages.

(a) This small coastal strip of Bosnia is the result of Dubrovnik wanting to have a buffer zone between themselves and the Venetian Republic in the 1790s.

Small strip of Bosnia on Adriatic coast

Marshalling the kayaks after a sunset paddle

Moonrise over the walls of Dubrovnik