Another OW J Round the World Trip

[yld200]

What's your take on the two centre seats for a couple? (in terms of ease of communication but also other aspects).

I didn't mind the centre seats travelling as a couple. You do have to lean forward to see and speak with your seat mate which is pretty common for these kinds of seats. If you're not too fussed about sitting next to each other then I would recommend the window seats, they felt a little more private and spacious. There is a larger bench between the window and seat which makes the whole seat feel bigger and it also looked like the foot wells may have been a bit bigger, not sure if this is true or not.

On our flight from LHR>JFK we sat in the window seats on a similar configured plane. Didn't have any issues with it.

I guess it comes down to personal preference and if you feel like you 'have' to be seated together.

 

[yld200]

Where were we... Beld! Bled was nice but we carried on towards Croatia.

The drive to Rijeka was nice, and once you take the fwy exit in Slovenia you end up driving on a narrow and twisty road for about an hour once you reach the Croatian border. You had to keep your wits about you on this road especially as it got dark. Driving through the smaller towns you need to really watch your speed as its a hunting ground for cops.

We made it to Rijeka and settled into our accommodation for the night - Old Town B&B. The location is perfect for, rooms modern and tidy, the only negative is the noisy bar right door which can get loud on weekend. It's also located next to some historic ruins which includes the stara vrata (old doors) which was a historic entrance to a Roman military facility.



For a Saturday night the city was very quiet, not many people out and about walking around. We had some dessert and a chocolate place and then hit up the bar next to our accommodation for a few drinks.

The next day we took a leisurely stroll to explore and found ourselves at a local fresh produce market.



The city really impressed me - it wasn't packed with tourists which was nice and had character.

After exploring and a coffee it was time to keep moving. Next stop, Split.

Split is another Croatian coastal town and is the second largest city in Croatia. We booked another central apartment - Apartment Gajeta - for our stay here and it didn't really meet our expectations. Although the location was good, the stairwell entrance to the apartment stunk and the smell crept into our room. There was also a messy stain on the bed covers which wasn't very pleasant. Didn't end up taking any photos of the room here.

Being a Sunday, street parking was free which was handy and you could purchase a ticket from the machines for the following morning which was great.

The city itself is beautiful with Diocletian's Palace being the main attraction.

Underground entrance to the Palace.

 

[yld200]

We went to a restaurant recommended by the woman who checked us into the apartment but it turned out to be closed to we sat down at the Pizza place next door which looked good. The pizzas were ok but the service was really shocking, we had to flag down the waiter a few times to try and order. My wife wanted a glass of boiling water for her throat which he responded no and after I said we would pay the cost of a tea he brought out a glass of hot water which was warm at best.




Rijeka is very pretty at night.

The following mornings breakfast was delicious and the staff here were amazing - were more than happy to provide a glass of hot water on the house and even asked if we wanted a top up.


One of the bad things about Split is the smell. The Riva walkway along the water just stinks of sulphur from the water.

 

[yld200]

Does anyone know how to fix the image on their side issue?

The pictures are uploaded onto my pc from an iphone, I rotate the image, save then add as attachment - am I doing something wrong? I've tried re-sizing, saving in another folder but nothing seems to work.

 

[yld200]

We continued driving south along the Croatian coast and stopped in Neum (which is in the Bosnian border) for Lunch.



I love the drive along the Adriatic coast - beautiful scenery.



Next destination was Dubrovnik. I booked accommodation through AirBNB which included access to the local car-park for free which is a big benefit in Dubrovnik if you have a car.

Arrival into Dubrovnik:


View from the apartment in Dubrovnik



Dubrovnik is a city of stairs. If you don't do stairs well and plan to come here, then I recommend you thoroughly research suitable accommodation. We had around 200 steps down to the old town from our apartment.



Dubrovnik is a stunning city, very magical and majestic.

 

[yld200]

First dinner was at a restaurant called Gatsby.

Beef carpaccio and a soup for entrees.


Steak and beef cheek for mains - delicious.


Some more sots around the old city

 

[yld200]

I don't watch GOT and didn't even know they filmed here until we got there and I saw all these GOT shops everywhere. Apparently these stairs are known in GOT.


Not a bad spot for a refreshment


More shots around the city




We did the walk around the city walls close to sunset. The cost is a bit steep at 150KN ($30aud) each but thought it would be worth it and it certainly is, the views are stunning. You can also look to buy a tourist day pass for 190KN which gives you access to the walls and also a few other attractions like museums. There are many places to sit and have a drink up on the walls which offer amazing panoramic views.

These photos are from our walk on the wall

 

[yld200]

More shots from the wall.

 

[yld200]

After a few nights in Dubrovnik, we crossed the border into Bosnia and made our way to Mostar. Mostar is most famous for the stari most (old bridge) which was bombed and destroyed during the way in 1993, it was subsequently rebuilt in 2004 but took 5 years to complete.

There's a diving club in the building on the right and the divers will dive off the bridge a few times a day once they collect enough money from the tourists on the bridge. While we were having lunch there were two dives, one from a local diver and another from a tourist who decided to take the plunge.





Lunch was cevapi (small beef sausages), some grilled chicken and chips


A few km outside Mostar is a town called Blagaj which is famous for the Vrelo Bune which is a source to the from the mountain to the Buna river. There is also a few buildings there known as the Blagaj Tekije which were built around 1520. The buildings are a traditional Dervish monastery and have been maintained in their original style including the interiors. I had been before so we didn't go inside.



The river is lined with a few restaurants so we sat down and had some Bosnian coffee and Baklava.

 

[yld200]

Most of our time in Bosnia was spent with family near Sarajevo. We did visit Sarajevo on one of the days, but didn't get to spend too much time there due to some family visits we had to make. I didn't take many photos, probably because I've been there so many times before.

I did snap a few though...



Given the lack of photos, a short history lesson on Sarajevo;

Sarajevo is very modern compared to the rest of Bosnia and a lovely place to visit for a day or two to explore and digest the history of the city. There is an east & west feel to the city with the old city and old style shops of the Bascarsija and the modern new shops and malls being built in the city.

When Bosnia declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1992, the 'siege of Sarajevo' occurred where the Serbian army surrounded Sarajevo around the hills and attacked the city. Much of the city was damaged and destroyed during the war with around 11,000 losing their lives.

Most of Sarajevo has now been rebuilt and a lot of money has been invested in the city, most of which is foreign money. The craters caused by mortar explosions in some areas are filled in with red resin to serve as memorials where people perished - there are a few around the main tourist areas of Sarajevo.

Bosnia is still very much suffering and recovering from the war. The political system is a mess and there are two entities - the Federation of Bosnia & Herzegovina and the Republic Srpska (republic of Serbia) - which is one of the main criteria which makes them ineligible for the EU. Corruption at high levels is a big problem and there is huge gap between classes. Wages are extremely low and youth unemployment is one of the worst (maybe even the worst) in the world at 60%. As an example, one of my cousins just completed her studies as a doctor and earns around $2-3 /hr in the local hospital. In saying that, the cost of living is low which makes it easier, but it's still bad.

Some Sarajevo trivia. Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo in 1914 by a Yugoslav man which led to the first world war. Sarajevo also hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics.

My grandparents lived off the land and some of the family still rely of fruit, veggies and stock to live - this is still common for a lot of people in Bosnia. One of the biggest industries is agriculture with things like irrigation systems and greenhouses becoming popular in the past 5-10 years.

Some photos of the farm land where my grandparents lived - I only took a couple.

 

[yld200]

One of the mornings for brekky we had some ustipci (fried bread) with cream which is delicious


I was also there during a world cup qualifier match against Belgium in Sarajevo which Bosnia lost 4-3. The pitch was a cow paddock due to heavy rain and I was laughing at them attempting to repair the damage at half time.



Another meal shot of some cevapi and burgers.


An example of how cheap Bosnia can be when it comes to food. I had a lunch at a popular spot with around 8 of my cousins and 2 kids. We all had very good meals and drinks which came to whopping $57

 

[OZDUCK]

Some lovely photos in what looks to have, mostly, been very good weather. I am pleased to see the gorgeous food photos are still coming - and making me hungry.

By the look of that fancy bridge near Dubrovnik I fancy that the coastal road might have improved since we drove it in 1976.

 

[RooFlyer]

Just catching up after being away myself

The first thing that you notice is that the drivers here are mental, driving is chaotic and the lane markings are just a decoration for the road. The mentality is that if my car can fit then I'm going for that gap, if my car is 1 cm infront, I have right of way and will merge into your car if I want. Turning left is done from any lane I want and if I block the intersection, then too bad.

Sounds like drivers there and in Iran went to the same driving school.

We stopped in Bled Slovenia for lunch and this spot is pretty magical as well. There was just something peaceful about the town.

Bled: Europe in miniature.

Does anyone know how to fix the image on their side issue?

The pictures are uploaded onto my pc from an iphone, I rotate the image, save then add as attachment - am I doing something wrong? I've tried re-sizing, saving in another folder but nothing seems to work.

With the old site, if you cropped just a smidgeon off the bottom of an iThing pic, it presented right-way-up when you posted it. I tried it once with the new forum and it didn't work, but that may have been another issue. Worth a try.

More shots from the wall.

Beautiful. When I was there some years back there were a number of obvious newly tiled roofs, with a big sign that explained that this was where the Serbian (boo, hiss) bombs landed.

Bosnia and Serbia on my list for next year

 

[yld200]

Some lovely photos in what looks to have, mostly, been very good weather. I am pleased to see the gorgeous food photos are still coming - and making me hungry.

We were blessed with the weather in Europe. We spent around 3 weeks traveling and only had 3 rain days in Bosnia. The rest of the weather was fantastic, all 22-26 and sunny.

The trip was pretty much a good holiday, that's what was most exciting for us everywhere we went.

 

[yld200]

Sounds like drivers there and in Iran went to the same driving school

I drive while in Ankara and it's pretty mental. You have to have your wits about you every minute.

With the old site, if you cropped just a smidgeon off the bottom of an iThing pic, it presented right-way-up when you posted it. I tried it once with the new forum and it didn't work, but that may have been another issue. Worth a try.

I worked out that I don't need to rotate the photos before I upload them. The uploading engine automatically detects that the image should be rotated. So if you rotate once and upload it still thinks it should be rotated again.

Bosnia and Serbia on my list for next year

Have only seen one town in Serbia where my auntie lives and some parts of Montenegro but would like to see more.

The Airbnb hosts grandmother in Dubrovnik was very quick to start talking about the war as soon as she worked out I understood Croatian. It's still very fresh for some people in that region.

 

[ellen10]

Your photos of Dubrovnik brought back lots of memories from our trip in June, although the crowds were much bigger when we were there. And we too had a drink at the Buza bar outside the walls.
We also visited Mostar and surrounds, a very poor area. We had a huge delicious meal at a restaurant in Mostar and so cheap. We gave them a very generous tip as the food and friendly service was excellent. The owner then gave us a free beer each to take with us as we left.

 

[yld200]

The trip was pretty much a good holiday, that's what was most exciting for us everywhere we went.

good = food in this post.

 

[yld200]

So we're roughly around the halfway point of the trip and at this point we had done roughly 2600 km

Next stop was Venice, so we hit the road nice and early to get there at a reasonable time. When we got to Venice I had looked into parking off the island itself and then catching a bus or train over. I found a website which recommended parking at San Giuliano park for a few euro /day but when we got there it only allowed you to buy tickets for the day and there was no information about parking overnight. Not wanted to risk having the car broken into or towed I then called a few hotels on the mainland but they were all full, ohh well so off we went onto the island to park at Tronchetto Parking for 21 euro. We then took the People mover to Piazzale Roma, which costs 1.50 euro per person and then walked to our accommodation.

We could have taken the water bus (Vaporetto) which costs 7 euro per person for a 1.5 hour ticket but opted on walking to our accommodation lugging our bags around tourist style

Venice, beautiful as always.



We stayed at Hotel Al Ponte Mocenigo which I got for a decent price. The room was very comfortable and spacious over looking a canal
.


I love Venice because it feels fun to just get lost in the streets and alleys.

Dinner was a nice pasta and some seafood.

 

[yld200]

We had spent half a day in Venice around 4 years ago when we first got engaged and my partner regretted not buying an oil painting. She made sure she bought herself an oil painting this time around and we got talking with the artist selling who was a Venetian. He had some interesting insights into living in Venice, he loved it but hated it. One of the things that stuck with me was that he had never learnt to drive a car or ride a bike because of life in Venice.

Our trip continues... we spent most of our time exploring.

These were little cakes made to look like fruit and vegetables.
View from our room

Dog posing next to his owners paintings



We had lunch from a 'street food' pasta place which was highly rated online. We were close by and decided to give it a go, it opens at 12 and by 11.50 there was a line forming out the front. I had the squid ink pasta and wifey had pesto. The squid ink was delicious, but pesto option was very heavy and oily.

 

[yld200]

Next stop was Firenze - Florence. Our home for the night was Hotel David, on the outskirts of Florence we went with this hotel because it had parking for the car, a good brekky and great reviews. They also offered drinks before dinner and a free mini bar. The room was excellent.


The city centre is a 30 minute walk or a 5 minute bus ride. We bought 24hr bus tickets from the hotel and made our way into the city centre to explore. My first impression, beautiful...



It was so full of tourists that it's not funny, I always found myself walking around and dodging big tourist groups, mostly Asian tour groups taking a million photos and a million selfie sticks.

We had dinner at I'Tuscani 2 to have T-bone steak Firenze style and man what a meal. There are only a few options on the menu and we went for the steak dinner for 2 with T-bone and fillet (can't remember what cut it was) and house red - Chianti. They practice sustainable dining and use recyclable cutlery.

The complimentary entree which was a zesty mix of tomato, cucumber, onion and some cracked wheat served in an edible biscuit bowl - delicious. There was nothing left after I was done.

The main - A platter of meat and veg. The steak is cooked rare and is delicious, it melts in your mouth and was just amazing. There is some extra virgin olive oil on the table which works beautifully with the steak.


I was in heaven, I even sucked that bone dry,

We decided to share a tiramisu between the two of us and they brought us some dessert liquor which was so tasty with each spoonful of the dessert. The tiramisu was the best I've had and the meal overall was one of the best I had eaten on the trip.



After a few glasses of wine, an amazing steak, dessert and two dessert liquors I was feeling quite happy