Croatia and Slovenia

I still can’t believe that we are within driving distance of some of the most beautiful places in the world. We took a gamble and rented an RV for 2 weeks for our last vacation. It was definitely a success! The kids loved it, we had a ‘home’ for 2 weeks on the road, and it was a whole lot of nature-centered, quality time with our kids. PJ and I enjoyed the cultural experience of touring around historical parts of Eastern Europe. The kids, let’s be honest, just loved the beach. Bike riding was also a bonus for them.

I came home with way too many photos. Here are a nice chunk of some of my favs that tell the story of our adventure. But as always, I tell my husband after every trip we take… “Best souvenir of all!” He doesn’t think it’s very funny anymore. And my response… “It’s my job. I have to preserve the memories, man”. I actually stole that line from a Veggie Tales episode.

Anyway, here is a look at our fabulous Dalmation Coast trip!

On day 1, we drove to Lake Bled in Slovenia. After packing up the RV, we arrived at the lake around 10pm. The campground was closed so we ‘free camped’ in front. It’s amazing how safe Slovenia and Croatia are. Never even had to lock the RV up!

It’s hard to believe that this peaceful River Valley was the location of one of the deadliest battles of World War I, the Soca Front. We drove through the front following some of the same routes that Ernest Hemingway took in his ambulance. This front was the backdrop of his book A Farewell to Arms.

The next stop on our trip was the beautiful Istria Peninsula. We camped in Rovinj- my favorite destination on our trip. Istria has a great mixture of cultures as it used to be a part of the Venetian Republic. The people call themselves Istrians, instead of Italians or Croatians. We spoke with some of the locals who told us that they felt that their independence was important to them. The Italian tourists, they said, were often rude and condescending to them. They loved American and German tourists as they are always friendly and respectful. Istria has some of the best food on the coast. We tried stuffed squid, and the local specialty… Gnocchi gulash. I didn’t want to leave!

On our way out of Istria, we drove through Pula. Some of the most impressive Roman ruins outside of Rome are located here. We happened to arrive during a Roman festival in the Old Town. Many locals were dressed up in Roman costumes. They had narrators who told the old stories, gladiators, and many other fun characters.

Our next stop was Plitvice Lakes National Park. This incredible park was a natural wonder! We walked along wooden planks through the lakes. We saw countless waterfalls surrounded by trees, and bright green and blue water. We were the last people out of the park.

Our next stop was the Makarska Riviera in Croatia. We camped in Zigovice, right on the water. The campground wasn’t the nicest so we stayed one night, and headed early the next day for the island of Hvar. We took a ferry from Drevnik. 30 minutes later we were driving on the island in our RV!

The next destination on our trip was Dubrovnik. We stayed for 3 nights at a great campground called Camp Solitudo that had it’s own beach and pool. One day we hired a private guide named Petar Vlasik with Meritum Tours. He picked us up at the campground and drove us to the Bay of Kotor, in Montenegro. Petar was a wonderful guide. He spent the whole day talking to us about the history and personal experiences from the war. It’s amazing to think that less than 20 years ago their city was destroyed. After our day with Petar walking around the town of Dubrovnik as even more unbelievable. The city has been rebuilt almost exactly as it was before it was bombed by the Serbs. What a comeback!

After Dubrovnik, we began our trip back to Germany. We had planned on driving to Mostar on the way home, but the kids and PJ had so much fun at the island, we decided to go to Korcula instead. The drive took us into the Peljesac Peninsula, where they make the fantastic red wine Dingac. We visited the Matusko Winery on the way to the ferry.

We drove back into Slovenia on our last day of the trip. We visited the Postojna Caves and the Predjama Castle before our last stop in Ljubljana. Slovenia is a nice mix of cultures as it borders Croatia, Hungary, and Austria. We loved the food, and the people in addition to the beautiful green scenery.