2023 Little Family Adventure - CROATIA
Zagreb Croatia
Oh What a Night
Last night reminded me of a song by the Four Seasons - Oh What a Night. We are finally here, safe and sound. I guess that is why I called this Blog - Little Family Adventure and not Little Family Vacation.
We got a couple of UBER taxis ordered and when the guy let us off he was questioning whether he had the right place. It was kind of an industrial area. We did see a car rental sign so we let him go.
Van we rented for the next few days.
Karen timing the kids on some races to keep them busy.
Drive to Plitvice National Park
We were planning on going to Plitvice National Park today but with our late start, slow traffic, and rainy weather we decided to save it until tomorrow.
Zagreb is a big 'work-a-day' city. It has a lot of tall apartment buildings. As you drive outside of the city there are more standalone homes and grassy fields.
We arrived at our AIRBNB and are pretty satisfied. Rudanovac is a small town with a few AIRBNBs for people going to the Plitvice National Park. Our host was SUPER nice. He even offered us some of his homemade wine, which of course we had to decline.
Night at Rudanovac
Farming neighborhood around our AIRBNB
Out for dinner
We decided to go for pizza for dinner. We didn't know the size of pizzas so we ordered a few and a calzone. When the calzone arrived it was huge.
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Plitvice National Park
If you like waterfalls, you will LOVE Plitvice National Park.
It is interesting that when we drove into the parking lot the kids said this looks like Glacier National Park. Some of the buildings had the same look, with dark brown logs and wooden roof.
There are literally hundreds of waterfalls. There are a series of upper lakes that cascade down. This feeds the large lake which cascades to smaller lakes. Those lakes feed into many lower lakes.
We started at the bottom and hiked up to the large lake. There we took a boat across the lake. Then we hiked up to the upper lakes. I think it is around 5 miles total. Then we took a tram through the forest to hike down the side to overlook the lakes from a side cliff.
They had built some cool log paths across the water and over the small ponds.
Hike up to the upper lakes
At times, Hudson could not contain himself and had to break out in song.
Kind of cool with the falls going through the trees
We stopped for lunch at the top lake. They had a little park up there.
Then we took the tram through the forest to a great area to look over the top of the lakes.
Monica made the kids do jumping jacks to get them ready for the long ride ahead.
Drive to Dubrovnik
It was interesting the change in landscape, going from the national park to Dubronik. We left the trees and there was more rocky area with more shrubs than tall trees.
Dinner in Bosnia
Ryan decided to drive through Bosnia on our way to Dubrovnik. We had to go through Boarder Crossing and show our passports both going in and out.
We had dinner at a little restaurant. The lasagna was really good and I tried a Cordon Bleu except it was made with (I think pork but could have been veal). It is hard to tell when it is Croatian. It was by recommendation from the server.
Arrival in Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik seems like a cute little town. I understand it is a vacation spot for Croatians with it has beaches and Old Town. The houses look nice and updated. The area looks quite updated and cute. It looks like the economy is doing well and very nice city.
Our AIRBNB is basically two identical apartments hooked together. Ryan and the girls are in one and we are in one with the boys.
Host's house. We are in back.
View from our patio . Very beautiful house up on the hill.
Monica ended the day with a Come Follow Me discussion and tomorrow we are about to explore the city.
Dubrovnik Old Town - Morning
The Old Town of Dubrovnik has one of the coolest walled cities I have been to. We have been to walled cities York England and several in Germany, but this was the coolest. You can walk all around the Old Town area. The city center isn't too big of deal but walking around the wall is a lot of fun.
Entering in the gate of Old Town
Break time
Hiking up the stairs is a lot of work
Parking in Dubrovnik is AWFUL! We left the van home and took URBERs.
Parking near the Old Town is nearly impossible.
I looked over the wall and it looked like a SMART-CAR convention.
There was at least 7 or 8 on this street alone.
Main Street has lots of shops and restaurants
Looking at Old Town from the street going out of town
Sunset Beach - Afternoon
The kids about had their fill of looking at old things and were ready to cool off. We caught an URBER and went over to a nearby beach.
The only problem with Dubrovnik beaches is that they don't have sand, just rocks.
Area on each side of the beach
I Scream, You Scream, we all scream for ICE CREAM !
Dinner at the bakery
We got home and decided to go to a bakery for some meat pastries and some sweet pastries. Most of the restaurants are pretty pricey being a tourist town.
Bob the turtle(s)
Hudson always seems fascinated with turtles. We saw some in Barbados, Marrakesh , and the zoo in Austria. He always like to name them Bob or some derivative of Bob. Our host lady had a bunch of turtles in her garden area. I asked Hudson how many there were. He said 56. Yep, 56. (likely more since he counted 56 turtles.) I asked him what there names were. He thought for a minute and said, Bob-1, Bob-2 up to Bob-56.
OUCH! Our adventure was slightly delayed.
When backing out of our steep driveway headed to Zadar, the van rolled into a lady's fence. Unfortunately, the fence hit the back window and shattered it, along with denting the side.
The lady who owned the fence came out in her bathrobe to see what happened. Some worker guys helped us clean up the glass and tape some plastic on the back window. The lady came out again with chocolate for the kids and cold juice and water for everyone. She explained that she had hit the same fence just a few days earlier in her new red Audi, and showed us the dent on her beautiful car. I saw the red paint on the fence. She could really relate with our frustration, and she was so kind to us, even though it was her fence.
After waiting for the police report and the rental car people, then waiting several other places, we were fitted with a different car and were finally our way.
The adventure continues
Little Family Adventure Van II
Zadar
The AIRBNB we have is right next to the water. We have a water view from our patio. It was nice to have breakfast outside overlooking the water. We are just steps away from the water.
The kids took advantage of it and enjoyed some time playing in the water. The ocean is more like a Sound without waves. The down side it that there really isn't sand. It is all pebbles and rocks.
Addie swam across the little bay
She is looking forward to McDonald's as a reward
Bry-guy jumped off the end of the pier and earned his reward.
(He wouldn't do it a 2nd time when Grandma and Grandpa went swimming with him after they returned from going to Old Town, it was pretty scary the first time.
Old Town -
The Old Town is pretty interesting. It has a few churches, some Roman Ruins, and a couple of things quite unique - a Sea Organ and a Monument to the Sun. (both created by Nikola Basic)
Sound Organ
The Sound Organ looks like some steps going into the water about 50 yards long. It has some large tubes in it that makes some interesting sounds like an organ with the wave coming in. The sounds are always changing. Kind of fun.
Lots of people on the steps
Monument to the Sun
It is a series of multi-layered glass plates in the shape of a circle. At night they make kind of a light show. Unfortunately we only saw them during the day.
Old Churches
Zadar old town has several old churches that are fun.
Most interesting church
The most interesting church was the Church of St Donatus. It is no longer being used as a church. It was built in the 9th century on the ruins of an ancient Roman building. It has gone through several renovations through the ages.
They dug down to the original floor.
Roman Ruins
They had quite a few Roman ruins around. A lot of columns and etc by a grassy area.
Other buildings
This one they turned into an Art Gallery
Home for a swim
Bryson had to show us how far he could jump and land on the bed before talking Grandma and Grandpa into going for a swim. (He showed us where he jumped off the pier, but wasn't going to do it again.)
Bryson showing us how far he could jump on the bed before we went swimming.
He showed us where he jumped off the pier.
River Kayaking
Ryan booked the family for a river kayak trip. It was a guided tour with 25-30 people in our group. It was 2 to a kayak, and Gracie and I shared a kayak. There were just enough rapids to make it kind of a scary adventure for the kids. There was one waterfall we walked around and one 10 foot waterfall they let one person from each kayak go over. I think most of the adults were pretty tired after the trip.
Taking a lunch break
After relaxing and talking about the trip
On to Slovenia
