Croatia, Slovenia and Montenegro??? (2013, gift, Europe, castle)

[MyTarge13]

Here is my last picture from the cruise excursion in 2015. This was taken in Split Croatia and shows some of the remaining structure from the palace of the Roman Emperor Diocletian.



FYI....Several scenes of the Game of Thrones TV show were filmed around Split and Dubrovnik.

I an looking forward to seeing both cities again, without the deadline of a ship leaving in a few hours. Slovenia, the ruins at Zadar and Pulla as well as the scenery in Montenegro all sound great. Thanks for all the food tips and the great pictures of Slovenia.

[PJSaturn]

Fun thread. Love the photos!

Here's a photo I took on October 2, 2015 as our ship approached Split, Croatia. I can't wait to go back!

[MyTarge13]

I just watched an excellent show on Croatian cuisine by Anthony Bordain. He stated that Croatia in one of his favorite dining destinations in Europe. They showed some great seafood, great truffles and some great wines. I think the food in Croatia (and Slovenia) is going to be spectacular. I am ready to go now!

[MyTarge13]

We are back, after enjoying a fantastic trip. Croatia, Montenegro and Slovenia were amazing. We enjoyed amazing scenery, some fascinating historic sites, plus great food and drink.

The most pleasant surprise to me was Lake Bled, Slovenia. We hiked up to the castle, then walked around the lake. It was a great day.

I will try to find time to post some pictures, but I already loaded a few into an album in my profile. It is "public" so anyone is welcome to check these out.

[DTL3000]

I've traveled a fair amount in Montenegro and Slovenia. I went to Dubrovnik and drove south along the coast back into Montenegro. All three countries are spectacularly gorgeous.

Montenegro is probably one of the most beautiful countries I've ever been to. It is predominately Eastern Orthodox as opposed to Catholic like Slovenia and Croatia. It has more in common with Serbia although it has its own distinct culture and very interesting history. You can practically drive around the entire country in a day but there's no need to do that. It might be the least developed of the three and you still see Roma people in donkey carts riding through central Podgorica. The coast is more touristy but there are ski resorts inland and also great areas for hiking. Lake Skadar is also worth seeing.

Slovenia is a bit like Italy and Austria except with a Slavic population. Ljubljana is a beautiful small city that also seems to have some nightlife and a youthful vibe. It's a bit of a mix between Prague, Vienna, and Venice on a much smaller scale. Like Montenegro it's also a small country but it's quite a bit more developed. I took a guided fishing trip and stayed near the Italian border in an AirBnB with a spectacular view of a valley. I walked towards the border and found a Napoleonic era fort. I crossed the border and found a WWI era fort with a spectacular view over another valley.

I only visited Dubrovnik in Croatia but it was also extremely beautiful. I prefer it to Venice. I visited during the Christmas season and it was practically empty of tourists. I returned to Montenegro via the coast. It reminded me a bit of driving down Highway 1 in California.

Like another poster said, Bosnia is well worth visiting. Sarajevo is a very soulful town, Unfortunately I haven't made it to Mostar yet but it is on my list.

[PJSaturn]

I'm still flying high from the best vacation ever. My recent trip to Croatia and Slovenia was faaaaaantastic! I'd love to go back to Croatia a third time for more adventures.

DLT, if you return to Croatia, visit Split. It's equally as lovely as Dubrovnik. Zagreb, Croatia's capital, is a beautiful inland city with a population of approximately 1 million. We had less than a day there, and I wanted to see more! Architecture, cuisine, museums - there's so much to see and do. Our bus got us to the hotel late in the evening on a Sunday and most restaurants were closed. We hadn't had supper yet, so my friends and I walked around the town and found a little sidewalk kebab place. We enjoyed fantastic gyros as we stood at the corner and watched traffic go by. We had a walking, guided tour of parts of Zagreb the next day. It was great and makes me want to go back and see lots more.

Everyone we encountered throughout Croatia was friendly and welcoming. The cities and highways are well maintained; the scenery breathtaking. Another bonus - a dollar goes a long way in Croatia, compared to other countries. I'd love to return someday and spend a few weeks or a month there (hey, I can dream!). It would be cool to rent an apartment as a home base and to take side trips throughout the country. I don't think I could ever tire of Croatia.

We loved Slovenia as well. I think my favorite day of the whole vacation was the day in Slovenia when my friends and I decided to forgo the group trip to Ljubljana and spend the day exploring on our own, on foot. That's the day we hiked up to the castle on Lake Bled and then walked around the entire lake. It was early April. Trees were budding, wildflowers had begun to bloom, the weather was mild and the scenery was beautiful beyond description. Julian Apls in the background; beautiful Lake Bled; trees and wildflowers all around. Heavenly! I enjoyed shopping in the little stores in Bled and purchased some great gifts - for others and for myself. Prices were reasonable, storekeepers were friendly and all spoke very good English.

Prior to our trip, we studied up and learned some common phrases in Croatian. While it wasn't necessary, it was handy. Shopkeepers and restaurant servers seems delighted when I rattled off a bit of Croatian. I think it's important to at least learn how to say "please" and "thank you" and a few other basic phrases in the language of the country you are going to visit. It's appreciated.

Gee, I'm sitting here reminiscing and rambling on. I have a photo album with pix from this trip on my profile page. I need to upload more photos, but at least I have some of my faves posted.

Edited to add: Oh my! How can I describe Croatia without talking about the wine? We enjoyed excellent wines throughout the country. A glass of fine wine in a restaurant in Croatia often costs less than a glass of soda pop at a U.S. restaurant. We enjoyed some wonderful local liqueurs as well.

.

[DomRep]

My wife and I are going to Dubrovnik for our one year anniversary in September. I think we're staying 4 nights total in Dubrovnik, but we're planning on day trips to Montenegro and Mostar, checking out a Game of Thrones tour and of course checking out Old Town.

To those who have been, do you recommend any good seafood restaurants there? My wife loves seafood.

[MyTarge13]

Originally Posted by DomRep

My wife and I are going to Dubrovnik for our one year anniversary in September. I think we're staying 4 nights total in Dubrovnik, but we're planning on day trips to Montenegro and Mostar, checking out a Game of Thrones tour and of course checking out Old Town.

To those who have been, do you recommend any good seafood restaurants there? My wife loves seafood.

Try Azur, near the Sea Wall. We had a great meal there. Awesome food, excellent service and they gave use a free desert. Plus, the door to the cafe on the rocks outside of the wall is close by. I will look and see if I can find some pictures. A friend who was with us on the trip, voted his meal as Azur as the best meal he had during the entire trip.

[MyTarge13]

Here is my fish dish.



The Azur sign.



Finally, here is the scenic cafe that is a few feet away. We had coffee at this cafe which may have been the most scenic stop we had.

[PJSaturn]

Originally Posted by DomRep

My wife and I are going to Dubrovnik for our one year anniversary in September. I think we're staying 4 nights total in Dubrovnik, but we're planning on day trips to Montenegro and Mostar, checking out a Game of Thrones tour and of course checking out Old Town.

To those who have been, do you recommend any good seafood restaurants there? My wife loves seafood.

You will love Dubrovnik in September. We were there in September 2015. It's a bit off-season then, so the crowds are minimal and you can always get a seat at a restaurant or café.

The seafood was superb everywhere we went in Croatia. I had tuna steak at Azur and it was phenomenal. (As was the lovely red wine I ordered with it.)





Offhand, I don't recall the names of the other restaurants we dined at. It'll take a while for me to sort through photos and get the names. But in my experience, you can't go wrong ordering seafood anywhere in Dubrovnik.


.