Norwegian Wood

Landed on time and safely (phew) at Rugge Airport, a fair distance from the city itself but a pleasant train journey soon had us in the middle of downtown. After arranging with Ole, our Airbnb host, to ferry over to his island home in the evening, we set about exploring. Found Wifi hard to come by, so 'wasted most of the afternoon messing around the shopping area. The weather was again warm and sunny and it was to stay that way for all of our time in Oslo. 

Ole met us at the island jetty and guided us the few hundred metres to his home, a quaint old Kiwi/Norwegian style Bach only steps from the beach and views across the Oslo Fjord. he was a 50 year old artist and quite a character. The house was simple and  no frills but it was full of character like its owner. It reminded me of one those baches on Rangitoto. And only 20 mins to downtown Oslo by a very smart ferry cruising between the islands of the fjord. I did not know Oslo had such a magical harbour with lots of islands. Soon we were all off for a swim  before meeting up for a barbecue with some friends of Ole's who had sailed to the island for the night.

After a walk the next morning we went back to Oslo to meet up with David and Hana and 3 friends. They are going to spend the next two weeks in a small campervan driving around Scanadanavia...looked like it was going to be pretty cosy though we managed to shoehorn in so we could all go the Green Party festival back on the island.

Island Life

We are on the ferry from Zadar to Pula....5h and I have finished my novel so time for a blog update. We have called into a few other places some quite isolated and others crowded with boats and tourists. The sun has just set again in a blaze of glory into the Adriatic Sea.

Preko...well the photos tell it all really. Our apartment looked out across the strait back to Zadar though  a well judged tilt of the head improved the view by eliminating the petrol station from the line of vision. Nell enjoyed comparing and contrasting various anatomical details of the forecourt girls however. Ljubica was charming and happily rectified a few deficiencies in the culinary equipment and generally the apartment was comfortable and the AC made it a cool haven from the midday heat. The bathroom fan was a novelty though with it's loud rattle becoming akin to a duck being strangled when switched off. In fact it would be fair to say the plumbing and bathroom fittings were in need of attention all round.

The island was not particularly touristy and although the beaches were small they were never too crowded. Our local restaurant along the waterfront served delicious thin crust pizza and grilled squid so that kept the inner man and woman well satisfied. Deliciously simple and simply delicious.

Preko

Left the Plitvice Lakes late in the day and fitfully dozed our way to Zadar. The bus stopped for a break at a roadhouse with a tame deer wandering round inside and half a dozen stuffed bears. We rattled on across an arid landscape then down out of the mountains via a few tunnels, one 8 k long, and suddenly we were by the sea and before long pulling into the Zadar bus terminal. We taxied to the ferry dock, bought our tickets to Preko then filled in half an hour having a drink while watching a big red sun sink below the horizon.

On arrival at Preko we were met by the owner of our apartment, Ljubica, and shown around. 

Up in the hills

Preko, Ugljan Island, Croatia

First swim in the Adriatic Sea at 9 am

The beach! All 20m of it. everywhere elsd is rocks and concrete! people put up loungers, foam mats, umbrellas, little tents. Our apartment is 2nd floor above the fish monger's with the anchor. The apartment is beachfront with just a petrol station between the balcony and the sea.

Cool ride-on animals that operate by standing in the stirrups. Kids only tho. 

Yet another gelato after such an exhausting day

My birthday today! Walk in the morning to little marina along the coast. Cute boats in pristine condition.

 

Well most of them.

Love the old metal playground toys

Cool seesaw, so heavy I don't think OHS would like it

Back in our village

Local fruit and veges

One street back from the harbour 

They were!

"These lakes had better be good"

It was a gruelling day transporting our bods from the rural idyll of upper Slovenia through the heat dust and noise of Zagreb city to the heartland of Croatia. The day began early rising to pack our bags etc and catch a ride into Lesce with Dajio. We stopped in at the post office and dispatched another parcel of surplus to requirements warm clothing back to NZ and had enough time for a coffee in the sunshine at the station cafe before waiting expectantly on the wrong side of the tracks for our train. Luckily the train was a few minutes late so we sorted ourselves out and found plenty of empty seats in the last carriage. Front facing seats as well. Flashing through the Slovenian countryside we eased into relax mode passing tiny hamlets and clear flowing rivers. A brief stop in Ljubljana and we continued towards the Croatian border at a sedate pace. At a non descript town we presented passports to stern looking Slovenian customs officers then even grimmer looking  Croatian ones (you wouldn't have thought that Croatia has just joined the EU).....and we were officially in Croatia! Soon after we arrived in Zagreb. Opted to walk to the bus station but it turned out to be further than it looked on the google map in the noon day heat but a bonus was the brilliant artwork/ grafitti on the railway walls, anyway made it and luckily a bus was going our way in about 30mins. So after a quick lunch, yep more coffee and gelato, we negotiated our way to the right bus (we hoped) and after some shannanigans with people being in the wrong seats and some strong words between Asians, Indians, Kiwis and Croats (whoever heard of numbered bus seats before- especially when half of them had been smashed off so multi lingual counting and guesswork was involved ) we were off heading for the Plitvice Lakes. The bus stopped somewhat suprisingly as the driver seemed not to understand our pronunciation at our destination namely the village of Grabovac and we piled out. The owner of our guest house came and picked us up and before long we were supping a cold beer under the shady trees of Vukivjch House ('Yukky House' to us). He spoke no English but that was ok cos we spoke no Croatian but somehow we managed to communicate the essentials. The only other guests staying spoke only Italian so no help really from that quarter. There was a country store across the road so we self catered with a delicious spinach ham and pasta  thing. The next morning we wanted to catch the local bus to the Lakes early to beat the crowds. Our host thought we were trying to skip before paying the bill and by the time we managed to explain to him that we had paid his wife the night before we had missed the bus. He rang and woke his teenage  daughter who speaks english quite well to sort it out. He was all apologetic then and insisted on driving us to the Lakes gratis so we got there even before the bus in the end.

Plitvice Lakes, Croatia

Overview looking down over some of the lakes. It's a huge valley of travatine rock formation where over time this long series of flat tray-like lakes spill down into each other. The walk down from top to bottom is about 10 km. 

Hundreds of small waterfalls like this and some much bigger

Exceptionally clear water

Trying our best to look Serbian

Nell thought this stick and it's reflection looked like a heart. I thought it resembled a puffer fish.

The water was iridescent blue green or turquoise.

We took the electric ferry down the biggest lake and had a delicious lunch, guys were BBQ ing half chickens on big poles over fires.

Some of the larger falls.

Luckily we got here really early as by lunch time the crowds were amazing. 

Very hot day but sadly no swimming allowed to preserve water quality. Did we miss that sign? 

Lazy lakes and hard hiking.

Dober njan. After the highly rarified and cultured air of Salzburg it was time once more to find a quieter place to dwell. Our travels through Austria were interrupted by some railway track maintenance so it was everybody off and onto a fleet of buses to cart us past the affected stretch. We all piled out again at a remote station in the  mountains. With no train waiting for us to re-board, we stood huddled together on the  platform in a scene reminiscent of Schindler's List. Otherwise though a very scenic trip and finally reached our host Darijo's house in the wilds of Slovenia, (known as the 'green piece of Europe'). He was a great guy and the village was a welcome retreat for us for a few days. It was close to Lake Bled and the mountains of Triglav National Park so we made a snap decision to head for the hills again. Leaving our heavier stuff with Darijo we caught a bus to Lake Bohinj and began climbing...and climbing. After 8 hours of relentless up ness and in hindsight a foolishly hasty decision to forego en route a cauldron of goulash bubbling over an open fire at a charming wayside restaurant, we broke free from the woods and arrived somewhat worse for wear at our first koca or mountain hut high on the slopes of Mt Triglav. Run by a trio of grim Slovenian women the service was of the 'take it or leave it' ilk, but this was countered by the character and venerability of the building and it's huge views. The following day we crossed a high pass and began dropping down again into another valley. Up on the tops it was a barren landscape of crumbling marble, the peaks eroding as fast as they were being pushed up. At times it was two steps up and one back as we skidded on the small rounded stones (literally 'marbles'). Back in the valley we were again walking through a woodland of verdant shades of green deciduous and evergreen trees with occasional clearings carpeted with wildflowers and the odd snake. Nell's cellphone was glowing red hot from excessive floral photography. Our final night was spent in the company of a mix of Germans and Poms Slovenians and Kiwis playing a dice game called Matzee. All very hilarious and multilingual.

Level Lake Bohinj

Fresh strudel for breakfast

Heaps of little trout in lake Bohinj 

Beautiful walk back along the lake, so serene and the water is clear deep green blue. Holiday time and bring a Sunday every little beach had its picnickers or sunbathers arriving in kayaks, row boats, sail boats, paddleboards, para-gliders, bikes...no motors allowed so it was very quiet. As we also lazed in the shade and swam we became  aware of the sound, a constant low burble of the human voice. End of a wonderful trip, caught our bus back the village. 

Day 3 it's all downhill from here

6 am view from our room

Route planning...

Dream-like valley fresh after rain in the night

Fascinating geological area, the rock splits up into cubes in ranks that look like man made walls 

Has an ancient majestic feel

Lunch stop at Dom na Komni in a striking setting above lake Bohinj 

Traditional Sirovi Struklji, truly divine baked ricotta strudel served with honey

Tempting to stay here tonight but only 11am so kept walking