Šibenik
Dalmatia
Croatia
May 28, 2015
Hello,
Driving south, between Zadar and Split, I stop for a coffee in the small coastal city of Šibenik.
Despite the fact that Šibenik is not even mentioned in my guidebook, I decide to take a stroll. No matter where, there is always something of interest to discover.
Šibenik will be no exception.
Zadar
(pop 78,200)
Dalmatia
Republic of Croatia
May 28, 2015
Zadar attracts a vibrant mixture of local residents and international tourists.
No cruise ship passengers here. Just a lively assemblage of individual travelers, local teenagers, and moms and dads out with the kids on an ordinary yet sparkling Thursday afternoon.
In the bright afternoon sun, everyone enjoys the sights and sounds of this historic city by the sea:
Plitvice Lakes National Park
Zadar Region
Croatia
May 27, 2015
Plitvice Lakes lies midway between Zagreb and Zadar.
A pocket guide published by the Zagreb Tourist Board, Zagreb and Surroundings posts this description of the Park:
The Plitvice Lakes National Park, a magical world of lakes, forests, waterfalls, moss, water and sunlight is a true natural monument, a unique phenomenon under the protection of UNESCO.
My guidebook has more detail:
Split
Croatia
May 30 2015
I adopt three distinct strategies to avoid the teeming hordes streaming through the streets of the Old City of Split.
The first strategy is to avoid them altogether by wandering towards the port and then up the cobbled streets and stairways to the hills above the city. Great scenery…well worth the climb....
Hvar Island
(pop 11,200)
Adriatic Sea
Republic of Croatia
June 2, 2015
Hello,
On Hvar, the hills are alive with the sound of motor scooters. Automobiles are impractical given the steep and narrow cobbled lanes,
I stroll down the floral-forested path from my hilltop guest house to the shoreline and the pebbled beach.
Luxury hotels replete with lagoon-sized swimming pools and spas face west to the gleaming sea. (Thai Massage anyone?)
Tartu
Estonia
21 August 2014
Estonia, rich in history, much of it bloody history, provides the traveler with a variety of unique sights and sounds.
The oldest Stone Age settlements date back 10,000 years.
Finno-Ugric tribes from the east, probably from the Urals at about 3500 BCE, mingled with the Neolithic peoples and settled in present Finland, Hungary and Estonia. They left behind their language system, so different from the surrounding Indo-European languages.
The Vikings arrived in the 9th and 10th centuries.
