Scilly Isles

This was the first time that I had ever been anywhere by myself. I had chosen The Isles of Scilly because they sounded safe but I didn’t really know what I was going to find there. I had watched a couple of DVD’s about the islands, but they were really dated and there wasn’t much up to date material about the place. So this really did feel like a big adventure for me …………even though it was only for a few days! Little did I know that it would be the start of a whole new chapter in my life. I drove to Bristol Airport to catch the plane down to St. Mary’s – the main island. I have never been on such a small plane - it only carried 8 passengers; and there was so little space in the cabin you weren’t allowed any hand luggage.

Even though it was summer - the first week in July; the weather was so awful we had to make an unscheduled stop in Newquay for an hour. We all had to get off (in torrential rain) and run across the runway to a hanger with seats inside – to wait for the storm to blow over. I had begun to doubt my confidence and part of me just wanted to go back home. Anyway, the stormy weather subsided and we were on our way again; the sun came out and the Cornish coastline below looked magnificent. We arrived at St Mary’s airport in no time at all – about 30 minutes. I needn’t have worried about how I was going to get to my hotel, because whenever a plane arrives, the local taxis do too! You don’t have to book one; they meet all the incoming flights. On the short journey to my hotel I could not believe how many unusual tropical-looking plants were growing everywhere; and my friendly taxi driver told me that the islanders are happy for anyone to take cuttings home with them. I thought I had died and gone to heaven! I would certainly be taking some of the Scilly Isles back in my very small suitcase – somehow! It wasn’t very long before I reached my guesthouse in Hugh Town - nowhere on St. Mary’s was far from anywhere else. I felt like I had gone back in time. My single room reminded me of 1950’s films, a bed, a small wardrobe and a table. It would do! I wasn’t intending spending too long in my room anyway.

Apparently this is what most of the B&B’s are like. It really is an island that has stood still; I didn’t mind that, it had such a quaint, almost ideal feel to it. Anyway, the adventure had begun and I headed out exploring. I wasn’t too far away from the harbour, so that was the first port of call, and then a walk along the nearby beach.

Unfortunately, the awful weather had followed me and before long the rain was coming down in torrents soaking me through! Determined not to let it spoil my trip, I went back, put some dry clothes on and headed out again to The Mermaid Inn where I spent a very pleasant hour talking to some locals, before a well earned nights sleep.

I woke very early the next day - the sunshine was peering through the curtains. Adventure time! I headed off exploring the area known as The Garrison. This area had been a strong hold since Norman times, was especially important in the reign of Elizabeth 1^st when the Star Castle was built after the Spanish Armada; and then it had been in use again during both World Wars. Although it had been redundant since that time, it still had such an historical feel about it.

I don’t know why but I am always filled with excitement when I see canons overlooking the sea (Me-thinks I should have lived in Tudors Times!). The views over the calm ocean were stunning; I could not have seen this area at a more beautiful time. There was no one about; it was so peaceful - yet I didn’t once feel afraid there by myself. The path took me all the way around the coast, almost in a circle, every so often passing another Gun Battery, a Point, several houses and so many amazing views out over the ocean.

Almost at the end of the walk, I saw a beach; this one was on the other side of Hugh Town. What an unusual shape this island is – a figure of eight really with two beaches on opposite sides of the island where the circles meet. The view overlooking this beach was fabulous, the sun was still out and everywhere was blossoming. The flowers! I have never seen so many unusual ones. Outside many houses there were small pots of plant cuttings for sale for and I just had to buy a few. After having something to eat, I walked along the other beach again known as Town Beach – this was completely different.

 This one was the same side as the harbour, and as you looked out to sea here, there were hundreds of small fishing boats, speedboats and yachts. Unbelievably I bumped into a family who had been on the plane yesterday with me – what a co-incidence (when there had only been 8 of us). I sat a while, had an ice cream, watched the world go by and contemplated life. It certainly was the place to do that. If you wanted to come anywhere to escape the hustle and bustle of the world – this was most definitely the place. You were never too far from people if you wanted them, but solace was everywhere too.

Later in the day, seeing as the weather was still good (and I had to make the most of every second of daylight and sunshine), I decided to do the Lighthouse Walk. I had purchased a great little guidebook from a local shop, where a lady told me it was the place to go to see the sunset. It didn’t look too far, but looks can be deceiving! I knew the direction I was heading as I could see Peninnis Head Lighthouse in front of me, but it took longer than I expected. Once I reached it and saw how far it still was back to Hugh Town and civilization, I was rather worried.

Night was drawing in! Direction wise there was no problem – it was the paths! The walk took me along the jagged coast, up and down cliff paths, along the edge of sheer drops; sometimes there was no path to follow. I was so relieved when I managed to reach the first of the houses as I approached the town, then I could slow down and enjoy the last rays of the day. Also there were some more very interesting plants for sale along the way, I would worry how I was going to get them home later!

Next morning was another glorious day. I felt so very lucky! After breakfast I headed to the harbour. Every morning, weather permitting, crowds of people would line the harbour walls at the appropriate place, waiting for the boat (not ship) that would take them to their chosen island. At 10am these boats would take tourists as well as locals (with shopping, parcels and mail) to the other islands that made up the archipelago. I had opted for the Island of St. Martins; the pictures of endless silver beaches were what had appealed the most. It was described as the most secluded, tranquil and picturesque of all the islands, and it promised to look its best in the day’s sunshine. As the boat approached the St Martins, I could see just how remote and quaint it really was – and there was only a small wooden pier at which to disembark.  My plan was to walk the 6-mile coastal path, almost the entire way around the island.

The path was easily marked, the land was reasonably flat, the grass was short, the temperature was just perfect and the views were to die for. This place was everything I had expected – and more. There were what appeared to be, hundreds of small islands rising out of the calm, turquoise water – which was glistening in the sunshine. There were endless swathes of purple heather making the perfect picture.

I passed beach after beach, each one deserted; I headed first to St Martin’s head and then along the northern coast, which appeared to be almost all pure white sand. I scrambled down through the waist high bracken; I just had to have a paddle in the clear, calm waters. It was one of the highlights of my day; I just daren’t sit down too long.

I didn’t know how long it was going to take me to walk all the way around and there was only one ferry back mid afternoon. The photos of this area were amazing – as you will see. The west section of the island was totally different; there were cliffs, rocks and the islands off its coast were bleak and intimidating. This whole area had been beaten by the Atlantic weather, by storms, gales and rain. I headed inland towards the centre of the island, to the sparsely populated Middle Town and then down the hill to Lower Town.

What easy-to-remember names. I forgot to say that I arrived at the hamlet known as Higher Town. It had all been a wonderful experience, the first time that I had ever walked further than around my local town; as well as doing it by myself. The entire day had been amazing, start to finish, not once had I felt threatened, intimidated, lost or lonely. I was beaming! After a well-deserved cup of tea and a late lunch, I caught the boat back to St Mary’s. The sea was slightly rougher than the morning’s crossing, but I was so enthralled with my achievement – that I hardly noticed.

When I arrived back, there was a carnival on the beach, organised by the local lifeboat crew. The atmosphere was completely opposite to how it had been the rest of my day, but the contrast was refreshing – as was the Cornish ice cream that I enjoyed whilst watching the sun go down.

My last full day arrived and the weather wasn’t what I wanted it to be. But as I only had one day left, determined to make the most of every second of it – I opted for the Three Island Cruise. The boat wasn’t as big as I was expecting it to be, the wind and waves threw it about and I felt dreadfully ill.

By the time I reached the island of Bryher, I wondered how I was ever going to get back to St Mary’s – I didn’t want to get on a boat ever again. Bryher is a small island, it had several houses and farm buildings huddled around it’s centre and desolate coastal paths all the way around. The west coast is renowned for Hell Bay, a place where Atlantic gales lash the coast, whereas the east (where we disembarked) was far more sheltered – that is where I headed for. I ate a sandwich, (shared it with the local sparrows actually) and tried to gather myself – stop my head from spinning.

I could see our next island, it didn’t look far; and gradually I started to feel more like myself again. Sure enough, the trip to Tresco only took a few minutes and by the time we got there, the sunshine had arrived too. I was so glad, this was the highlight of my day and I didn’t want the weather to spoil it.

Due to the tides, the boat dropped me at a different place to where it was going to pick me up in three hours; so there wasn’t a moment to lose. I headed past the gallery, the beach and the Great Pool on my way to the Tresco Abbey Gardens. What gardens they were! There were paths leading up to terraces, and more terraces and even higher terraces.

Each one was an explosion of colour. I have never before seen such endless displays of vivid orange, pink, red and purple flowers that overlooked more plants below them. There were themed areas dedicated to Australia, South America, California, New Zealand and many other countries. Enjoying exceptionally long hours of sunshine and the warmth of the Gulf Stream, the tropical plants here were thriving like I had never imagined.

Throughout the colourful beds, there were remnants of the old Abbey, sculptures and figureheads from ancient shipwrecks. The views out over the treetops to the ocean and distant island were amazing. This was such an exotic garden - like no other in Britain. I completely fell in love with Tresco gardens; I had never seen anywhere so colourful or so many tropical species in one place and I particularly loved the different types of Protea from South Africa.

I remembered the taxi driver’s words and put a few small cuttings in my empty crisp packet – hoping that they would survive until I got home. After walking every inch of the garden I was ready for rest, so I sat in the sunshine and had a cuppa before heading off to the quayside. I was dreading this part again – it was a long way to St Agnes and the sea was dark and uninviting. I convinced myself that I was going to be all right, I focused ahead, had the wind in my face and arrived at St Agnes refreshed – albeit windswept and covered in salt spray.

I was delightfully surprised at this small island and as we approached it, the sea seemed to smooth itself ahead of us, and the sun came back out. There wasn’t a lot that I wanted to see on St Agnes, most people headed for a drink of real ale at the Turks Head (Britain’s most southerly pub), but I knew where I wanted to go. I headed for another Bar! This was a white sand bar that joined St Agnes to Gugh. The ocean lapped up at each side of this sand bar; that was covered in of millions of small shells – it was the most picturesque area.

Beyond that I wandered through tall grass and bracken to sit and watch flocks of seabirds on the rocky outcrops on the far side of the island. It was remote, peaceful, wild - but beautiful. I really did feel that I had experienced so much variety in my Day of Three Islands. I knew that there was much more to see and to explore – but not this time. As the time approached to meet back at the boat, I hurried back to the picturesque harbour – what a glorious sight. The turquoise water actually looked inviting this time, you could have been on a tropical island, in the Indian Ocean; here it appeared nothing like it was earlier in the day.

It certainly bought a smile to my face, all the way back to St Mary’s. After a last wander along the town’s beach, watching the sunset behind the islands, I headed back to my guesthouse. I now had to pack, and the cuttings and small plants I had bought were my priority. I had to totally wrap each one up (pot, plant and soil) in paper and then a plastic bag – hoping that they would survive a morning inside my small case. I was sad to be leaving this beautiful place, it had been everything I wanted it to be and I wish that I had booked for longer. But it had been a stepping-stone for me – and there would always be another time!

I hope that you have enjoyed my short trip to this beautiful place - please check out my other trips and let me know if you have any questions. There are many more to come!

Many thanks

Lynne

For those of you who love flowers..........................................................

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Croatia

                                                    Croatia 

A short trip for me this time, but to somewhere that I had wanted to visit for ages. I was looking forward to seeing this beautiful region, with its historic cities, lush landscapes, and dramatic coastlines. But for a change, I was intending having some time to relax; being based at a hotel in Lovran for the whole week, being able to sit around the pool, perhaps bathe in the sparkling waters of the Adriatic - sounded like heaven!

Day 1

After a good nights sleep, I rose with the sun and headed out exploring before breakfast. Directly outside my hotel was the Lungomare - a coastal path that followed the waters edge for miles in both directions from the hotel. I headed south for a short way and was surprised how often there were steps down to small concrete ledges - that they called beaches! As much as the coastline was scenic, I really didn't find these areas appealing at all.There was hardly anyone about; even when I arrived at the old town of Lovran - it was deserted. Then at 7.30am the whole world woke up and everyone appeared from nowhere. Lovran has a rich architectural heritage with a small town square, narrow alleyways radiating from it, Baroque houses, a Romanesque bell tower and the Church of St George. Everywhere was immaculately clean and tidy; but I found the colourful buildings mixed in with depressed, crumbling concrete structures (that were inhabited) spoilt the ambiance.

After breakfast we had a walking tour of nearby Rijeka, through its ancient, cobbled streets and along The Korzo, an old thoroughfare (with children playing a variety of sports). We went inside the rotund St Vitus Cathedral which was rather dark and solemn, its interior was mainly dark wood and marble - very different with its separate square bell tower and a canon ball embedded in the wall, dating from Napoleonic times.

As well as colourful Baroque buildings, there were the completely opposite remnants of the communist occupation, which spoilt the general impression. We passed through an open air fruit and vegetable market, where all of the produce looked as fresh as I have ever seen any; there were lots of people about now and I was very surprised to learn that many people are leaving this area and heading for Ireland! Next stop was the delightful resort of Opatija, located further along Kvarner Bay. We walked along the seafront and around the beautifully maintained gardens, passing the town's elegant villas, hotels, shops and cafés.

 With its long history, elegance and unrivalled beauty, Opatija has been one the most popular tourist destinations since 1844.

With an ideal climate and location, it has been a fashionable resort for some of the world's most famous names, Lord Byron, Isadora Duncan, many sporting superstars and political dignitaries. St Jacobs Abbey, dating back to the 14th century was the most incredibly preserved monastery, as was Villa Angiolona set in its own lush garden with sweet violin music playing amongst the camellias - the country's national flower.




We had been invited to a hotel that makes its own chocolate; there we were given some nettle brandy before being plied with fresh chocolate that had only been made within the last few hours. Suitably refreshed I opted to walk back to Lovran along the Franz Josef promenade known as the Lungomare.

It was the most delightful couple of hours walking along the rugged coast, with its cafes, beach shops and ice cream stalls. Gelato to die for! The pine trees, the old stone walls and arches, the pebbled beaches and crashing waves were the best part of the day - it could not have been more perfect. There was just enough time for tea on the balcony watching the sun go down, before our evening meal.

Day 2

The first stop along The Istrian Peninsula was Pula, with its harbour and immense Roman Amphitheater; a 3 storey structure that originally held 23,000 spectators - but today it is the venue for concerts and other tamer events. After the Roman Empire expanded into Istria in 177 BC, Pula became a Roman colony and grew rapidly. This is when the amphitheater was constructed and the town became an important trading centre. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Pula fell under the control of the Goths, the Slavs, The Venetians, and eventually the Austro-Hungarians in the 19th century.

 So as you can imagine, there are many variations in architecture from all of the different influences. After the WW1, the entire area became part of Italy, then after the WW2 it became part of Yugoslavia - only becoming the independent country of Croatia in 1991. The amphitheater was a magnificent site with the sun shining through its arches; I was disappointed that we weren't able to go inside for a look - but it was all set up ready for a concert. So we headed into the old part of this early Roman town, we passed 2 gates, one of which was Hercules Gate that is the oldest standing 1st century BC Roman monument. We wandered through the busy, narrow streets ending at the ancient Forum where we saw The Temple of Augustus which was built in 2-14 AD and had been restored after being bombed by the Allies in 1945.

Our next visit was to picturesque Rovinj, with it's bustling harbour and the Old Town with narrow cobbled streets and red-roofed buildings - very Italianate. Rovinj was originally an island, but 250 years ago the narrow channel which separated it from the mainland was filled in - due to the town expanding.

After lunch we walked up a steep, narrow street (with the most shiny, slippery cobbles) to visit the Church of St. Euphemia - the largest Baroque building in Istria. The church was decorated ready for a festival celebrating Saint Euphemia - a young girl who was tortured for being a christian and thrown to the lions, but instead of eating her, the lions were reputed to have licked her wounds. We had marvelous views of the Old Town and the bay below and it gave you a real insight of what Rovinj was like when it was all packed onto one crowded island. 

The narrow, winding, cobbled streets, crammed-together houses and red roofed buildings gave you a feeling that you were in Italy - in Venice especially where the houses were built right on the waters edge. Yet other areas had an Austro Hungarian feel. We could easily have spent longer here but there was much more planned for our day. An hour up the coast was Porec, a small tourist resort with delightful views over the Adriatic - which was as calm and reflective as a mirror. The sun was still shining and we were lucky to see a medieval festival in the market place. People were dressed in ethnic costumes, there were farmyard animals, music, dancing and an old fashioned carousel ride like I have never seen before - there was a small child in a basket going round and round!

 The streets of Porec were very easy to navigate; they all went down to the same point of the peninsular where excavations have found remains of more roman buildings. The shops were nearly all selling jewelry or ice creams - I opted for an orange ice cream. As they say "When in Rome.......!", and Porec is renowned for its Gelato! There were so many flavours to choose from!

It was relaxing walking along the edge of the ocean, the water was so clear and calm - it felt like the perfect end to the day.... but we hadn't finished yet! On our way back to Lovran we called at a traditional farm and sampled some of their local produce, including ham, cheese, bread and a type of doughnut; we were also given a small glass of mistletoe brandy (firewater), and as much of their local red and white wine as we could drink. The farmer played his accordion, and the more wine we drunk - the better he sounded, the more vigorously we clapped and even ended up singing! The wine must have been good! Needless to say, it was very late when we arrived back at the hotel, and no one really wanted any dinner let alone any more to drink - but it had been a very enjoyable day.

Day 3

We left early heading for Slovenia, briefly passing through Italy (for 5 minutes) before arriving at Lipica to see the famous white Lipizzaner horses. It was established in 1580 by Archduke Karl, the son of Emperor Ferdinand 1st, as a place to breed horses for the Spanish Riding School in Vienna. The stud has suffered much in the past; they were evacuated to Hungary during Napoleon's time, divided by the Italians and Austrians during WW1 and seized by the Germans in WW2 - although it is now a national treasure of Slovenia.

As we arrived, we were delighted to see many foals grazing in their paddocks; most of these were black or dark grey - they only turn white when they reach about 6 years of age. It was a magnificent sight to see so many together. Apparently at 5pm, the gates are opened and they all run back to their stable block (a large building that is not sectioned off - it is just one large room). We were shown around the luxurious stables, the small chapel, a museum that tells of the history and the evolution of horses and of course we saw the horses themselves. There are about 350 horses there today, mares for breeding, youngsters that are being trained, and the stallions - even the retired ones.

From the age of 4 years the stallions start training and by 7 years old they are ready to perform agile routines that delight audiences worldwide. They continue to perform well into their 20s - most living until they are almost 30 years. The estate is normally remarkably elegant, with spotless well-tended grounds and white fenced paddocks, but there was a lot of groundwork happening and JCB's did spoil the ambiance somewhat. After the guided tour we were taken to the indoor riding school and were allowed to watch a training session by a top teacher from Vienna. That was quite an experience; 8 Pure Lipizzaner's being put through their paces. My favourite part was watching them learning to jump with all 4 feet off the ground at once - not footwork but air work! A thoroughly enjoyable morning. Then we were back on the coach travelling through the beautiful Slovenian countryside, which was so like Austria in every way. The scenery, the houses - just made you feel like you were in the Alps. We didn't have to travel very long before we reached the famous Postojna caves which were first discovered in 1818.

Railway lines were laid in the cave in 1872 and a few years later electricity was used to power the locomotives - making it a far more pleasant experience than on the earlier diesel trains. We boarded the train and descended several kilometres underground; this journey took about 10 minutes and the temperature dropped so much that I was shivering - it could have been due to the speed that this little train was travelling at! Postojna Caves are a network of 20 kilometres of passages, galleries and chambers and after whizzing through the exceptional ballroom cavern with its huge chandelier; we left the train and headed on foot up the path of The Great Mountain.

The first caves we walked through were the best; the Spaghetti hall, the White hall (that was like a winter wonderland) and Red hall were truly remarkable to see. We crossed a bridge and saw calcite formations, stalactites and stalagmites in a variety of shapes, colours and ages - they were all amazing.

The most famous stalagmite called The Brilliant is a 5-metre shiny white limestone formation that certainly lives up to its name.

Although the cave was very dark, there is one strange creature that lives in these conditions, it is called a Proteus. It is a snakelike creature with no eyes that can live without food for many years - we only saw the one in aquarium. The walk ended at a huge hall where special concerts have been held and then we boarded the train again to be taken back to the surface. The last kilometre of tunnels was particularly dark with blackened walls; this is due to the Resistance blowing up a huge amount of fuel that the Nazis had stored there in the war and the resulting fire. The journey back to Lovran was as picturesque as it had been in the morning and everyone was so happy with everything that they had experienced on this remarkable day.

Day 4

Today was an exciting day for me; this was my reason for visiting Croatia - to see the stunning scenery of Plitvice National Park. It was a very long drive, but there was so much to see that the time sped by. We followed the rugged coastline, quaint villages with red roofed houses, passed secluded campsites and the occasional industrial complex. Over the still Adriatic, we always had the island of Krk in our view. It appeared to be almost white, ghost-like and often described as a moonscape by the locals - I could see why. The colour was caused by wind depositing salt on the land, an area upon which no vegetation could survive.

 The coastline we drove down was very rocky; there were no fields of crops as there wasn't enough soil to support them. But as we headed inland the change was immediate. Within minutes of climbing up into the mountains the entire area became densely forested, dark and picturesque in a totally different way. Brown bears, wolves and wild cats still roam wild in this area. The mountains gave way to broad, green valley floors where if you didn't know where you were - you could have thought that you were in Switzerland or Austria. The influence was so apparent.

This area was so sparsely populated, due to its remoteness, and is frequently cut off in the winter. Everyone needs to be self-sufficient here, on their small holdings and a local saying is "It's the land where the wolf is your friend". It was an area so untouched, so unspoilt - until you looked closely and saw holes in the front walls of some houses. Shrapnel! Now we started to see houses that had been abandoned, ones that had gaping holes still in them - and we realised that we were in an area that was devastated by war not many years ago. Bosnia was in the distance. The beautiful area we were driving through was still full of land mines - that gave a completely different feel to things. Only half of the land mines have been cleared and this means that Croatia is losing 50 million euros every year in areas that cannot be farmed. The country is trying to rebuild here though, and towns that were ghost towns only a few years ago are now being developed; new alpine chalets, colourful hotels and quaint restaurants are appearing and all of the roads were excellent. There were stalls occasionally by the roadside selling honey and a local brandy, and it was good to see that tradition still going - so many people had fled this area and not returned. It was almost lunchtime when we arrived at the National Park, which is world famous for its 16 lakes that are arranged in cascades, and for its thundering waterfalls.

We caught a boat over to the area described as the Upper lakes and walked on a rickety boardwalk with the rush of thundering water just inches below our feet. There were hundreds of people shuffling along, admiring the scenery, often getting too close to the waters edge and there was no health and safety here! I felt like I was going to be knocked into the water every time I stopped to take a photo - or at least, my camera was going to be knocked out of my hands. There was so much to see, the vivid colours of the different lakes and the trees - how many different shades of green could there be!

The lakes are renowned for their distinctive colours, ranging from azure to green, grey or blue; and are constantly changing, depending on the quantity of minerals or organisms in the water and the amount of sunlight they receive. The Upper lakes are surrounded by dense forest through which we walked for several hours; around every corner was another amazing photo opportunity.

I have seen a place similar to this in China but the number of waterfalls here was unbelievable. There wasn't only tall thundering ones, there were ones that followed the path, hundreds of steps of cascading water.

The tallest ones were at the end of the walk, the Sastavci, they made me think of Angels Falls. Many of the ponds and lakes were fed by not one, but dozens of falls either trickling or gushing into them. 

I had been concerned that the colours might not have been so impressive (being too early for autumnal colours), but I needn't have worried - there were so many different yellows and greens. The lakes in the upper section were a lighter green than I was expecting, but the water was so clear - you could see hundreds of fish, especially trout swimming about.

One lake was surrounded by reeds; another had a high rocky wall along one of its sides - which made the most amazing reflection. It reminded me of the hardest jigsaw puzzle, where all of the pieces look the same. One lake tumbled into another and we eventually reached the starting place again and boarded the boat to be taken the 3 km down to the lower lakes. After a quick rest and ice cream, we continued walking around the Lower Lakes. The scenery was quite different here, it wasn't such dense forest, there were steep shores that were surrounded by cliffs, grottoes and caves - and the water had become a darker shade of azure blue.

Everyone who we had spoken to earlier said that the lakes get more beautiful at every corner and they were so right. I felt that it was a truly unspoilt place (except for the people constantly pushing past you). Words cannot describe the true beauty of such a place; I hope my photos will do a better job.

 I hadn't had terribly high expectations of the day beforehand, and it had surpassed everything I had wanted it to be and more. I would be telling everyone to visit the amazing Plitvice National Park and its glorious lakes. On the long journey back we stopped at a Honey stall and sampled some cheese and walnut brandy; hence I slept the rest of the way back! A very long day but well worth it.

Day 5

A rest day for me at last, but as usual I was up with the sun. After breakfast I walked south along the coastal path admiring the dark sea - it looked like a storm was brewing.

The rocky coastline still looked beautiful whatever the weather. I had been unsure about coming to a seaside without a conventional beach, but this place had worked its spell on me. After lunch and a leisurely swim in the indoor pool, I caught the local bus into Opatija to do a little shopping. It was easy to buy a return ticket from the shop adjoining the hotel, very reasonably priced and the bus journey only took 15 minutes.

I did so well not to get wet, the storm clouds had been close by all day and they waited until I was safely back at the hotel before dropping a deluge of water. After dinner with the group, I decided to stay up a bit later than usual and have a few cocktails..... I was on holiday after all. Everything was so laid back and so reasonably priced here - and I didn't have to get up too early the next morning. There was only one more day left in this beautiful place - I was definitely not ready to go home.

Day 6

Although I hadn't booked a trip for today, I was still up quite early. I had to make the most of my last day. I spent a few hours walking the Lungomare towards Opatija, capturing the stunning coastline for one last time. Although the storm clouds were still over head, the ocean was calm and mysterious.

The dark rocks, shingle coves and quaint archways held such an appeal. They had really grown on me this week. I did try to spend some time relaxing by the waters edge, but the rain seemed to follow me all day. I didn't feel too disappointed, it had been a wonderful trip and I knew that I would definitely be returning to explore some more of this remarkable country - Croatia.

Lynne

Please check out my other blogs ..............

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http://lynnemorley.blogspot.com

http://morleysjourneytoozandback.blogspot.com