Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Portugal - The Algarve 25th June - 2nd July
So after the big trip around the eastern part of the MED it was time to take in some MED vs Atlantic sunshine and I was lucky enough to be invited along to spend a few days taking advantage of a hotel room that my friend was using whilst at a conference.
The weather was quite cool but the sun quite fierce - similar to NZ with a high burntime around 10mins. The resort was filled with the usual corporate types and their families but well worth the trip.
The local town FARO was a let down. The most interesting residents were the Pelicans - see on the tower below.
The town is used as a start point to explore the coast and the old ruins around the place.
At the resort the woodpeckers spent their time knocking holes in trees and flying around like miniature teradactyls. The feathers on the back of their heads raise up like a teradactyl when they land.
They are also very cunning and it was almost impossible to get a photo of them in this pose.
The beaches are long golden sand beaches and the resort was aptly named Sheraton Pine Cliffs. This pretty much explained how the place looked. The cliffs tower above the beach and provide interesting colours at different times of the day as the sun strikes the rock.
The water was significantly less salty than the Adriatic and also a lot chillier - very refreshing after sitting in the hot sun all day.
Onto Rhodes next!
So after the big trip around the eastern part of the MED it was time to take in some MED vs Atlantic sunshine and I was lucky enough to be invited along to spend a few days taking advantage of a hotel room that my friend was using whilst at a conference.
The weather was quite cool but the sun quite fierce - similar to NZ with a high burntime around 10mins. The resort was filled with the usual corporate types and their families but well worth the trip.
The local town FARO was a let down. The most interesting residents were the Pelicans - see on the tower below.
The town is used as a start point to explore the coast and the old ruins around the place.At the resort the woodpeckers spent their time knocking holes in trees and flying around like miniature teradactyls. The feathers on the back of their heads raise up like a teradactyl when they land.
They are also very cunning and it was almost impossible to get a photo of them in this pose.
The beaches are long golden sand beaches and the resort was aptly named Sheraton Pine Cliffs. This pretty much explained how the place looked. The cliffs tower above the beach and provide interesting colours at different times of the day as the sun strikes the rock.
The water was significantly less salty than the Adriatic and also a lot chillier - very refreshing after sitting in the hot sun all day.
Onto Rhodes next!
Hvar and Vis part III
The island of Hvar provided us with a couple of days rest and sunshine before we headed to Vis and the famous blue grotto etc.
The town is spread right on the coast so from our apartment we could see the Island of Vis where we headed to next.
Whilst on Hvar we saw the Croatia World Cup game and feeling that we had to be part of the local populous we purchased some Croatia colours to wear to show our solidarity.
There was no cheese to be had at the Gromit Cafe!
Hvar's main attractions are the huge well preserved castle overlooking the town and the interesting Church right in the town square
Not too much to say about Hvar as all we did was loiter, drink and walk around the place, however Vis was a different matter.
We took a late night ferry to Vis and as soon as we arrived on the speedy little catamaran we were set upon by the locals offering us rooms and apartments (this is std practise). We chose a place just up the hillside and made our way to our new lodgings.
Our hosts then invited us down for drinks with some other Kiwis who were staying in one of the other rooms.
The 1st day in Vis consisted of a scooter ride all round the island exploring the beaches, Komiza town and ruins. During our riding advenutres we travelled the length of the island to the open sea coast where Komiza was. Just coming into Komiza is a fortified church.
The scooter crew with the town of Komiza in the background.
That evening in need of some home cooking a large pasta dish with lots of fresh goodies was created and scoffed accompanied with some local red wine that was very palatable.
The next day we took a boat ride to see the famous blue grotto and visit different beaches. The boat made a complete circumnavigation of the island. Not long after setting of one of the gang decided to investigate the effect of carbonated drink acting like a rocket so we lost a fair portion of our coke- very funny experiment albeit totally unintentional!
The blue grotto is so called as upon entering it sunlight is reflected into the grotto from a underwater cave. it is a very tranquil place to visit with lots of interesting reflections and the clarity of the water is quite amazing.
The locals operate a little shuttle service from the wharf to the grotto and back. the boats are old but quite fitting and have a nosiy engine that shunts them thru the water.
The controls are quite heath robinson. A piece of string for the throttle and a lever for forwards and backwards.
From the Island of Vis we woke up before the town and boarded the ferry for Split to begin the leg of the mainland adventure.
Andrew
The island of Hvar provided us with a couple of days rest and sunshine before we headed to Vis and the famous blue grotto etc.
The town is spread right on the coast so from our apartment we could see the Island of Vis where we headed to next.
Whilst on Hvar we saw the Croatia World Cup game and feeling that we had to be part of the local populous we purchased some Croatia colours to wear to show our solidarity.
There was no cheese to be had at the Gromit Cafe!
Hvar's main attractions are the huge well preserved castle overlooking the town and the interesting Church right in the town squareNot too much to say about Hvar as all we did was loiter, drink and walk around the place, however Vis was a different matter.
We took a late night ferry to Vis and as soon as we arrived on the speedy little catamaran we were set upon by the locals offering us rooms and apartments (this is std practise). We chose a place just up the hillside and made our way to our new lodgings.
Our hosts then invited us down for drinks with some other Kiwis who were staying in one of the other rooms.
The 1st day in Vis consisted of a scooter ride all round the island exploring the beaches, Komiza town and ruins. During our riding advenutres we travelled the length of the island to the open sea coast where Komiza was. Just coming into Komiza is a fortified church.
The scooter crew with the town of Komiza in the background.
That evening in need of some home cooking a large pasta dish with lots of fresh goodies was created and scoffed accompanied with some local red wine that was very palatable.
The next day we took a boat ride to see the famous blue grotto and visit different beaches. The boat made a complete circumnavigation of the island. Not long after setting of one of the gang decided to investigate the effect of carbonated drink acting like a rocket so we lost a fair portion of our coke- very funny experiment albeit totally unintentional!
The blue grotto is so called as upon entering it sunlight is reflected into the grotto from a underwater cave. it is a very tranquil place to visit with lots of interesting reflections and the clarity of the water is quite amazing.
The locals operate a little shuttle service from the wharf to the grotto and back. the boats are old but quite fitting and have a nosiy engine that shunts them thru the water.
The controls are quite heath robinson. A piece of string for the throttle and a lever for forwards and backwards.
From the Island of Vis we woke up before the town and boarded the ferry for Split to begin the leg of the mainland adventure.
Andrew
Friday, August 18, 2006
Brac, Hvar and Vis part II
The first full day at Bol beach (on the island of Brac) meant the beginning of the beach lounging section of the holiday. We migrated down to the beach and settled in for a morning of sun and water. The water was a mite chilly but very refreshing after sitting in the sun.
The island is set up with resorts, apartments, restaurants, cafes etc. It is very popular with Germans and Italians who travel down and come across on the ferries with their cars for a holiday of several weeks.
Day 2 saw us decide to try something new. We sought the assistance of the local specialists and took a lesson on how to windsurf. Bol beach is apparently the best area for windsurfing in the islands. The first hour was taken up with basics - getting to know the board and equipment. The weather played the game and did not provide too much wind to begin with. Then right when we were confident the wind picked up so we could try out our new skills.
Feeling very confident we finished our lessons and spent some time sitting in the cafe discussing our form and skill with the only member of our group who is an accomplished windsurfer. Grant stroked our egos suitably and we all agreed its a great sport.
As always time marches on and soon it was time to collect our kit from our apartment and head for the ferry to catch the cat from Brac to Hvar. Strangely however you have to go into another port on the island and then catch a taxi or bus to get to Hvar.
This overland segment afforded us a quick tour of the island and provided us with an excellent vista as we arrived into the town of Hvar.
The castle on top of the hill overlooking the harbour is very impressive and worth a visit.
More on Hvar and Vis in the next post
Andrew
The first full day at Bol beach (on the island of Brac) meant the beginning of the beach lounging section of the holiday. We migrated down to the beach and settled in for a morning of sun and water. The water was a mite chilly but very refreshing after sitting in the sun.
The island is set up with resorts, apartments, restaurants, cafes etc. It is very popular with Germans and Italians who travel down and come across on the ferries with their cars for a holiday of several weeks.
Day 2 saw us decide to try something new. We sought the assistance of the local specialists and took a lesson on how to windsurf. Bol beach is apparently the best area for windsurfing in the islands. The first hour was taken up with basics - getting to know the board and equipment. The weather played the game and did not provide too much wind to begin with. Then right when we were confident the wind picked up so we could try out our new skills.
Feeling very confident we finished our lessons and spent some time sitting in the cafe discussing our form and skill with the only member of our group who is an accomplished windsurfer. Grant stroked our egos suitably and we all agreed its a great sport.
As always time marches on and soon it was time to collect our kit from our apartment and head for the ferry to catch the cat from Brac to Hvar. Strangely however you have to go into another port on the island and then catch a taxi or bus to get to Hvar.
This overland segment afforded us a quick tour of the island and provided us with an excellent vista as we arrived into the town of Hvar.
The castle on top of the hill overlooking the harbour is very impressive and worth a visit.
More on Hvar and Vis in the next post
Andrew
Monday, August 07, 2006
The Beaches of Brac, Vis and Hvar 10-16th June (Part 1)
Having completed the cultural aspects of the holiday in fine form it was time to hit the beach for rest and relaxation.
We boarded the catamaran in Split and headed for the Island of Brac with the fab beach of Bol on it. No sooner had the cat pulled away from split than we all got a good 1hr shut eye. the trip on the cat was amazingly cheap so dont stress too much about the cost of public transport.
Arrival into Brac was different on the pier were lots of locals with various placards advertising their apartments for rent. The apartments are self contained within the owners house usually on a different level and come with all the amenities that you would need to live for 1 day or 3 months.
Once you got used to the way of doing business here then it was easy to go with the flow and get an apartment. Approx cost of £8 PPPN
Once settled into our new place it was time to hit the town and get a drink or 3 and partake of the vista.
Bol Beach
Having completed the cultural aspects of the holiday in fine form it was time to hit the beach for rest and relaxation.
We boarded the catamaran in Split and headed for the Island of Brac with the fab beach of Bol on it. No sooner had the cat pulled away from split than we all got a good 1hr shut eye. the trip on the cat was amazingly cheap so dont stress too much about the cost of public transport.
Arrival into Brac was different on the pier were lots of locals with various placards advertising their apartments for rent. The apartments are self contained within the owners house usually on a different level and come with all the amenities that you would need to live for 1 day or 3 months.
Once you got used to the way of doing business here then it was easy to go with the flow and get an apartment. Approx cost of £8 PPPN
Once settled into our new place it was time to hit the town and get a drink or 3 and partake of the vista.
Bol Beach
Trogir and Split 9-10 June
From Reijka we hired a car from our good friends at avis and zoomed down the coast towards Split. After consulting the travel notes we decided to stay in Trogir which is about 20ks to the north of Split and at the same time tick off another UNESCO site from the list. During the drive down we passed by Zadar with its airport and sea port. The coast road is well worth the drive or bus trip as it follows various types of terrain and sea scape and the islands just of the coast are always visible.
A wee blurb stolen from wikipedia (picture is mine tho!)
Walking along you can go down any number of side steets and come across all sorts of different shops and resturants.
The town is totally set up to cater for tourism and the number of boats which park up along the pier reinforce this. It is very difficult to get accommodation in the old town however all around in the new town there are plenty of different pensions, apartments, B&B etc. We all stayed in a very nice apartment about 5mins walk from the old city.
We stayed on night in Trogir and then headed to Split to drop the car off and then go across to Brac to the awesome beach of Bol.
Split is worth a visit but only for a day or two and we chose to spend our time getting across to the Islands on the catamarans.
Dropping the car off to avis proved to be a major drama - they somehow decided that the only place to have an avis office was at the marina - not near all the other car rental offices. So after searching for a while we found the drop off and then hitched up our stuff and headed for the port to get our tickets.
So next post will be the Islands
Andrew
From Reijka we hired a car from our good friends at avis and zoomed down the coast towards Split. After consulting the travel notes we decided to stay in Trogir which is about 20ks to the north of Split and at the same time tick off another UNESCO site from the list. During the drive down we passed by Zadar with its airport and sea port. The coast road is well worth the drive or bus trip as it follows various types of terrain and sea scape and the islands just of the coast are always visible.
A wee blurb stolen from wikipedia (picture is mine tho!)
Trogir has a fascinating 2300 years of continuous urban tradition. Its rich culture was created under the influence of old Greeks, Romans, and Venetians. Trogir has a high concentration of palaces, churches, and towers, as well as a fortress on a small island, and in 1997 was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List. "The orthogonal street plan of this island settlement dates back to the Hellenistic period and it was embellished by successive rulers with many fine public and domestic buildings and fortifications. Its beautiful Romanesque churches are complemented by the outstanding Renaissance and Baroque buildings from the Venetian period", says UNESCO report.
Trogir is the best-preserved Romanesque-Gothic complex not only in the Adriatic, but in all of Central Europe. Trogir's medieval core, surrounded by walls, comprises a preserved castle and tower and a series of dwellings and palaces from the Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque periods. Trogir's grandest building is the church of St. Lawrence, whose main west portal is a masterpiece by Radovan, and the most significant work of the Romanesque-Gothic style in Croatia.
The most important sites:
- Historical city core, with about 10 churches and numeous buildings from 13th century
- The city gate (17th cent.) and city walls (15th cent.)
- The Fortress Kamerlengo (15th century)
- The Duke's Palace (13th century)
- The cathedral of St. John from the 13th century with the Portal of Master Radovan, the unique work of this great Croatian artist
- The big and small palaces Cipiko from the 15th century
- The city loggia from 15th century
Walking along you can go down any number of side steets and come across all sorts of different shops and resturants.
The town is totally set up to cater for tourism and the number of boats which park up along the pier reinforce this. It is very difficult to get accommodation in the old town however all around in the new town there are plenty of different pensions, apartments, B&B etc. We all stayed in a very nice apartment about 5mins walk from the old city.
We stayed on night in Trogir and then headed to Split to drop the car off and then go across to Brac to the awesome beach of Bol.
Split is worth a visit but only for a day or two and we chose to spend our time getting across to the Islands on the catamarans.
Dropping the car off to avis proved to be a major drama - they somehow decided that the only place to have an avis office was at the marina - not near all the other car rental offices. So after searching for a while we found the drop off and then hitched up our stuff and headed for the port to get our tickets.
So next post will be the Islands
Andrew
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Piran and Portoroz 8-9 June
Koper is the majorport of Sloveni a
Grant, Karen and Jane
Slovenia
Returning to Piran we wandered along the water front to find the girls who had commandeered a piece of free grass to indulge in a spot of serious, by the sea, sunbathing. Job done afternoon sorted sunbathing it was.
The evening saw a small bar on the water front with a look out towards Italy becoming a favourite hide out. Pivo (beer) was poured and ensured that our exertions of the day were well rewarded. Then out to a recommended restaurant for Calamari!
Transport to Split to catch the ferry to Brac was the next thing we needed to sort. This caused some interesting discussions with Avis. We booked a car from Piran to Split and when we arrived at the Avis store we were told that we had not made clear it was a one way rental so there would be a ginormous charge added to the car hire. Very convenient as we had specifically said a number of times during the booking that the car would be left in Split.
The bus had already left so an innovative solution was called for.
The Avis man was going to Reijka and offered to take us for a fee to cover his gas money. Deal done off we went Split here we come.
We arrived into Piran after spending the afternoon at the caves. On the way to the old town we passed through Koper and Portoroz.
Koper is the major
We drove the car into Piran only to find that unless you are a registered Piran Car owner you must park your car outside the town gates. So a quick unload was carried out and the car positioned to its rightful slot, banished from view out near the main road out of the town.
Grant, Karen and Jane
Piran Harbour
We had booked accommodation at the Piran Youth Hostel which was right the heart of the town and in a few windy streets. It was signposted right the town gates. The accommodation was excellent and location brilliant.
Returning to Piran we wandered along the water front to find the girls who had commandeered a piece of free grass to indulge in a spot of serious, by the sea, sunbathing. Job done afternoon sorted sunbathing it was.
The evening saw a small bar on the water front with a look out towards Italy becoming a favourite hide out. Pivo (beer) was poured and ensured that our exertions of the day were well rewarded. Then out to a recommended restaurant for Calamari!
Transport to Split to catch the ferry to Brac was the next thing we needed to sort. This caused some interesting discussions with Avis. We booked a car from Piran to Split and when we arrived at the Avis store we were told that we had not made clear it was a one way rental so there would be a ginormous charge added to the car hire. Very convenient as we had specifically said a number of times during the booking that the car would be left in Split.
The bus had already left so an innovative solution was called for.
The Avis man was going to Reijka and offered to take us for a fee to cover his gas money. Deal done off we went Split here we come.
Friday, June 30, 2006
Mountains to the Sea - Slovenia 6-8 June 2006
Setting out from the picturesque beauty of the lakes we headed for the mountains and stopped to visit numerous waterfalls, gorges, forests etc that are dotted around the parks.
The roads are well looked after and we traveled through some very impressive valleys in the car. We stopped of at a few villages, some with medieval history and some with more modern events.
Slovenia has quite a few earthquakes and a number of towns have rebuilt significant portions of their buildings across the ages and in quite recent decades.
We visited the UNESCO site of the Skocjanske Jame Caves as well as the Postojna Caves. Both cave systems are part of the same river complex. The Postojana system is very well catered for the tourists with a electric train that takes tourists down into the caves. This place is totally worth a visit.
http://www.postojna-cave.com/
From the caves we headed for Piran on the coast not far from Koper as the place to stay. Piran is an amazing port town with virtually no traffic allowed in - more in the next posting
Andrew
Setting out from the picturesque beauty of the lakes we headed for the mountains and stopped to visit numerous waterfalls, gorges, forests etc that are dotted around the parks.
The roads are well looked after and we traveled through some very impressive valleys in the car. We stopped of at a few villages, some with medieval history and some with more modern events.
Slovenia has quite a few earthquakes and a number of towns have rebuilt significant portions of their buildings across the ages and in quite recent decades.
We visited the UNESCO site of the Skocjanske Jame Caves as well as the Postojna Caves. Both cave systems are part of the same river complex. The Postojana system is very well catered for the tourists with a electric train that takes tourists down into the caves. This place is totally worth a visit.
http://www.postojna-cave.com/
From the caves we headed for Piran on the coast not far from Koper as the place to stay. Piran is an amazing port town with virtually no traffic allowed in - more in the next posting
Andrew
Thursday, June 29, 2006
City to Mountain - Lake Beld Slovenia 4-6 June 2006
So the intrepid adventurers set of from Ljub in a wee rental car and set out for Lake Bled with a few diversions on the way.
The most amazing thing about Slovenia is that it is so small (20,000 sq km) that you can do most things in a day trip from Ljub should you choose to.
Most of the villages are worth a visit to see the amazing scenery and view historic buildings, castles, etc as well as get a feel for local life.
The weather was cool but sunny - perfect for exploring mountains, waterfalls, caves etc.
Lake Bled is truly the stuff of Romantic fiction. A small lake set in the north of the Country with a Chapel sitting on an island in the middle of the lake.
A couple of hours after arrival we sat back and supped beers at the castle - overlooking the lake from a strategic position.
The next day was taken up with mountain biking and lake antics
The chapel has set of stairs leading up from the boat ramp to the building. Local legend - should a future husband carry his bride to be up the stairs then they are guaranteed of a happy life - nice legend but its a lots of stair I guess love should overcome all including climbing 99 odd stairs!!
http://wikitravel.org/en/Bled
Once you get to the top you can go into the church and ring the bell - its a wishing bell, so be careful what you wish for as youre in a church.
From visiting the chapel the team zoomed around the lake a couple of times on mountain bikes and then decided to bike up the hill opposite the castle to take a view across the lake to the castle on the other side. A very steep hill, it has a luge that rockets down it.
The next day saw us head to Lake Bohinj to climb a gorge to see a waterfall. The guide book showed swimming in the waterfall - this is however not the case - 553 steps later we arrived at the look out and were beseiged by mossies and could not access the pool.
From this stunning lake we set of for the next step of our adventure - and a night in Kobraid.
Andrew
So the intrepid adventurers set of from Ljub in a wee rental car and set out for Lake Bled with a few diversions on the way.
The most amazing thing about Slovenia is that it is so small (20,000 sq km) that you can do most things in a day trip from Ljub should you choose to.
Most of the villages are worth a visit to see the amazing scenery and view historic buildings, castles, etc as well as get a feel for local life.
The weather was cool but sunny - perfect for exploring mountains, waterfalls, caves etc.
Lake Bled is truly the stuff of Romantic fiction. A small lake set in the north of the Country with a Chapel sitting on an island in the middle of the lake.
A couple of hours after arrival we sat back and supped beers at the castle - overlooking the lake from a strategic position.
The next day was taken up with mountain biking and lake antics
The chapel has set of stairs leading up from the boat ramp to the building. Local legend - should a future husband carry his bride to be up the stairs then they are guaranteed of a happy life - nice legend but its a lots of stair I guess love should overcome all including climbing 99 odd stairs!!
http://wikitravel.org/en/Bled
Once you get to the top you can go into the church and ring the bell - its a wishing bell, so be careful what you wish for as youre in a church.
From visiting the chapel the team zoomed around the lake a couple of times on mountain bikes and then decided to bike up the hill opposite the castle to take a view across the lake to the castle on the other side. A very steep hill, it has a luge that rockets down it.
The next day saw us head to Lake Bohinj to climb a gorge to see a waterfall. The guide book showed swimming in the waterfall - this is however not the case - 553 steps later we arrived at the look out and were beseiged by mossies and could not access the pool.
From this stunning lake we set of for the next step of our adventure - and a night in Kobraid.
Andrew
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