Slovenia and Croatia = Fun and Sun!

Our trip to Slovenia and Croatia was always on our list of places to go. A lot of our friends had been to both places and had nothing but good things to say about it. We found a good week to go and booked our adventure. Here are some pictures:

Loading up on the plane for a quick flight to Trieste, Italy. We rented a car there and drove to Lake Bled, Slovenia for our first stop.  

We found our hotel, parked and unloaded the car and made our way to the lake. 

It was a little on the warm side so the cool temps of the lake were welcomed. 

There is an island in the middle of the lake. There is a church on the island named Pilgrimage Church of the Assumption of Maria. The only way to get there is by boat. No motors are allowed on the lake so you have to take a row boat. The previous photo had one of the unique boats in it. The boats are called Plenta boats. You can also swim out to the island which we saw plenty of people doing. 

There are 99 steps to get from the boat dock to the church. There is a Slovenian tradition where the groom must carry his wife up the stairs to the church while she remains completely silent. This will ensure a long and happy marriage. I totally would have done it but I dont think Shannon would have kept quiet. 

The main reason for visiting Lake Bled was to stay in the treehouse village. This was something we had heard about from our friends. We booked the room about 4 months in advance. It did not disappoint and it was really unique. 

It was so peaceful and everything was themed around nature. 

They had a awesome spring-water pool that tadpoles swimming in it. The girls spent hours on end enjoying the water and cooling off. They also had a delicious restaurant where most of the veggies and fruit were grown on the property. Farm to table! 

We also took a dip in Lake Bled. It was a little chilly but was very refreshing. It was extremely clear and we saw lots of fish. 

Slovenia is also known for their honey. One of the first bee keepers, Anton Jansa, is considered one of the first modern bee keepers. Slovenia is also the only European country that has protected the bee. We visited one of the local bee keepers and she took us on a tour of their place. 

We tasted delicious honey treats, learned a lot about bees, got to see them up close and saw them buzzing around in action. Another thing unique to Slovenia is the painted panels of the bee houses. They believe that the bees know which colors are their houses and will return to their house throughout their lives. 

Lake Bled, Slovenia was absolutely beautiful, scenic, and nice to be in nature.

Our next stop was Croatia. We drove a few hours down to Split, Croatia to see what it is all about. One thing we found out first hand was the heat. It was very hot so the first thing we did after getting settled in the apartment was hit Bacvice Beach along with many others. 

Sailing in the crystal clear waters of the Dalmatian coast was one of the goals. The company cancelled our sailing excursion the night before due to the forecasted winds. Luckily, we were able to find a tour on a power boat that took us island hopping throughout the coast. 

Croissants always make mornings better! 

We departed Split and made our way to the island of Otok Drvenik Veli. 

First stop was the blue lagoon. We were one of the first boats to arrive so we were able to swim and play before it got busy.  I do not know if we will ever see clearer water then the water in the lagoon.  

We snorkeled and watched the schools of fish swimming around. 

We departed the lagoon for Trogir, Croatia. Parts of the medieval town remain intact along with modern buildings. 

The 13th century Cathrdral of St Lawrence is on the right. 

We stopped in Trogir for a bathroom break and snacks and a quick visit to the beach. 

The beautiful waters of the Dalmatian coast and Ellis! 

The next stop was back towards Split where we were able to swim around and jump off these rocks. 

The girls picked up snorkeling very fast. 

We were able to salvage a day out on the sea and got to experience a bit of the Dalmatian coast. 

It was back to Split were it was hotter than a two dollar pistol. 

We had to wait around until evening time to be able to go out and explore. It was was just too miserable to walk around in the heat of the day. We took a brief stroll through the Diocletians Palace which is a huge fortress-like palace that served as a residence for a Roman emperor and the military garrison.  We found some good sea food places and topped it off with ice cream. 

This was our view from our apartment -- not too shabby. 

The next morning we drove to the Krka National park in order to play around in the water falls and tide pools. 

There was a nice boardwalk that traversed the park but we made a beeline to the pools to cool off. It was another scorcher of a day. 

He are the girls and I making our way out to the falls. The water was bone chilling cold but again, felt refreshing due to the heat. The brown area is calcified rocks that you had to navigate to get to the deeper pools. 

The water felt amazing and the scenery was fantastic. 

After cooling down our core temperature, we made our way back out of the park and stopped to view the other water falls. 

The next stop was Zadar, Croatia. We walked around the city and checked out the sea organ. 

The sea organ is an architectural sound-making piece of art. There are pipes built into the marble steps that play sounds as the waves crash into them. 

We enjoyed the organ for a few minutes but called it early due to the heat. The girls wanted to jump in and swim, but the water was a bit choppy. Meanest parents ever! 

Our final stop was Nin, Croatia where we hit the beach, relaxed at a beach-side cabana, and ate a good pizza. 

Walking back to the apartment after a long day of exploring and swimming.

Another trip in the books. It was a good time but we could have done without the heat. There was a heatwave going through Europe that week so we couldn't escape it. Luckily we had a lot of beaches and pools available to cool us down.