We were up early to catch the 9am car ferry from Superstar to Split. We were towards the front of the queue although they let more cars on than I could count. The ferry was actually divided into 3 levels for the cars to park on - were on the bottom level. I couldn't watch as Shane steered the car into a ridiculously tight spot!!
Down we go.....
Our car ended up behind that one on the right....with a scratch...well done Shane!!
We got on and took the 45 minute trip back to mainland Croatia.
Relaxing on the ferry now that the car was safely parked!
It was a long day of driving - through different scenery...from bare rock and heat to the much milder and greener mountains which was our next stop for the night.
Through the rocky mountains....
Into the green hills - there were lots of roadside stalls selling homemade cheeses, honey and jam...most of them were just tables with an umbrella beside the road...this one was a far more sophisticated setup!
We were at Plitvicka National Park...famous for its tiered lake system and the large number of waterfalls that result. We arrived just after 2pm and after checking in at our camp-cabin we headed straight for the lakes. They are very beautiful and very big...I think most people spend a few days exploring but we only had an afternoon. Neve, Mum and I took the electric train which ran most of the length of the lakes while Shane and Eloise concentrated on the first few lakes and the waterfalls there.
The entrance to Plitvicka National Park
Some of the lakes and waterfalls
It's a shame that being in such a special, natural environment meant sharing it with so many other people at the same time! It didn't have quite the same peaceful feel that it deserved.
We were all pretty tired from the big days' traveling by the time we had dinner...but it didn't stop Neve from breaking down international language barriers and making friends in the playground!!!!
After a big nights' sleep we were up and in the car early again on Sunday....this time leaving the mountains and driving through some very remote countryside to get us up to the Slovenian border.
Through the back-roads...although this one was actually one of the 'wider' ones we went on before getting back on the motorway
The border between Croatia and Slovenia
Before we reached the border, we found about the only McDonalds in Croatia (much to Eloise's delight) and managed to get rid of the last of our Croatian kuna. We said "Hvala" (pronounced "Farla") to Croatia....which is "thanks" in Croatian - something Eloise was getting very enthusiastic about saying! What a fabulous country!!
The border crossing took a while with both the Croatian and Slovienian sides needing to check passports. I can imagine this will be much more streamlined once Croatia becomes a member of the EU. We drove through Slovenia for half an hour or so before crossing (much more quickly) into Italy.
Trieste was our next stop (which we fly out of tomorrow afternoon). It was very hot in Trieste but we took a walk along the beachfront - by "beach" I mean cement slabs with far too many people that were far too brown and smelling of coconut oil.
At the beach....Trieste style!
Once again, "Mrs Thornton" the bird managed to find us....
We came to a castle - Castello Miramare and timed it well so we managed to catch an Italian choir signing outside the castle.
When we got back it was just past 6pm so we tried to find somewhere to have dinner. Although we soon discovered that nowhere opens for dinner until after 730pm!! So the kids had a "reverse dinner" - eating an ice cream before dinner! A gorgeous sunset followed by too much food for dinner - it is Italy after all...and it was time for bed. A big 2 days of driving....looking forward to settling into the week in Sardinia tomorrow.
