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Lake
Bohinj
and
Mount
Triglav
Slovenia
Lake Bohinj is located in the north-west of Slovenia inside
the Triglav National Park.
Bohinj is an excellent starting point for trips and hikes
through the Slovenian Julian Alps including its tallest peak Triglav
(2,864m). The park is rich in flora and fauna and the mountains are
adjacent to stunning valleys, forests and open country. A gondola takes
visitors high above the lake to Mt Vogel, which lies at an altitude of
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Lake
Bled
Slovenia
Lake
Bled is a
glacial lake
in the Julian Alps in northwestern
Slovenia.
It is one of the most visited tourist attractions in
Slovenia,
second only to the
Postojna
Cave.
The lake is also well known among rowers and will host the World
Championship in 2011.
Perched
on top of a 130m cliff above the lake stands the
Bled
Castle,
which is
one of the oldest medieval fortresses in
Slovenia.
As the residence of Bishops, it was mentioned already in 1004.
The castle is arranged for tourist visits, and there is also an
imitation of a small Renaissance printing house.
A small
island in the middle of the lake is home to the Assumption of Mary
Pilgrimage Church. Before the church, there was a temple consecrated to
the Slavic goddess of love and fertility. One can get to the island on a
traditional wooden row barge called Pletna.
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LJUBLJANA |
Ljubljana
Slovenia
Ljubljana
is the capital of
Slovenia.
It is a mid-sized city with some 280,000 inhabitants located in the
center of the country. Students make up one-seventh of
Ljubljana's
population, giving the city a youthful character. The University of
Ljubljana has close to 64,000 students.
Ljubljana
is regarded as the cultural, scientific, economic, political and
administrative centre of
Slovenia.
Throughout its history, it has been influenced by its geographic
position at the crossroads of German, Latin and Slavic culture.
Legend has it that
Ljubljana was founded by the Greek mythological hero Jason and his
Argonauts. They
went to the
source of the river Ljubljanica where Jason struck down a monster. This
monster was the dragon that today is present on the city's coat of arms
and flag. Several winged dragons also decorate the
Dragon
Bridge.
Some residents nicknamed the bridge "mother-in-law" in reference to the
fearsome dragons on its four corners.
Ljubljana
Castle
is a medieval castle located at the summit of the hill that dominates
the city centre.
After
the 1511 earthquake,
Ljubljana
was built in a Baroque style and after the 1895 quake in an Art Nouveau
style. The city's architecture is thus a mix of styles.
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ZAGREB |
Zagreb,
Croatia
the native name of Croatia is Hrvatski
Zagreb
is the capital of
Hrvatski
with a population of
1.1million in the metropolitan area. Its favorable geographic position
in the southwestern part of the Pannonian Basin provides an excellent
connection for traffic between Central Europe and the Adriatic Sea.
The city centre lies in two parts:
Upper
Town
and
Lower
Town
which meet at the
Main Square.
Picturesque
Upper
Town
is made up of
higgledy-piggledy cobbled streets
and buildings dating from
medieval times
up to the 19th century, including the Cathedral,
St Marks’ Church, and the Croatian Parliament. In contrast,
Lower
Town
follows a geometrical plan with a series of green squares rimmed by
Austro-Hungarian buildings erected from the late 19th century, most
notably
the main train station (Glavni Kolodvor).
In front of the train station, successive large parks lead the way up to
the historic centre of
Upper
Town.
The twin Spires of the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin
Mary are a landmark of
Zagreb.
The first cathedral built here was destroyed by the Tartar invasion in
the 13th century. Most recently, the earthquake of 1880 destroyed large
sections of the Cathedral.
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PLITVICE |
Plitvice Lakes National Park
Croatia
The Plitvice lakes are located inland between Zadar and
Zagreb.
They are
Croatia's
most famous national park and among the most beautiful sights in
Europe.
Deservedly listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1979, the 16
cascading lakes, thunderous waterfalls, subterranean caverns, forests,
hiking trails and boat rides in the park are what defined the word
breathtaking.
The lakes descend from an altitude of 636m to 503m over a distance of
some eight km.
The waters flowing over the limestone and chalk have, over thousands of
years, deposited travertine barriers, creating natural dams which in
turn have created a series of beautiful lakes, caves and waterfalls.
These geological processes continue today. The forests in the park are
home to bears, wolves and many rare bird species.
The lakes are renowned for their distinctive colours, ranging from azure
to green, grey or blue. The colours change constantly depending on the
quantity of minerals or organisms in the water and the angle of
sunlight.
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Opatija
Croatia
Opatija is called the Opatija Riviera of the
Adriatic.
It is one of the most popular tourist resorts in
Croatia
at the foot of Mt Ucka. Situated at the eastern coast of
Istria
in the
Rijeka
Bay Opatija is protected from the north and northwest by Ucka, so that
Opatija has less rainfall and more sunshine. The whole narrow coastal
strip is covered with evergreen vegetation. Opatija attracts guests in
both summer and winter to enjoy its 12-km coastal promenade.
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Krk
Island
Croatia
The route from Opatija to
the
island of
Krk is panoramic. There are the medieval town of
Veprinac
at 500m above sea level and the
town of
Bakar
which overlooks the
Bay
of
Bakar.
The
Krk
Bridge has the second longest
concrete arch in the world.
The town of
Krk is the administrative and political centre of
the island. It
dates back from Roman times and
is among the oldest in the
Adriatic. Krk
features a typical Mediterranean architectural
style with narrow streets and traditional style houses made of stone. Roman ruins can be seen today in some parts of the town. Krk has also
preserved a medieval
defence castle with bastion.
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Krk Cathedral
Krk
is seat of the Catholic Diocese of Krk.
The cathedral, dedicated to the Holy Virgin Mary, was built of white
stone from the area and is a fine example of Romanesque architecture. |
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Kosljun Islet
Krk Island,
Croatia
Kosljun is a small islet only 200m from the town of
Punat
in a bay off the coast of
Krk.
The only inhabitants are Franciscan monks living in St Mary’s Monastery
which
contains a collection of sacred art and objects.
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Pula
Istria,
Croatia
The
Istrian
Peninsula
feels separate from the rest of
Croatia.
The Romans ruled here from 177 BC creating a capital in Pula at Istria's
southern tip. Still,
Pula's
superb Roman remains include a well-preserved amphitheatre, arch,
temple, and forum in the centre of town.
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Pazin
Croatia
Pazin is a small town in central
Istria
about 30km far from tourist villages on the sea. Pazin is the town of
rich tradition and culture. The old part of the town, called Kastel,
lies on a hill about 130m above the abyss called Jama.
Kastel is one of the best preserved medieval towns in
Istria
and its castle the
biggest and the best-preserved medieval fortress of the
Istria
Peninsula.
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Istrian countryside lunch in
a village of Pazin |
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Predjama
Castle
Slovenia
Just
10km from the
Postojna
Cave
stands the picturesque
Predjama
Castle.
Virtually impossible to conquer the castle was a true Eagle’s nest.
For
more than 700 years it has perched proudly on its 123-metre cliff.
The
castle was built under a natural rocky arch high in the stone wall to
make access to it difficult.
In the 15th century the castle was
the
hideout for the knight Erazem, a “robber baron”, who is the subject of a
romantic and beautiful legend.
Erazem was
ordered to be assassinated by the Emperor. After a long siege of the
castle, Erazem was finally killed by being tricked.
Erazem had incurred the wrath of the imperial court for two reasons: the
murder of a kinsman of the emperor and his dealings with the emperor’s
Hungarian enemies. The governor of
Trieste
laid siege to the castle for several months. But during that time he
received a number of gifts from Erazem: meat, fish, and even cherries
since a
secret natural shaft allowed Erazem to secretly supply the castle with
food; he also used it to continue with his robberies.
It
was only after bribing a messenger to explain where the toilet area was
(back in the day, you pretty much just hung your bottom out the window
and let fly) and sent out a prearranged signal when Erazem went to do
his business. One well-aimed cannonball later and Erazem was history.
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Postojna
Cave
Slovenia
Postojna
Cave in western
Slovenia is a 20-kilometre labyrinth of subterranean
passages, filled with fantastical stalagmites, stalactites and other
rock formations. It is one of the finest examples of landscape, where
limestone rock has been heavily eroded to form underground streams, a
phenomenon that has created several other caves in the area.
Species unique to the Postojna cave system
include the olm, or proteus.
In Slovene the olm is literally known as the "human fish" because of the
colour of its skin. This unique creature with no eyes can grow up to
30cm. The olm is most notable for its adaptations to a life of complete darkness.
Its senses of smell and hearing are acutely developed and it lacks any
pigmentation of skin. The olm’s longevity is estimated at up to 58
years.
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