The European Travel Club
Brian Mundy
Lake Bled shone brightly in glorious spring sunshine as 26 savvy travelers (20 from SaddleBrooke) experienced the beauty and history in a fun-filled 13-day tour through Slovenia and Croatia hosted by Brian and Cheryl Mundy. We began with a three night stay in two converted farmhouses close to the lake and a delicious four course welcome dinner with lots of local wine. Our first full day of guided touring included visits to the eleventh century Bled Castle, the dramatic Vintgar Gorge, the medieval town of Radovljica (where we learned the age-old art of making gingerbread hearts and enjoyed a traditional lunch – with more local wine!) and Lake Bohinj. Our second day was at leisure to individually explore but we ended it with a fun schnapps tasting in the farmhouse cellar. After three days in idyllic Bled we headed south in brilliant sunshine for a walking tour of the old center of Ljubljana, Slovenia’s charming capital and free time to browse the bustling open-air market before continuing further south into Croatia. Then a short stop to view the old water mills in the unique village of Rastoke before arriving at our small private hotel on the fringe of the Plitvice Lakes National Park. The following day was devoted to exploring Croatia’s most spectacular national park before heading southwest to the Adriatic. Walking tours of the UNESCO World Heritage town of Trogir and the Roman Emperor Diocletian’s fourth century place in Split were undoubted highlights of Day 6, which ended with our arrival on the Island of Hvar and a special dinner and overnight in our hotel – everyone having a sea-view suite for the next two nights! Day 7 was quite amazing! Not only because we were on the most famous island in the Adriatic and in one of the loveliest small towns in Europe, but it was also the festival of St. Prosper, Hvar’s patron saint, and we all witnessed staged performances, a local market, a remarkable religious procession and a wedding! Day 8 featured two ferries and our arrival in the small town of Orebic across from the Island of Korcula, birthplace of Marco Polo, which we visited on Day 9. Day 10 featured a stop in Ston (with the longest stone fortified walls in the world after the Great Wall in China) and a wine tasting, and ended with our arrival in the small former fishing village of Cavtat, just south of Dubrovnik, where we enjoyed three nights. Day 11 was devoted to “The Pearl of the Adriatic”, Dubrovnik, where the crowds inside the walled old city were manageable (just wait until the summer months!) and we were blessed with one of many superb ETC guides, Vesna. Our final full day was a relaxing one: a Sunday morning Mass (for those who wished), a folklore show, and a superb luncheon in arguably the loveliest-located restaurant in Croatia. We spent the second half of our last day on the most beautiful yacht rental, checking out the Dubrovnik coastline and soaking in some rays, followed by an evening cocktail reception. It was a fitting end to a very successful trip. And an early night heralded our flights out of Dubrovnik airport the following morning.
The European Travel Club is now offering SaddleBrooke residents other unique small group programs hosted by Brian and Cheryl Mundy, including the West Country of England and the Island of Guernsey in September 2016, Scotland and Ireland in October 2016, Hungary and Transylvania in early-May 2017 and another Slovenia and Croatia trip in late May 2017. For further information please contact me at [email protected]. Happy travels, everyone!