Plitvice National Park, Croatia

In planning our big trip to Croatia, the part I was most excited about was Plitvice National Park. If you see a list of the most beautiful places in the world - this place is usually on it. It's a series of lakes at different altitudes, with waterfalls flowing between them and an eerie blue-greenish water. It's just amazing. So, after our stop in Lake Bled - it was time to head south into Croatia.

2nd leg of the trip: driving from Lake Bled, back through Ljubljana and Zagreb to Plitvica

Driving with a Quick Stop in Zagreb
The drive was supposed to be about 4-5 hours, so we needed to break it up. Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, was about halfway, so we decided to stop there for lunch. We knew the park would be in the middle of nowhere without reliable grocery stores, so we needed to come into a big city and stock up on baby food, diapers, and other snacks to keep us going. I don't have much to say about it - it was just miserably hot. As we trudged on to find the grocery store, we ended up passing a bunch of the major landmarks for the city. Can't say this is one I would go back to - but maybe if it weren't the middle of the summer.

more water please.

church thing

the Zagreb market

One critical error we made was on the drive - it was all toll roads along the way. At one point we were entering a toll booth and the guy sort of waved us through - we thought we were getting a free pass and happily sped along. We got like 5 minutes down the road and came into another toll booth, where they asked for our ticket. Realizing that we were supposed to get one at the first booth but didn't - we tried to explain in absolutely nonexistent Croatian what had happened. They didn't buy it - so instead of paying like $5, we had to pay the maximum fare which was over $200. So-- yah, major lesson learned there. Eventually we made it to our hotel- grabbed dinner and crashed.

this is how we eat most of our meals- someone has a baby in one hand (and huge glass of wine in the other!)

Plitvice!
We had bought our park tickets in advance with the earliest start time possible, but it wasn't enough to avoid the crowds. This place was just packed. There were huge tour buses that dropped off thousands of tourists - so we had to literally wait in line to begin the park trail. Fortunately, most of those tourists disappeared after the first waterfall and things quieted down. (Note: I have not done anything to these pictures - the water really is this color).

a more-crowded spot near the start

So we knew that there would be lots of waterfalls to see, but didn't full realize how close we would be to them. All of the trails are on wooden walkways that are either just above the water or literally climbing up the waterfalls. It was amazing to feel so close to the water. ON the other hand - there were very few handrails - so I was terrified most of the time that the big kid would go in at any point. I think the water isn't actually that deep- but still. I was happy the baby was secured.

hold that kid's hand!!

seems like a nice place for a handrail, no?

There were a couple spots where you had to take a boat to cross a lake and pick up the trail. This ended up being a huge delay as there were so many tourists and not that many boats. So we stopped for a long lunch break, and the baby fell asleep. It probably was helpful to give everyone a break.

 on the boat - baby naps, boy gets a rest

We were so excited to see this beautiful park, but knew that actually hiking with two small kids was going to be hard. I had the baby on me in the carrier, and Spouso was ready to pick up the big guy as soon as he got tired. Instead, he was a total trooper and made it the whole way himself. We just took a break about every 15 minutes with lots of little snacks and water, and he was fine. We were only planning to take the shortest loop trail along the lower lakes, but since things were going well, we debated adding on a longer loop up to see the upper lakes. Sure enough, as soon as we stepped foot on the additional trail, he absolutely melted down-- clearly he'd had enough. So back to the car we went. I would've loved to see more, but just getting to see any of it was amazing.

the one time he got picked up- just to take a photo

view from above

so tired. must be exhausting to get carried around all day. 

After a long day, we headed back to our hotel. We knew we were in no position to sit through a multi-course meal, and instead just wanted to pick up a pizza and eat it in our room. We seriously debated hopping across the border into Bosnia to a pizza place that would've only been like 30 minutes out of our way - but instead just ran to the closest town to get something, then back to our room for pizza and time to crash!

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we made it!

So- one other thing that was bizarre and surprising was the difference between Slovenia and Croatia. Not knowing much about either country, I had assumed they'd be pretty similar. Instead, Slovenia was clearly upscale - things were clean and well-maintained. It was all a bit resorty, actually. But as soon as we crossed the border into Croatia, things were clearly different. This is obviously a much poorer country that has not fully rebuilt from the war. As we drove through small towns, we saw houses just riddled with bullet holes.  It was a constant reminder that there was a war here not long ago, and it's still really fresh. And with that - it was time to pack up again, and head to our next spot.

One Day in Lake Bled, Slovenia

So, as I mentioned in my last post, for our big summer trip we decided to go to Croatia. As we started looking into it, we kept seeing pictures of this really beautiful island, just across the border in Slovenia. So, after a day in Ljubljana, our next stop was to Lake Bled.

first leg of the trip: Ljubljana to Lake Bled

Travel Day and A Surprise:
After the baby finished his morning nap, we jumped in the car for a quick ride from Ljubljana to Lake Bled. It should've only taken about an hour (we had a few wrong turns), so we would arrive in time for lunch. Meanwhile, my brother and his family who live in nearby Vienna, had also wanted to see Lake Bled and thought it would be fun to meet us up for the weekend. I had the brilliant idea to make it a surprise, and not tell my husband or kid. (ominous music begins). We were arriving on a Sunday just as they would be finishing up and heading home - so the plan was to meet up for lunch. I thought it would be really easy to have them pick a restaurant that I would casually suggest we go to, and then walk in and Surprise! What are the chances of bumping into our family so far from home?! I really thought it would be fun.

view of the island with the little church

castle up on the hill above the lake

Well, first off, they were staying on the other side of the lake than we were, and it turns out to be a bigger lake than it looks. Secondly - it turns out to be really crowded and trafficky. So - as we're trying to navigate through these middle-of-nowhere mountain roads to get there, I'm trying to text with them to figure out where to meet up, constantly losing service. We finally get to the area where they were staying and eventually find parking, and start looking for a restaurant. Then I find out they've walked all the way to the other side of the lake to where we are going to be staying. It's a disaster. Trying to keep the secret, I have to tell everyone to turn around and walk the other way for no reason, while they rush back to meet us. I finally pick a restaurant and they plan to join- and the surprise falls when I have to ask for a table for 7. At this point, husband, who has been doing all the driving and fighting with the traffic and getting yanked around - is not happy with me. We have a nice lunch with them: the kiddos are thrilled to see each other, and it was nice to catch up with them. Eventually, we head on to our AirBnb, a charming little cottage in the mountains. Lesson learned: maybe making it a surprise for the kids would've been a better idea.

so excited to see his cousin

yay!

After we checked in, we walked along the lake path for a bit, and then came back. It was clear that the restaurants were packed and we had no reservations - so we found a grocery store and pulled together a quick pasta and put everyone in bed.

Morning Trip: To the Island!
So the lake would be pretty on its own - but what makes it really famous is that there is a little island in the middle with a charming church. You can rent boats to go out to the island and visit the church - so we got up early to beat the crowds. It's a beautiful little trip, and then we walked around the island for just a bit. It was already getting quite hot, so we turned back after not long, and headed back to the cabin for nap time.

traditional boats parked at the island

yup- baby in the carrier - huge lifejacket around us both. Totally safe.

family pic - getting hot and silly - ready to head back for a break

Afternoon: Pastries & Swimming 
After nap time, we decided to head out in search of a snack. We had heard about the Lake Bled cream cake, a pastry specific to the lake, and cannot pass up a local pastry. On a previous walk, we had seen a sign for a cafe up on the hill, so we wanted to check it out. Turns out to have been the party house for Tito, communist dictator and President of Yugoslavia. Apparently he loved to vacation at the lake and used this room as a place to host big parties for the communist big-wigs in this amazing spot overlooking the lake. It's a ball room, covered in communist mosaic propaganda, with a lovely balcony outside. So we sat on the balcony, overlooking the beautiful island and lake below, while sipping champagne, eating the official pastry of Lake Bled, feeling really awkward.

that's really decadent!!

what a view

Once we'd had enough, we tromped back down the hill and found a good spot for a quick swim. The water was warmer than we expected, but still chilly - so we took turns watching the little guy on the shore while someone took the big kid in the water. It was just beautiful and so idyllic. Eventually, people were getting tired and cold, and we headed back home.

swimming in amazing surroundings

Evening: A Failed Dinner and Some Stargazing
We again tried to get into a couple of restaurants, but it was clear the kids were just too tired to wait. While they went back to the room, I ran to the grocery store to grab something. Obviously, everything's in Slovenian, so I'm doing my best. I didn't want a huge bottle of olive oil, so I grabbed a tiny bottle without paying enough attention. When I get back to the cabin - I quickly discover that I've bought pumpkin oil, not olive oil, which I think tastes pretty awful. They apparently use it to drizzle over ice cream, definitely not for cooking. So we have a pretty awful meal of boiled chicken and plain pasta - not my best.

We put the little guy to sleep and decided to let our big kid stay up late to watch the stars. In London, not only is it a big city that is always covered in clouds - but the sun also doesn't set until 9 - 10ish in the summer, so we absolutely cannot see stars here. But in Lake Bled - the mountain air is clear and cloudless - so the stars are amazing! We let him sit with us outside for an hour maybe - it was just awesome. Then, eventually, off to bed - and the next morning we pack up for our next stop- the Plitvice National Park in Croatia!

Lessons Learned:

1. Obviously, the surprise idea was a terrible one. Not that he wasn't happy to see my family - but I should've known that he's not a big fan of surprises and obviously having his help on the logistics of meeting up would've been better.  
2. The big lesson I think from this part of the trip was to cook dinner ourselves. AirBnbs all have kitchens, though they are not stocked equally, and it just makes sense to use them sometimes. We enjoy eating out, and obviously food is an important part of traveling and experiencing another culture, but sometimes with kids it's just easier to make something quick and easy. So - I think from this point on, we ended up cooking like every other night (always checking to make sure we had the right oil). 
3. This trip also gave us our first reminder that this part of the world has been in conflict not long ago. None of our other trips have been anywhere recently war-torn, so it helped prepare us to head south of the border into Croatia and near the border with Bosnia.

A Day in Ljubljana, Slovenia

For our big trip of the summer, we decided to go to Croatia. We wanted to add a stop in Lake Bled just across the border in Slovenia. We didn't really know anything else about Slovenia, other than it's the homeland of Melania Trump, clearly a strong selling point. The most convenient airport with the best tickets turned out to be Ljubljana (loo-blee-on-ah), the capital of Slovenia. We would land at night, and knew better than trying to get straight into a car to drive to the next stop, so we decided to add a day in Ljubljana before moving on. Even though it was a total add-on, it turned out to be one of our favorite parts of the whole trip - so I'm dedicating a whole post just to the one day we had there.

Slovenia/Croatia border

closeup of the old city - very walkable with lots of sites in a small, charming area

Morning: Local Pastries and a Castle with a View
While I got to sleep in, Spouso took the boys to find local pastries,  known as Štruklji (we pronounced it "sh-troo-klee" which might be close to correct).  It's like if you made a bunch of crepes and squished them together with some nice fillings or toppings in between. Then we headed off into town. We walked through the market and took the train to the top of the hill in the center of town where the old castle is located. The train did the hard work of getting us up the hill, and then we just climbed up the top of the castle walls. The castle doesn't have a lot going on really - just an amazing view of the city below. So we stayed up at the top, took lots of pictures, and then opted to hike back down the hill. Lesson quickly learned: hikes and strollers don't go together!

looking for pastries- castle on the hill in the background

pastries found!

market with classic Slovenian tower in the background

top of the castle wall

yay squinty selfie!!

Afternoon: Lunch and A Quick Walk Through Town
We grabbed a quick traditional lunch of sausage and bread - tasty but not light. We passed through town, across the Triple Bridge which is Ljubljana's center and most photographed spot. Then, everyone was hot and tired, so we headed back the hotel for a break. The little guy needed a decent nap, the big guy needed to cool down, and I needed to get my homework done (unfortunate timing to be doing a certificate program).

traditional lunch of meat and bread

on the famous triple bridge - ready for a break

someone needs a break

Evening: Dragons & Drinks
After our break, we headed back into town. First stop - the famous Dragon Bridge. Ljubljana is the City of Dragons, so they are all over the place. They guard both sides of the Dragon Bridge, and it's said that they wag their tails if a virgin crosses the bridge. Cheeky Slovenians!! Then we walked along the river, stopped for a quick drink, and headed to dinner.

dragon bridge

lemonade by the river

walking along the river 

so lovely

more of this awesome architecture

Dinner & Dessert

When we arrived the previous night, we walked from restaurant to restaurant, unable to get in to any of them because we didn't have a reservation. We didn't eat well that night, but were able to make a reservation for the next day at what was considered one of the best spots in the city. It turned out to be one of the best meals of the year for us. Like Croatia, Slovenia has a lot of truffles as well as Italian influences in their cuisine. Meanwhile, little guy was like 8 months old at this point and just starting to explore eating real food. So, we sat in a beautiful garden, passing him back and forth while he gleefully tried fresh pastas, lots of truffles and other tasty things. Then, of course, gelato was had by all. 

best meal of the year: scrambled eggs with truffles

a well-earned gelato

Next day: A quick walk and then off we go
The next morning was my turn to wake up early with the little guy, so we went for a walk while the others slept in. We had the whole city to ourselves. Balloons were in the air - it was just beautiful.

balloons over the castle

smiling selfies

city to ourselves

Then, while he took his morning nap, we got everyone packed up and ready to move on to the next stop: Lake Bled. In the end, Ljubljana turned out to be just charming. It's smallish, and definitely walkable with small kids, so we were able to see the major sites in a day. The lazy river the flows through the city is lovely, while the castle on the hill makes every picture scenic. The architecture is unique, the food is tasty. It was just lovely all around.

The biggest travel lesson we did learn from this trip is the importance of having dinner reservations every night. Trying to drag the family through the city when everyone's hungry and tired and being turned away multiple times is just awful. Instead, this experience taught us to always make reservations - even just calling in the afternoon a few hours before you plan to eat. Knowing you have a reserved table somewhere is just huge.