Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik, the Pearl of the Adriatic, more than deserves its nickname, in spite of the hundreds of tourists who have gotten off the huge cruise ships, and make the town crowded and noisy. Fortunately, there are enough restaurants, cafés and quiet streets for everybody. It is difficult to imagine that this city was completely destroyed by the war, that almost nothing was left 15 years ago.

Cavtat, a few kilometers away from Dubrovnik. People in Croatia compare it to Saint Tropez. It might not be exactly similar, but is still very nice.

It is now almost time to go back to Paris.

Next news in early September, and the weather should be a bit colder, then....

From Sibenik to Dubrovnik

(Don't expect more comments in this message than in the previous one, one connection in 5 days is not enough to catch up with the delay, sorry...)

On the road to Primosten, a small village on the coast :



Trogir, another opportunity to wander in tiny streets, with the clothes hanging on the ropes to get dried by the sun, and to eat gorgious fruits, fish and seafood:





Split, where the mausoleum of the emperor Diocletianus, one of the worst persecutors of the Christians, has been turned into a cathedral, and where his palace, built 1700 years ago is now inhabited by more than 3000 inhabitants, as the building, almost not damaged by the centuries, has become the historic centre of the town. They call the street which is now in front of the palace the "Promenade des Français", as it seems that there are as many French tourists as you can have English on the "Promenade des Anglais" in Nice.




Bacine lakes, close to the Bosnian border (that you have to cross, to go to Dubrovnik, by the way), where you can give buy the fruits grown locally on the side of the road :

A few kilometers before Dubrovnik, Ston, and its "Chinese wall" fortification. Their local production is salt, but also delicous oysters and mussels, and a very good white wine. Mmmm, that was good ! :))

From Opatija to Sibenik

Opatija is a nice sea resort, with beautiful hotels built at the beginning of the 20th century.



Just one picture of the sea, for those who did not have the opportunity to have a nice swim this summer :



When you get away from the sea coast, and enter the countryside, you discover the part of the country which was really touched by the war. Half of the houses are brand new, and half of them are still in ruins. The cemeteries along the road are full of very recent graves, no need to enter, you can see it from the outside.

Plitvice, one of their 8 national parks, is a land of rivers and water falls, there are hundreds (thounsands ?) of them everywhere. As the temperature has lowered a bit, it is almost cold under the tree shade. The only noice around is the birds singing and the water flowing, but you might cross surprising animals...



It is not that easy to find an Internet connection in Croatia, so I have accumulated a huge delay, and will therefore not go in details through all the stops on the way down to Dubrovnik. In just a few words, the coast is incredible, and worth visiting the country just for those sceneries. All the historical cities (some of them partially rebuilt after the war 10 or 15 years ago) and the small villages are places where you want to spend a couple of hours.

Zadar :



Sibenik :

From Zagreb to Opatija

Dobro jutro !

For those who get mad in the traffic jams in Paris, they should spend a few moments in Zagreb, a couple of hours before a giant concert by U2 (as a consequence, quite a few streets are closed), in the middle of the summer (which is the perfect moment for road works, as anywhere is the world). It looks like the 800,000 inhabitants of the city are stuck in their car on the same road...
The North of Croatia looks really far away from the Mediterranean sea. Zagreb reminds Vienna, with its wide streets, its cathedral and its cafés where you can have a piece of cake full of cream. But the fruit market definitely belongs to a southern country. Everything sold here is produced a few kilometers away and has probably been picked this morning.

After a few more hours of traffic jams, the Istrian peninsula takes you directly to Italy (at least, this is the feeling you have, and it makes sense, we are only 30 km away from Trieste). In Porec, everybody speaks Italian (easier than Croat, believe me !), you can find (very good) ice creams, pizzas and pasta at each street corner...

Rovinj is another small town which looks familiar to anybody who ever visited a village in a sunny country. It is so easy to get lost in the tiny streets...

From Delfi to the Holy Meteora

Last ancient site in Greece, Delfi, where are located the bellybutton of the world (below on the left), the Apollo sanctuary and its treasuries (below in the middle and on the right) and the Athena temple.

A few kilometers after, a delightful village, Arahova, a ski resort with never ending stairs, in which I could have wandered for hours.

Last stop in Greece, the Holy Meteora, monasteries built upon rocks which are « between heaven and earth », 400 meters above the valley. The first traces are lost in the mist of legend but the 1^st buildings can be dated from the 14^th century. Monks still live in some of them. The hundreds of steps mandatory to get to the top bring you to byzantine icons, old hospitals and dining rooms, still in use sometimes.

From Mystra to Delfi

Mystra is a very surprising place : dozens of churches built on the (very) steep slope of a mountain, between the 13th and 15th centuries. Most of them are still in a very good condition, specially the paintings inside.

After a night spent in an hotel in the middle of olive tree fields, Olympia : this site is not only the best preserved one among those I have seen so far in Greece. More than anything else, it is impressive to be where the Olympic Games were created, and see the original stadium where the athletes competed more than 2500 years ago. We can only regret that one of their traditions was lost for the modern Games : the fact that a truce was guaranteed between all the competing nations during the preparation of the games, which lasted 6 months.

Let's be chauvinistic during a moment : the bridge inaugurated in 2004 between the Peloponese and the continent, built by French engineers, is beautiful !