Slipping through the Slovenia and Croatia borders

Approaching the passport control booth at the Slovenia/Croatia border, a sense of nervousness came upon me.  Were my passport and CT drivers license going to be enough, or would I be asked to provide my international drivers permit, which expired 1 year ago.  If my documentation fails, would I no longer be able to drive in the country?  Even though the permit is required in some countries, it is really just a small book written in multiple languages which says the license I have is valid.  I do not see much value you in it but I guess you never know.  Success!...they did not even ask for anything more than a passport which they scanned and stamped.  Proceeding through the checkpoint, the nerves re-emerge as another checkpoint is upon us, this time the Croatian.  Even though Croatia joined the European Union as their 28th member state on 1 July 2013, border controls still exist because they are part of the Schengen Agreement.  Good for me, because that means an additional passport stamps.

Driving through the northwest part of former Yugoslavia, you are surrounded by history and beautiful landscape.  Formed in 1918 after World War I as the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, it was commonly referred as "Versailles state" but later renamed in 1929 to Yugoslavia.  At the conclusion of World War II, Yugoslavia modeled itself after the Soviet Union, establishing six republics, with the federal capital as Belgrade.  Following the fall of communism in the rest of Eastern Europe, Slovenia and Croatia voiced their demands to ties within the Federation in 1990.  The Yugoslav Wars between the different republics soon followed.  On June, 25 1991, Slovenia and Croatia became the first republics to declare independence from Yugoslavia. During the next three months, the Yugoslav Army completed its pull-out from Slovenia, however, in Croatia, a bloody war broke out in the autumn of 1991 due to pro-Serbia resistance.  Soon after, the Republic of Macedonia declared independence, and the war in Bosnia followed shortly thereafter.  As the Yugoslav Wars raged through Croatia and Bosnia, the republics of Serbia and Montenegro, which remained relatively untouched by the war, formed a state known as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1992.  As a result of the conflict, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution in November 1991, which paved the way to the establishment of peacekeeping operations in Yugoslavia.  Today, the former Yugoslavia has been split into 7 different countries: Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, and Kosovo.  While numerous countries have recognized it, Kosovo has no official recognition due to ongoing sovereignty dispute.

While the trip would not take me through all 7 places, I was looking forward to exploring the natural beauty of Slovenia and Croatia.  Located about 2 hours south of the Croatian capital of Zagreb near the Bosnian border, Plitvice Lakes is the oldest national park in Southeast Europe and the largest national park in Croatia.  Formed by runoff from the Mala Kapela and the Plješevica mountains, Plitvice is comprised of sixteen interconnected lakes at different levels from one another, with limestone and trees creating natural dams and forming incredible waterfalls.  The altitude drop from the first lake to the last is 133 meters or 436 feet.  Although the trip was in late October, the weather was absolutely perfect, and the park was not as crowded as the summer months.

In route back to Slovenia, the combination of the sea and mountains brought in fog, which made the driving conditions tough, but probably better for me, as I would not be distracted by the scenery.  Crossing the border again was uneventful, and I was on my way to Bled, a small town smashed between the Alps Mountains, which runs across 8 countries in Europe (France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria, Italy, Monaco, and Slovenia).  Bled is a hot spot for hiking, where you can lose yourself in the picturesque setting of lakes, trees, and rolling mountains.  The lake surrounds Bled Island, the only natural island in Slovenia. The island has several buildings, with the main one being the pilgrimage church dedicated to the Assumption of Mary.  Walking around the lake takes about 2 hours, and perched high above on a rock overlooking the lake, with the mountains providing a beautiful natural background, is the iconic Bled Castle.  Located a short distance from the lake is Vintgar Gorge, a 1 mile path carved by the Radovna River, with the canyon walls measuring 160 to 330 feet high.

The final stop on the trip was an afternoon in Ljubljana, the capital and the large city in Slovenia, with just under 300,000 people (which is basically classified as a town).  The symbol of the city is the Ljubljana Dragon. It is depicted on the top of the tower of the Ljubljana Castle in the Ljubljana coat-of-arms and on the Ljubljanica-crossing Dragon Bridge to symbolize power, courage, and greatness.  The city has numerous small bridges which span across the Ljubljanica River.  The Triple Bridge is a group of three bridges, connecting two parts of Ljubljana's downtown.  Originally one bridge that linked Central Europe and the Balkans, two additional pedestrian bridges on both sides of the central one were added avoid a bottleneck.

One place which I did not visit on this trip, but have in the past and would definitely recommend is Dubrovnik, Croatia, a UNESCO site and one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean and also plays King’s Landing in the HBO series Game of Thrones.  The city suffered a lot of destruction during the wars, but following the end of the war, damage caused by the shelling of the Old Town was repaired.  One important feature of Dubrovnik is its six meter thick walls that run almost 2 km (1.24 mi) around the city.  The system of turrets and towers were intended to protect the vulnerable city.

European Vacation

Driving 120 km (not miles, which is about 72) down highway A4, I attempted to pass a car on the right.  I accelerate as I move into the left lane when all of the sudden the dash board lights up like a Christmas tree.  Red, green, yellow lights flash all around as the car decelerates down to 60 km per hour (36 miles per hour).  With my hazards on, I quickly scan for the next off ramp as cars and trucks pass.  Finally, I pull of at the nearest stop and try to understand what just happened.  Before phoning the rental service about a problem with the car, we decide to write down the stop which we pulled off at.  I walk down the side of the off ramp and take down the name….Rastplatz.  Proud of my accomplishment of pinpointing our location, I am informed that Rastplatz is German, meaning rest place, which there are upwards of 30 just on highway A4.  After 20 more minutes of driving through the mountains of Austria at speeds ranging from 60 to 110 depending on the ascend or descend, we arrive at a gas station.  After a short rest which the car thought I might scrape it at a junk yard, all was somehow fixed and we were back on the road home.

Having numerous relatives and friends visit over the last couple months, as well as exploring new areas myself, travel in Europe can be different when compared to the US.  To conserve electricity, many European hotels require the insertion of the key card into a slot beside the door.  Arriving into the hotel room late afternoon, I attempted to switch the light on to guide my path through the room.  After several unsuccessful tries and switches (including the TV) to restore power to the room, I ended up showering in a dark bathroom with half hearted attempt to light the room with the reflection from multiple mirrors.  Easiest solution is to insert the key card near the door and power the room. The benefit is you won’t lose your key when you are in the room.  Also, there are times when a hotel may provide you with the heavy, old-fashioned tassel key. When heading out to explore, it’s customary to leave the key with the desk clerk so the cleaning staff knows when the room is vacant.

In the U.S., hotels typically contain two full-sized or one larger bed (a king or a queen). In Europe, many guest rooms consist of two single mattresses, either separated or pushed together. Your “king” will have a seam.  And in most of the world, a luxurious bed isn’t soft and plush; it’s usually firm.  This was the case at one hotel which the bed was literally stiffer than a board, and the pillow was even worse.

Unlike in the US which “Hi,” is used as the conversation starter, it does not fly in Europe. Locals may even be insulted. At a minimum, learn how to say “Good day,” “Good evening,” “Thank you,” in the local language.  In Slovakia, Dobre Rano (Good morning), Dobre Den (day), Dobre Vecer (evening), and Dobre Noc (night) are used when greeting people on the street, and Dakujem (thank you), and dovidenia (good bye) are also very common when ending the conversation.

In some countries, hailing a cab isn’t easy, so learn where the taxi stands are.  Cabbies can be fined for picking up a fare in the middle of the street in some cities.  You have to find your way to a marked taxi stand (ask a local), or head to a hotel lobby and have them hail or call a cab for you.  In Bratislava, it is best to call a taxi, otherwise you might pay 4 times the going rate.

The influence of American casualness can be observed differently through Europe.  Locals in Italy dress for a night on the town which shorts are off limits, while those in  Barcelona, and even London are much more laid-back and diverse, clothing-wise. 

When it comes to food, you get what you ordered.  Meaning the sautéed scrimp on the menu will come complete with head and legs, or the bake fish with head and eyes.  But there is always McDonalds for anyone not brave enough to sample the local cuisines; I am heading to MCDs every other month, but much better than when I originally arrived and went every other day.  Also, living in America, I became so use to seedless…seedless watermelon, grapes, oranges, etc.  That is not the case here, were you have to deal with the seeds, but on the plus side, it does taste better.  Last but not least, as both my dad and brother have pointed out, when ordering a pop or water at a restaurant, it rarely comes with ice unless specifically requested.

At the site of the pedestrian-only sidewalk

Finally, back to driving, which I have become the master of roundabouts, but still unable to drive manual.  In most European countries, head lights are required to be on at all times, even during daylight hours.  Also, the way highway tolls are collected can vary from country to country.  Poland, Italy, and Croatia collect tolls at designated booths, however, in Austria, Slovakia, Czech Republic, and Slovenia, you must buy vignettes, or toll stickers at the first gas station or face a large fine.  But the nice thing on highways in Europe is people respect the traffic rules, and always pass on the left side only.  Finally, don’t let GPS replace common thinking.  For example, the tourists in Australiawho tried to drive through a bay or the Belgian woman who tried to drive to the nearby train station and ended up at the Croatia border.  While driving up the narrow streets on the mountain in San Marino while searching for the hotel, I let GPS guide me up the pedestrian-only sidewalk to the castle.  After seeing tourists scramble, I aborted the mission, and retreated down a side street which turned out to be the street I was looking for.

Croatian guardrail - I do not even thing it can support itself, let alone a car