Monday 13 September 2010

Medieval Market Fuerstenfeldbrueck

 Sunday was a wonderful sunny day in Upper Bavaria so my friends Claudia, Klaus and I decided not to waste it and went to the Medieval Market.
It was held on the grounds of a Monastary and the theme was Orient meets Occident. It was divided into two parts. First the Occident (West)

                                                                 Bee products
                                                                Leathergoods
Traditional Basketry
 
Pottery

Wood turning

Food

Entertainment and much much more. All the Vendors spoke in Old German and wore Medieval Clothing and even quoted prices in old Currency, Thaler instead of Euro which did lead to some short term confusion. The Oriental part was in another Courtyard.

Here one could sit in a tent and drink Arabian Mokka

with delicious cakes (eg Fig fingers)

smoke a Hookah

or ride a Camel. I know a little three and a half year old girl who would really enjoy that :-)
So as  you can see there are lots of things to do in the Five Lakes region in Upper Bavaria especially in Summer. Toodles :-)

Wednesday 8 September 2010

The Island of Pag

Well we did get up early enough but the weather was lousy in the morning so no Boat. It cleared up by 11am so we decided to do the trip by Car instead. From Karlobag it is a 70 km trip south to the bridge over to the Island. OUr first stop was Vlasici which is a sleepy little town with a little Harbour and Beach
but it was too windy for comfort so we decided to keep driving to Pag city for lunch

our starter was Pagski Sir, local sheep cheese which the Island is famous for and which according to locals won a gold medal in Paris. It was delicious. Hand-woven place mats were another local offering and there was a bronze statue dedicated to the Artisans who produced them.

.
All over the Island we saw Stone fencing. We assume they must have at some time served a purpose but what that purpose was or is remains a mystery to us.

 I had an irrisistable urge to go swimming so we headed to the Beach. 

With a full day behind us we headed to the ferry to go back to the mainland

leaving just in time to avoid the storm and were treated to a display of thunder and lightning.

We got to the mainland just as it was getting dark

but luckily we were only 14km from our Hotel and a well deserved rest and Dinner. Tomorrow we are driving back up the Croatian coast to Slovenia and the EU. I feel so at home here and will be back as soon as possible. This is really the country for people who appreciate the good Life, good Food, friendly People, History, Culture and natural Wonders. Hasta Manjana amigo's <3



Tuesday 7 September 2010

Back in Croatia

The last time I was in Croatia it was still a part of Yugoslavia, 1987. Since then many things have changed. Some things haven't, the great food, hospitality and the beauty of the Country. Last week my "Homies" from Byron Bay, Pascale, Marlee and Kathy visited me in Munich and we decided to do a Roadtrip.
This is us on a train going through the Karawanken tunnel (no joke!). Our first stop in ex-Yugoslavia was in Bled, Slovenia to check out Blejski Grad where the Ladies took some photo's. It was a team effort.

We spent the night in Ljubljana, the Capital and the next day continued on to Croatia. After an hour in Rijeka, the City where I was born we left for Opatija. Rijeka was a disappointment for me. The city is a mess with roadwork and construction everywhere. We had lunch near the Yacht club in Opatija,
our first meal in Croatia and it was good but nothing like what was to come. We deicided to continue to Ogulin where I lived until I was four years old. Our first taste of Ogulin came when we accidentally tuned into Radio Ogulin and heard good music. I was amazed by how much the town had changed. This sleepy little Village has become a cool place. Not only does it have a great Radio station but a new Town Park, Tourist office, Maps and Info in English, lots of Cafe's and Restaurants and much more. I met some old People in town who knew my Family before they left more than 50 years ago. Sensational! We stayed at Ive's Restaurant just out of town next to a nice lake.
   
We got up early this morning to go to the scenic highlight of our trip, Plitvice Lakes. On the net you can find many better pictured than mine but here is a taste.

I'm not sure I understand this sign. Only Bears allowed between 11pm and 7am?





Ok, gotta stop, am getting carried away :-) The plan for tomorrow is to take a Boat trip to the Island of Pag so if we wake up early enough I will report tomorrow. Goodnight all.