14624

Slovenia: Cycling to work

The summer is almost here and I already have 10 rides with bicycle to work. This time Rok and me also made 2 short stops in Smlednik and Medvode for geocaching purposes.

 

The parish church in Smlednik is dedicated to Saint Ulrich (Sveti Urh). In Medvode we stopped by the plague monument, erected in the beginning of the 17th century.

Ride to work #10 - Garmin Connect

GeoCache found:
- Smlednik - multi, Multi, GC7RN58, that received a visit by trackable items "Siebasiach's Figure Eight Geocoin", TB735HE, "Gallotia Mystery", TB7372G, "Sanban s1", TB42DJW and "Julia ud Zweeenes 100000 Caches", TB35GHN

14620

Croatia / Slovenia: Way back home #2

Last day of 8 day vacation was all about returning back home. Nada and me made 2 stops, one near Peruća Lake and one in Krka National Park.

Peruća Lake is the second largest artificial lake in Croatia, after Lake Dubrava. The Lake is fed by water from the Cetina River, and drains an area of 3,700 km2.

Brljan Lake with Brljan Waterfall

Krka is known for its numerous waterfalls.

 

In 2011 a plaque in honour of Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I was revealed, as it was at this very spot that the emperor, together with his wife Elizabeth, admired the beauty of Manoljovac waterfall.

The tallest and considered by many to be the loveliest waterfall on the Krka River - Manojlovac waterfall

 

Tuši and Nada, the photographers

Another view to the gorgeous valley

 

Another perspective

 

Flora & fauna

GeoCaches found (all received a visit by trackable items "Siebasiach's Figure Eight Geocoin", TB735HE, "Gallotia Mystery", TB7372G, "Sanban s1", TB42DJW and "Julia ud Zweeenes 100000 Caches", TB35GHN):
- Krka - Slap Brljan / Brljan waterfall, GC5XZD0
- Krka - Manojlovački slap / Manojlovac waterfall, GC5XZJ0

14619

Montenegro / Bosnia and Herzegovina / Croatia: Way back home #1

All the plans in Montenegro were fulfilled, so Nada and me started our journey back home. Since we were not in a hurry, we first explored the town of Budva, crossed the Bay of Kotor with a ferry, drove on the only toll road in the country, had dinner in Bosnia and Herzegovina, found Stećci Medieval Tombstone Graveyard in Croatia and went to bed in Sinj.

Mogren Beach, one of the main and favourite beaches of Budva. Beaches were named after the Spanish sailor Mohrin, who had experienced a shipwreck and landed here. As a sign of gratitude, he built a church dedicated to St. Anthon. The remains of this church are located on Mogren II beach.

 

The oldest church with the precise date of construction in Budva is church of St. Mary's, dating back to year 840.

 

Holy Trinity Church

Church of St Sava the Anointed

Small Maritime Museum

On the southern side of the Old Town Budva, at the most elevated place, the town fortress Citadel was built from which city walls begins and ends. The fortress is first mentioned in XV century.

Towards the highest point

View to the Old Town and the new buildings

Nada and Tuši

Budva is 2,500 years old, which makes it one of the oldest settlements on the Adriatic coast.

The entire town is encircled with defensive stone walls. The fortifications of Budva are typical of the Medieval walled cities of the Adriatic, complete with towers, embrasures, fortified city gates and a citadel.

 

The town citadel is situated on the southern tip of the city. Originally known as Castle of St Mary, fortification was continually rebuilt and expanded through Middle Ages, reaching its final form during the Austro-Hungarian rule.

 

Inside the citadel

Local fisherman

St. Ivan church from 17th century

  

Deep inside the old city, exploring the narrow streets

Dancing Girl Statue, a topless girl doing the dancer's pose

Towards the Mogren beach

Crossing the Bay of Kotor

 

Food in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the city Posušje

In Croatia we visited Velika and Mala Crljivica, where we found many Stećak medieval tombstones.

Stećci are medieval tombstones, notable for their unique design and decoration that typifies funerary art between the 12th and 16th century in this region.

Stećci were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016. It includes a selection of 4,000 stećci at 28 necropolises - of which 22 from Bosnia and Herzegovina, two from Croatia, three from Montenegro, and three from Serbia.

A fraction of stećci bear inscriptions, mostly in extinct Bosnian Cyrillic, some in Glagolitic and Latin script.

GeoCaches found (all received a visit by trackable items "Siebasiach's Figure Eight Geocoin", TB735HE, "Gallotia Mystery", TB7372G, "Sanban s1", TB42DJW and "Julia ud Zweeenes 100000 Caches", TB35GHN):
- Budva: Old town, GC2YXGC
- Vapnenac, EarthCache, GC25DQ2

- Stećci, GC5XC5E

14618

Montenegro: Milan's Baptism

In the morning Nada and me went on a walk to Sveti Stefan, an island connected to mainland by a narrow tombolo and afterwards it was time for a family gathering. Nada's family increased a while ago and today the new member Milan got baptized. We had a nice ceremony inside the Praskvica Monastery complex, in Saint Nicholas church, followed by a feast in the village of Rafailoviči.

Morning walk along the coast from Rafailoviči to Sveti Stefan

Once the summer residence of Queen Marija Karađorđević, Villa Miločer  overlooks The Miločer beach, known as the Royal Beach.

 

Treasure hunt with the view

The earliest record of Sveti Stefan is as the capital city of the Paštrovići community, which became a protectorate of the Republic of Venice in 1423, having been independent since the twelfth century. The Paštrovići accepted Venetian sovereignty because they were fearful of attack from the Turks. They retained considerable autonomy and paid no tribute to Venice, in return for ceasing piracy against Venetian ships.

According to a legend recounted by Stjepan Mitrov Ljubiša, the town fortification was funded after Paštrovići looted Turkish ships moored in front of Jaz beach during Barbarossa's siege of Kotor in 1539. The town was razed shortly after, during the Fourth Ottoman-Venetian War. After continuous pleas by Paštrovići, the Venetian Republic agreed to rebuild it in the 16th century. In the 15th century, the fortified village was built to defend against the Turks and became a haven for pirates of the Adriatic.

Initially, the island with its fortress had 12 families. In the 1800s, a village was established on the island with a population of about 400 people. The population of the island declined in the first half of the twentieth century, as residents left to join the armed forces or to move overseas. From 400 inhabitants in the nineteenth century, there were just 20 remaining by 1954. The Communist Yugoslav authorities converted it into a luxury hotel and moved the remaining inhabitants to the mainland, and the island village became an exclusive resort frequented by high-profile elites of the world.

Pržno beach is located in a former fishing village.

Domestic beer from Trebjesa brewery - Nikšičko pivo

Crossing the bridge

Returning back

Milan got baptized in Saint Nicholas church in Praskvica Monastery. The name of the monastery is taken from the peach-scented water of the nearby spring (praskva, diminutive praskvica, meaning a "peach").

 

One big happy family

Let the party begin

GeoCaches found (all received a visit by trackable items "Siebasiach's Figure Eight Geocoin", TB735HE, "Gallotia Mystery", TB7372G, "Sanban s1", TB42DJW and "Julia ud Zweeenes 100000 Caches", TB35GHN):
- Sveti Stefan, GC2Y961
- Layered rocks of / Слојевити стијене Rafailovici, EarthCache, GC6PRAR