6 Apr 2015. <HR> Zagreb —

Started the day, cheekily, in the car park in Zagreb. We walked in to the McDonald's at the station (only a couple of hundred metres away), where we found that they do a mean omelette for breakfast. So we sat there for a while and blogged before returning to the van — we had decided that Zagreb would still be in lock-down mode, so we wanted to be on our way towards Istria.

We set our destination for a camping area in Rovinj, right on the shores of the Adriatic, and off we went for another day's pleasant driving. This was a most interesting drive — we crossed a hilly region in the middle of Istria — Suzie had been commenting about snow on the ground — and then, all of a sudden, we were driving in a heavy snowfall. To be honest, we had noticed snow falling in the distance before we came into it — it looks somewhat different from rain falling, fluffier somehow. Suzie was glad we had decided not to stop off here for the night before we reached the coast! WE did stop off for coffee, however, absorbing the alpine ambience from the comfort of a nicely heated Marché rest stop.

We arrived at Camping Porton Biondi, where we had power, WiFi to the van, and showers — and a view of the Adriatic between the trees from our elevated campsite.

The sea is s-o-o-o-o clear!

Rovinj from just outside the campsite.

Distance driven — today, 156 miles ( 252 km ); to date, 17,245 miles ( 27,754 km )

5 Apr 2015. <HR> Zagreb —

Our first task for the day was to drive into one of the suburbs of Zagreb, Velika Gorika, to a very friendly Mcdonald's, to do a little blogging. It was Easter Sunday, so very little was happening in Croatia! We got onto the Internet, and one of the first things we found was messages from Oz to say that our little nephew Samuel had been born that morning — congratulations Cherie and Greg!

Our host at Macca's was the most friendly chap — even shouting us to extra coffees! He had spent some time in the UK, so his English was impeccable (except for the American accent be has since developed — he says, because of watching too many American TV shows!) But he gave us a few good tips, such as the fact that you can change money or use a hole-in-the-wall Bankomat at any time at the Zagreb Airport, just a short way down the road. And he told us of car parking suitable for vans just on the southern side of the central city.

So we spent time at Macca's, then drove via the airport — not a large place, more like the Gold Coast than Mascot! — and then into the car park. Normally it's pay-and-display, but on a holiday weekend, it's free. We walked into the city, enjoying the parks on the way. The city was closed up tight, but there were people wandering around enjoying the quiet.

The trams here are blue, and come in two varieties -- one sleek and modern, the other quaint and somewhat dated. The fire hydrants as well are blue!

The theme is blue!

We walked up to the cathedral -- we've been here before, so we were remembering things from the last time, like the old clock in the wall beside the cathedral, and the golden Marian pillar in the square in front. This time there were some huge Easter eggs in the lawns before the cathedral, painted in naive Croatian style with village scenes. And they are doing a lot of work on the cathedral itself, and have a display by the clock of a worn part of the cathedral and an example of the replacement taking its place!

Our overall impression of Zagreb (and of Croatia as a whole so far) is that is is fresh and clean -- they're taking great care of the place, restoring inner-city buildings, and making short shrift of any litter.

Umjetnički Paviljon u Zagrebu
Art Pavilion in Zagreb

The Railway Station across the park

After wandering around for a while, we went back to the van and, seeing the car park was virtually deserted over this holiday weekend, we decided to stay the night and go back into Zagreb in the morning.

By the way, our host at Macca's had informed us that Zagreb was not the best of Croatia by a long way — in his mind, it's just an old industrial city — and he recommended most strongly Istria and the Dalmatian coast — which was already on our itinerary, but it just made us more keen to get there!

Distance driven — today, 24 miles ( 38 km ); to date, 17,089 miles ( 27,502 km )

4 Apr 2015. <SI> Ljubljana; <HR> Zagreb —

Today we left Ljubljana and pushed on towards Zagreb. Croatia, although part of the European Union, has yet to sign the Shengen Treaty, so any time there does not count against time in the Shengen Area. It was a wet and fairly miserable day, a good day for driving. We got to the border, and the border control was quick and efficient. It's amazing that, as soon as you cross a border like this, the countryside immediately looks different. Croatia apparently has a lot more forested areas — at least by the highways — than Slovenia and Italy. We pulled in to a highway parking area at Plitvice, not far short of Zagreb, and here's where we spent the night. Must say, we've been spoiled in Italy — the temperatures near Zagreb are about 10° lower than on Italy's Mediterranean coast. But your doughty travellers know how to keep warm!

We stopped off near Motel Plitvice,
just short of Zagreb.

Distance driven — today, 116 miles ( 187 km ); to date, 17,065 miles ( 27,464 km )

3 Apr 2015. <SI> Ljubljana —

Another travelling day. Our time in the Shengen Treaty area (most of Europe) is coming to an end for 3 months, so we need to get further east. Today we go to Ljubljana in Slovenia, and the next day into Croatia and finally our of the Shengen region.

Coming into Slovenia we had to buy a vinjeta, a toll-way pass required for all vehicles travelling in the country. These come in one-week or one-month varieties. Only big trucks now need to stop at toll-gates.

In Ljubljana we were aiming for a specific campsite, but found it fully occupied, so we went for another one — we didn't find it, but instead found a parking area obviously used by trucks, where we spent the the night.

Distance driven — today, 163 miles ( 262 km ); to date, 16,949 miles ( 27,277 km )