Always a pleasure to see Stromboli volcano, an inhabited island.
D in Argostoli, Kefalonia.
Kefalonia, after a wander through the alleyways and shops we find the waterfront and manage to see the turtles.
PIC TURTLE ************************************
While having our evening meal on the ship, we pass the magnificent limestone cliffs south of Argostoli. Then journey north to Corfu overnight.
Liston parade, Corfu town
A pretty pink D with matching buildings in Corfu Town
Montenegro
Kotor, Montenegro wow! The ship is out in the bay, tenders into town. We took a private taxi/ boat tour. First stop was a short drive up to this viewpoint. Kotor is situated at the cul de sac of the fjord. The sail in in is to die for (4am yikes! but thankfully, so is the sail out at a much more reasonable time! I recommend Montenegro to everyone. Beautiful, safe, clean, unspoiled, with plenty of undiscovered nature, wildlife and National forests. We will return but in spring or autumn, it's rather hot just now.
Next, a scenic drive alongside the water, down the coast to Perast & then took a small boat to Our Lady of the Rocks island, quite spectacular, a must see.
Legend tells that in 1452, a pair of Croatian brothers were out fishing and found a painting of the Madonna and Child lying on a rock. They were so overcome, that they promised to build a church in honor of this miracle, and to make the foundation, the poor fisherman would place a rock in the same place in the Bay of Kotor after every successful fishing trip. Over time so many faithful fisherman added rocks to honor Our Lady, and old boats scuttled with rocks, that an islet appeared in the bay of Kotor. Eventually a church was built, which today also houses a small museum.
Our driver drops us back at the port of Kotor to see the Old Town, we visit a church with museum, most interesting but extremely hot... and see the Black Mountains of Montenegro all around us.
We take the tender boat back to ship having had a wonderful time here. We head north to Dubrovnik overnight.
We dock just outside the old town of Dubrovnik opposite the Dr Franja Tudmana lop sided new bridge, we watch the local young men jumping off the rocks into the sea, one chap sans shorts, according to a fellow cruiser! We take the bus into the old port of Dubrovnik. We will return on a quieter, cooler day.
We depart Dubrovnik for Trieste, Italy tonight. It's all go.
We have a full day excursion to Lake Bled, Slovenia & Ljubljana. The city is compact thankfully and we orient ourselves with help from our brilliant guide. And decide to climb up to the castle, phew. The funicular was full, but manage to catch it on the return down. Definitely worth it, the views are awesome.
Franciscan Church of the Annunciation in Pink
West door of the Cathedral. This is named the 'Slovenian' door because it commemorates 1250 years of Christianity among Slovenians. From the base of the door grows the Linden tree, symbol of Christianity in Slovenia.
Ljubljana castle
Filling my water bottle at the kangaroo fountain!
Next, Lake Bled.
We take a trip to Sibenic from Split.
Besides Dubrovnik and Split, the city of Šibenik appears as a film
location in three episodes of the fifth season of the serial Game of
Thrones. The st James Cathedral is the reputed burial place of Saint James the Great.
.
Detail of the font in the St James Cathedral, Sibenic. 1431-1535
Viewpoint of the Krka river.
Leaving Split behind us, we negotiate the archipelago, less than 100metres across!
Next up is Zadar. We take a Tuk Tuk ride & tour. Excellent guide. Founded in the Ninth century. Over the centuries, it
became a Roman colony, a Byzantine capital, and a Venetian stronghold,
before eventually becoming part of Croatia. The
city's history is reflected in its diverse architecture, including
Roman ruins, Venetian fortifications, and medieval churches.
the 13th to 18th centuries, Zadar was under Venetian control followed by the Austrians, French and Yugoslavia after WWII. Zadar is now a part of Croatia and has developed into a modern city while preserving its rich historical and cultural heritage. The tuk tuk tour was quite scary, with the driver setting off with me having one foot on the step.
Viewpoint over Zadar , with Velebit range of mountains in the distance.
Sunset over Zadar, beautiful with music and drinks on the aft of the ship. And onwards to Valetta, Malta tomorrow.
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