Em and Steve's travelling blog: August 2013

Tuesday, 20 August 2013

Hello Serbia!

Blimey, it has been two weeks since our last blog update and we have travelled through three countries, clocked up 1,100 kilometres but now sat in the beautiful bay of Kotor, or Boka Kotorska, in Montenegro! But I am getting ahead of myself as when we last blogged we were in Lake Bled, and were rather sad to leave, when we did leave Lake Bled and our new friends, Adam and Sophie (you can find their blog at www.europebycamper.com , we headed to Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. Now this really wasn’t as exciting as it could/should have been as we were only using Zagreb as a stopover and were actually camped on a campsite which you had to drive through the petrol station to get to and was directly behind the motorway, so don’t judge Zagreb on this blog as we really didn’t ‘do’ it. We left early the next day after a particularly warm night and started heading to the Croatian border into Serbia.

Major traffic at Serbian Border

We had been warned about entering Serbia as it can be a bit hit-and-miss so we were prepared and had our friendliest faces on and after a rather long queue to the border control we had our passports stamped and were promptly on our way, another easy and uneventful border crossing is what we like! The plan with Serbia was to meet up with my stepdad and younger brother, Sacha and Nicky, who go on holiday to Sachas family farm in Pančevo every year, which is about forty minutes from Belgrade (the capital of Serbia). In order for us to meet up with Sacha and Nicky we agreed to meet at the Pančevo swimming pool, which we had directions to and so weren’t worried. So we end up at this swimming pool which was exactly where it was supposed to be (turn right at the second traffic light, follow signs for sports centre and its on your left, type thing), so we parked and text Sacha to let him know we were here, to which they replied that they would be half an hour. This was fine, and we had our lunch and had a bit of a sunbathe, when the phone rang; Sacha and Nicky were here already but couldn’t spot us. Couldn’t spot us?! Have you seen Bert?? Pretty hard to miss! After a lot of chatting and tensions running high we said that we were obviously on the other side of the swimming pool to them and Steven would cycle over and let them know where we were. We didn’t have enough credit to call them anymore so I just waited by Bert the Merc while Steve went for a cycle to find them. He went all the way round and had no luck and so we decided to go into the pool and find out if maybe there was more than one pool in Pančevo that we could go to… after finding an English speaking doctor on poolside we found out that no- there is only one pool in Pančevo but we weren’t actually in Pančevo…. We were still in Belgrade. Brilliant.

Serbian Dinar

Worse thing is, is that we were kind of wondering why our satnav still said that our journey had twenty minutes left…. It took us precisely 20 minutes to get to the right swimming pool and it was never spoke of again. Ever.

At the farm, which was down a little dirt track, we were given a bit of a feast- three courses of yummy food cooked by Our Serbian Nan and Aunt and just chilled around Pančevo which offers loads of cafes and restaurants, all of which have free wifi! The next day we went to the police station as with Serbia, all tourists are supposed to register their stay with their local police station as soon as possible. Luckily for us we had our own Serbian translator (Sacha) so when the policemen in the station explained that you need to go across the street to buy the form (equivalent to 50p) to then fill out and submit to the police reception, we knew what to do, as even though most young people speak English it is not always a given with the older Serbian’s. This was all pretty straight forward and didn’t take very long so after this we went to some lovely cafes and shops (you will see a theme here of lots of cafes and restaurants as its obviously one of Pančevo’s biggest industries!) and then to a market which was really interesting and similar to those we have been to before but in this market you could get anything from a wedding dress to a new boiler!

Here are some of our favourites:

One of many lovely cafes

The inside of Boz- a converted
train carriage!

Bohemian street

At the market

We also went to Belgrade a couple of times which was great! We went to the Zoo which is really nice and is currently having work done to improve and expand some of the enclosures, but it is a great trip but a bit bizarre to see pigeons and dogs as part of the zoo! We also got the chance to see the panthers being fed (look away if you are squeamish!), and I got to touch the elephant!

Overlooking the zoo is a very lovely restaurant called Kalemegdanska Terasa…. Surprisingly it’s the only restaurant that overlooks the zoo! When entering the restaurant there is some amazing ruins that you walk past which are of the castle of Belgrade and are actually part of the zoo walls too! Here are some photos of the ruins as no description would do the sight justice!

Belgrade Ruins

Ems meal at Kalemegdanska
Terasa

At Kalemegdanska
Terasa

Meal at Kalemegdanska
Terasa

Belgrade is also a lovely city to go shopping and to relax with a beverage, it has some beautiful architecture and is always buzzing. The big shopping centre to go to is USCE which is like Westfield in London and even has a Marks and Spencer! Bohemian Street is a pretty and cobbled street which is full of restaurants and quirky art on the buildings.

For those who like a bit of adventure like us you there is also a huge recreational lake which has a wakeboard and waterskiing centre, as well as the opportunity to swim in the lake.

Bohemian Street

One of the beautiful parks in Serbia
Pancevo

Bohemian Street, Belgrade

Belgrade

Steven Wake Boarding

Steven celebrated his 23^rd birthday in Serbia so we all went out for drinks and birthday ice-cream cake! As a present to himself and me we got some new chairs!!! Wahoooo! And they are beautiful and comfy and of average height! We love them!

The Birthday Boy!

Serbia is a beautiful and very friendly country, we really enjoyed our stay here but it is a different culture and lifestyle compared to home! From cats in the police station to their ambulance car choices! Their driving attitude is also very different and yet many motorcyclists choose to wear hard hats, if anything while driving down the motorway!

Serbian Ambulance!

Yes, thats a cat...asleep...
in a police station.

One of our friends in the loo.

After about ten days in Serbia and having a lovely catch up with some of the family and seeing some parts of Serbia that we never would have if it weren’t for the family we have out there, we made our way to Montenegro but had a stopover in Čačak, Serbia. This campsite was found after a very long drive and due to our lack of information regarding campsites in Serbia, we stopped at the first one we found once we were sick of driving! This lead us to a small but friendly campsite which was pretty dated in the facilities department but it was only £6. It was nice enough and had enough quirks to keep us occupied and entertained for the one evening we were there, such as a very old and wobbly wooden bridge we found! But we promptly left in the morning, crossing our fingers and toes that the next campsite would be a bit better, and that we would reach Montenegro!

Health and Safety gone mad?

The Rickety Bridge

Safe on the other side

Our next blog will be our adventures in Montenegro!

Much love and Happy Camping!

Monday, 5 August 2013

Lake Bled, Slovenia

We left Ljubljana after three days and made our way to Lake Bled which is only a 45 minute drive away, so easy peasy! When we got to Lake Bled it was rammed and people were being turned away unless they had a reservation. We didn’t. Luckily we stuck around an extra few seconds after being told that there were no spaces and, due to some eavesdropping, we discovered that at the far end of the campsite there is a ‘free-for-all’ camping section, and if you find a space you can stay for as little or as long as you want. So we sped up to the back of the campsite and started looking, the catch was that due to this free-for-all mind-set there were campers everywhere, and some were not in the most rational spaces and others showing creativity at its best. And on one side of the road there were electricity boxes but not on the other, we, of course, landed a space on the latter. Fortunately for us, our electricity lead reached all the way to the box so Bert the Merc was lit up and ready for us! We went out into the lake as soon as we could and was absolutely gobsmacked at how beautiful and clear it is- not smelly or dirty at all, which can be the case with Lakes. Bled Island is in the middle of the lake and roughly 800 metres away from where our beach was, so after a swim with the fish we grabbed the kayak and crossed our fingers that this kayak experience would be more successful than the last!

We were very pleased and somewhat relieved when we felt the huge difference between kayaking in the sea to on the lake, we actually had some control and weren’t fighting for balance every few seconds! We kayaked around the island and could see that many people either kayaked or rowed or got the little ferry across to the island, but some swam! We could see other people had kayaked over and had taken their kayak out and tied it to a tree instead of leaving it in the water and so we knew that next time this is what we would do (the only reason we didn’t do it the first time was because we were in our swim gear and didn’t have a towel, or water and no clothes to wear), there is a church on the island so we planned to come back the next day with our lunch, and some clothes to wear in the church, and enjoy exploring the small island! After circling the island we started to head back to shore.

The next day, after our morning swim, we grabbed the kayak again and decided that this time we would kayak around the whole lake, including a stop at Bled Island. The island was great, we locked the kayak up and walked up the stairs to the church to see the sights- which were awesome! We had our lunch and an ice-cream at top, where you can really see all the different colours of blue and green of the lake. Truly beautiful. We walked the perimeter of the island and pinned up across the perimeter are photos of creatures that have been found in the lake, like pikes, giant snails, catfish, crayfish and carp to name but a few! While walking around and swimming in the shallows it is easy to spot the families of fish, all different shapes, sizes and colours.

We then started to kayak toward the direction of Bled Castle which is high on a cliff side, overlooking the lake, and kayaked past the restaurants and bars to a small green which we sat to get some shade and to gulp down our water- note to self; do not kayak to the other side of the lake throughout midday as you have to kayak back! We had a bit of a break and stayed in the shade after a bit of a dip, and then made our way the other way around the lake and island! It really was a great day out on the lake but we did ache afterward!

Later on that day we were walking from Bert the Merc to the shop, which is inbetween the beach and campsite enterance and offers a lot of different food at a good price (best campsite shop we have come across!), when we saw a sign, a very familiar sign. And then two people of whom Steven is very familiar with. Adam and Sophie- from Europe by Camper! For those of you who do not follow other campervan related blogs then you will not be familiar with this couple, but these two are very popular in the campervan community and even have their own business which sprouted when they were away, which surrounds motorhome wifi. Plus they don’t have a house but live in their campervan full time! Anyway… so, we saw them and started chatting and have been taking them out with us on our morning swim and been having bbq’s and drinks in the evening with them for the last few days. It’s a small, small world!

After kayaking past the castle we decided that on one of our days here we would cycle up to the castle and see the famous sights of Lake Bled from all the way up there- if you ever get the chance to go and you are mainly concerned with the views (which are breathtaking), which is what we wanted to go see as the exhibition in the Castle had poor reviews on Trip Advisor and costs 8 euros to do. We did not go into the castle but walked through the car park and up a small footpath to the right of the castle and kept going up and up and got these photos. For free. So the choice is yours but atleast it will be an educated choice!

After the climb to the castle and the views we headed back down and met Adam and Sophie at a pizzeria called Rustica Pizzeria which is a little further round the lake, and past a church, (we thought we had gone the wrong way) but it was a lovely little pizzeria and the food and service was great!

Steven and I, then cycled the rest of the way round Lake Bled, which was a nice bike ride and collapsed in a heap by the lake for a bit of sunbathing and swimming. For some reason, the next day we decided that because we had cycled around the lake and kayaked around the lake, that the next thing to do was to swim to Bled Island and back again. We obviously weren’t sore enough! It wasn’t a difficult swim but it was far, the best thing is looking underwater and seeing Steven swimming and then all around him is just blue. It isn’t murky or dirty, just blue. The water was calm but when we got to the island we were shattered, but it only took about 15 minutes to swim across, but it is fifteen minutes without any rest- no side or wall to touch or have a breather on, so we were pretty tired when we reached the island! We had a bit of a rest on Lake Bled Island and then jumped back in! The swim back was harder but that was because we were tired, but still only took about 20 minutes, for the rest of the day however, we were good for nothing!

We also went out for a meal with Adam and Sophie as well as Steve, Mandy and their daughter, Melissa; Steve and Mandy also have their own business selling books on where to stay for free in Great Britain called Brit Stops. We all went out for a meal on Lake Bled at a restaurant called Vila Preseren which served great food at reasonable prices- I had stuffed squid and Steven had a mixed grill platter- yummy!!

The great thing about Lake Bled in Slovenia is that it is beautiful and there are loads of things to do, but that isn’t just in the summer, in the winter Lake Bled freezes over and there are photos of people walking across the frozen lake! Skiing and snowboarding are very popular here too as it is very mountainous, and the people are so friendly and the costs are low! It is perfect! Tomorrow we leave for Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, on our way to Serbia. And we will be sad to leave here after 9 days! But we do know that nothing could keep us away for good!

Much love and Happy Camping!

Sunday, 4 August 2013

The Alps to Ljubljana!

Zdravo from Solvenia! Yes, yes we know it’s been a while since our last blog but hopefully this one will be worth the wait as we are blogging from our favourite country so far! The beautiful, clean and oh so sunny- Slovenia!

So, last time I wrote we were still in the Alps and heading to Geneva, Switzerland to go to the CERN facility and then to see the Jet D’eau. The Cern facility was very interesting and even though we didn’t get on to the guided tour of the day there are boards of information, pictures and videos to explain just what is going on there and why- they also have interactive games and demonstrations which are great for kids and those who like to see and touch the concept in order to understand it better (like me!) plus it breaks it up a bit. The CERN facility has different buildings which specialise in different topics so its well worth a visit no matter what you are in to.

Jet D'Eau

In CERN

After this bit of education we headed to Geneva lake to have a meander and see the Jet D’eau- which is a huge water fountain which you can stand under and get splashed by. We had a walk along the water front to have some lunch and then started to walk towards the Jet D’eau, however, the wind did start to pick up a bit and by the time we were about 200 metres away from the jet… they turned it off. Typical! It was understandable though as the Jet D’eau does reach 140 metres and with those winds it would drench more than a few standersby! So we got an icecream and walked back to the car and headed back to the chalet! The Alps was amazing and the roads were incredible- if not a bit insane at times, but one of the coolest things about it was the thunderstorms- watching the sky light up in purple and white while sitting in the hot tub was exhilarating if not a bit terrifying!

At the end of a fantastic week with the family and some incredible views and experiences, including Stevens first hair cut since we have been away(!), Stevens family headed back to the UK and we started our way to Slovenia. Our first stop was in Italy by Lake Maggiore but we only stayed there one night as we wanted to be out of western Europe by August and even though it had been a long drive, we hadn’t covered enough ground so the next day we headed off again and found ourselves by Lake Garda, also in Italy. This campsite was pretty full, I think there were two or three spaces left, and we stayed here for two nights as we wanted a break from driving and it was a nice enough campsite, but we would not go there again. The pool was a good size but had a strict rule for swimming hats; we did not have any. And the lake was very close but smelled distinctively like a lake and was full of boats, so wasn’t exactly swim friendly or particularly inviting. It was a nice break and we did have some very friendly Dutch neighbours, so we were nice and refreshed by the time we left for Ankaran in Slovenia.

Ankaran was a lovely campsite which had loads of tall trees in so offered loads of shade, as the days were getting hotter and longer and the nights were not much cooler! This campsite also had a massive pool with lanes in for proper swimming and in the morning and afternoon the reps would come onto the pool and do an aqua-aerobics session which varied every day and got loads of people in the pool. The pool was salt water which was different but we didn’t mind it, actually I quite liked it! It was described as a sea side campsite by ACSI which wasn’t actually that accurate as was actually located on a port. So not the most scenic site we have been on but the pool did make it and we did enjoy our stay there.

After a few days we headed to Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia (pronounced; Lub-yarna), the campsite we stayed on was just outside of the centre and offered a deal if you stayed there for three nights, including one free pass to the pool. The campsite was nice and not too expensive considering where it was, and the facilities were really good, when we first arrived there was even a pig on a spit roast outside being cooked for that nights meal! However its main selling point was the fact that its swimming pool had been rated the best Swimming Pool in Solvenia- due to this claim we thought that we would pay (yes, you have to pay to use the pool on the site) to get in for the afternoon. There were no slides, no wave machine, no multiple pools, no cool gadgets or impressive layout. Well, it was an anti-climax and a half, but with the heat it was worth a dip just to cool off! The next day we cycled into Ljubljana which was about 5km bike ride, it was an easy ride, made easier by the constant cycle routes which were really handy and quickly became understandable as it seems that most people in Slovenia cycle. We locked our bikes up near the main shopping centre and started our adventure!

Spit roast!

Our first main thought regarding Ljubljana and Slovenia in general, is just how beautiful and clean it is here. The next is how friendly everyone is and how as soon as they know you are English they are keen to show you just how cracking their English is. As of yet, we have not been disappointed- I have had a brief conversation with a six year old who at first I genuinely thought was English until her sister turned up and my jaw hit the floor when Slovenian came tumbling out of her mouth. Incredible!

Ljubljana was a beautiful, modern and quirky city. We really enjoyed our walk around and saw the food stalls and the art work and sculptures around the area and loads of Dragon related art as a Dragon (the one slain by St. George! is the city symbol of Ljubljana, and then we spotted the castle. Once we found it we were at the bottom of the funicular (like a diagonal lift) that went to the castle, so bought our ticket which came with a virtual castle tour as well as access to the castle and the exhibition of Slovenian history and the towers- all for 8 euros each. The castle was very impressive and had restaurants and coffee shops in the courtyard which looked really nice- we had our packed lunch with us and there were places for us to sit and have our picnic in the shade- perfect! We then went up to the towers where you can see everything! Very cool and very high! It was baking up the top though as there’s no shade or real breeze so we took our photos and then made a dash for the air conditioning! The virtual tour of the castle was shown every half hour and was in a little cinema screening room, and while we were waiting we saw the group before us come out and there must have been at least fifty people walk out, all sweaty and red faced, while me and Steven just waltzed in after them and they decided to play the virtual tour just for us! Result! The video was from a dragons point of view and we feel it may have been aimed for a younger audience but did show how the shape and purpose of the castle had changed over the years and why, which was interesting and it was only 15 minutes of film and was included in the price so worth a watch if you go there as it does explain the history of the castle itself which we didn’t find anywhere else.

The exhibition on Slovenias history was really good and had interactive games and videos to cover main topics as well as having replicas of important and relevant artefacts which you are encouraged to touch. It also showed how Slovenia has changed and why, which was priceless as we didn’t really know much about Slovenia before we came.

Ljubljana is really worth a visit as it is a really interesting capital as well as being quite small so you can cover most of it in a day! Another great thing about Slovenia is how cheap it is- and good quality!

We know a lot of people gauge how expensive a country is by the cost of beer or a coffee, we on the other hand are avid icecream eaters so just to put things into perspective:

In France we paid 3 euros a scoop

In Italy we paid 1.80 euro a scoop

In Slovenia we pay 1.30 euro a scoop

We will be doing another blog tomorrow on Lake Bled which is where we are now! We love it here but didn’t want to write all we have done in two weeks as it would be more like a book than a blog! So stay tuned!!!

Much love and happy camping!