The Pearl of the Adriatic: A Tour of Croatia, Slovenia, and Bosnia & Herzegovina
From October 8 to October 17, 2015, I joined a 10-day tour of Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Germany, traveling via Lufthansa German Airlines with a layover in Munich.
Day 1
Departed from Haneda Airport at 12:20 PM on Lufthansa German Airlines, with a flight time of about 12 hours.
Time difference (Japan/Munich): -7 hours (during daylight saving time).
Arrived in Munich at 5:25 PM.
From Munich, we traveled by bus for about 150 km to Salzburg, Austria, where we spent the night. At Haneda, I had a surprising reunion with a couple from Miyazaki Prefecture who I had met during a trip to Canada. It turned out we were on the same tour. It was a truly coincidental meeting!
Day 2
Today, we head to Slovenia, a country about the size of Japan's Shikoku with a population of around 2 million. The capital is Ljubljana.
In the afternoon, we arrived in Bled, located in the northwest of Slovenia. Bled Lake features Bled Island, which can be reached by boat. There is a church on the island where weddings are held regularly. We even met a newlywed couple on the boat heading toward the church.
Afterward, we headed to Ljubljana, Slovenia's capital, for an overnight stay.
Day 3
In the morning, we toured Ljubljana. The city's heart features the "Triple Bridge," where three bridges converge, and underneath, there is a free public restroom, which serves as a meeting point for our group.
We also visited the Dragon Bridge and Prešeren Square, exploring the markets and watching street performances.
In the afternoon, we visited the Postojna Cave, Slovenia’s largest, where we took a trolley through the cave. There was a wait for entry. Inside, it was quite cold, so I wore a down jacket. After about an hour of exploration, we moved on to Croatia, staying near Plitvice Lakes National Park for the night.
Croatia is a country that gained independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991. The capital is Zagreb.
Day 4
Today, we were scheduled to hike a 2 km trail in Plitvice Lakes National Park, which I had been eagerly anticipating. However, the weather was bad, and it was raining. If it had been clear, it would have been perfect, but we had no choice.
At the Information Center, we watched a video showing what the landscape would look like if it were sunny. We then proceeded to the trail. With an umbrella and slippery paths, my camera was getting wet, and the experience was far from ideal.
The guide insisted we follow the planned route, but I decided to return to the starting point early, as my enthusiasm had vanished.
Later, we stayed in Čilipi, a town near Dubrovnik, for the night.
Day 5
Today was the much-anticipated Dubrovnik sightseeing day. The previous day had been a washout, but today the sun was shining.
Dubrovnik's Old Town, known as the "Pearl of the Adriatic," is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Old Town is surrounded by tall city walls, resembling a fortress. The walk along the walls is about 2 km, offering panoramic views of the orange rooftops of the city and the bright blue Adriatic Sea—truly a breathtaking sight.
The Old Town also offers great shopping opportunities.
We entered through the Pile Gate, built to protect the city from invaders, and toured landmarks such as the Franciscan Monastery, Sponza Palace, Old Port, Rector's Palace, and Onofrio's Fountain.
In the afternoon, there was an optional tour to Kotor, Montenegro, but I decided not to join. Instead, I had a pizza and beer with the couple from Miyazaki Prefecture at a restaurant.
Later, at a restaurant by the Old Port, I enjoyed seafood, particularly mussels, with more beer.
We took the restored cable car up Mount Srd, which offers a stunning view of both the Old Town and the Adriatic Sea, and had a coffee break there. I took plenty of photos and videos. The Old Town of Dubrovnik is small and easy to navigate, so you can enjoy a relaxed pace without worrying about getting lost.
Afterward, we gathered at the Pile Gate and headed to Čilipi for an overnight stay.
Day 6
Another beautiful, sunny day. We left Dubrovnik and traveled 120 km to Mostar in Bosnia & Herzegovina, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Along the way, we saw buildings with bullet holes, which had been left in their damaged state to preserve the memory of the war. Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia & Herzegovina, was heavily affected by the war, but it seems to have been largely rebuilt.
In Mostar, we saw the iconic Stari Most, the "Old Bridge," which means "Bridge Keeper" in Bosnian. After exploring the area, I enjoyed a beer with the couple from Miyazaki and joined a man from Yamaguchi Prefecture who was also traveling solo.
Later, we returned to Trogir, Croatia, for the night.
Day 7
Today, we traveled north along the Adriatic coast from Dubrovnik. In Trogir, we visited the Cathedral of St. Lawrence and the Old Town before heading 30 km to Split. We toured Diocletian's Palace and had lunch.
After lunch, we continued on a 70 km journey to Šibenik, where we visited the Cathedral of St. James. Then, we traveled another 340 km to Rijeka for the night.
It rained for much of the day.
Day 8
From Rijeka, we traveled 20 km to Opatija, where we walked along the Lungomare promenade by the sea. Unfortunately, it started raining even before we got off the bus, and the mood was rather gloomy.
Despite the bad weather, we proceeded with the walk, but halfway through, it started to pour heavily. We had no choice but to continue walking until we reached the bus again, at which point my sneakers were soaked with rainwater.
We then traveled 400 km to Salzburg, Austria, where we visited Mirabell Gardens and Mozart's Birthplace before staying the night.
Day 9
Today was the return trip. We traveled 150 km from Salzburg to Munich, Germany, where we had a short period of free time in Marienplatz. I visited a nearby market, had lunch, and enjoyed some German beer.
We departed Munich at 3:35 PM for the flight home, with a flight time of about 11 hours and 20 minutes.
Arrived at Haneda Airport at 9:55 AM (Japan time).
