Florence and Rome (via home)

Hello everyone

We left the Dolomites and headed south towards Florence which is a small and compact city. The cathedral is clad in white, pink and green marble with a terracotta dome and so beautiful standing next to the equally striking campanile. The Ponte Vecchio Bridge over the River Arno is home to many small but exclusive jewellery and gold shops – definitely window shopping only!

From here we drove to Ciampino where we left the van for our short break back home. It was lovely to see so many of you and catch-up, and sample the delicious (proper) beer and cider at The Snug beer festival!

Our flights to and from Manchester ran like clockwork, and Kathryn and Sophie joined us on the return trip – we were ready to hit the sights.

 

We arrived at St Peter’s piazza to see and hear Pope Francis address the crowds, before visiting the vast Vatican museums and Sistine Chapel. The wealth of art on display is amazing, and we could have spent a day in here.

 

 

 

 

The Colosseum is huge, especially seeing the extensive network of rooms below the arena where the animals were caged before battle commenced. 

Tucked away amongst the side streets is the elaborate Trevi fountain – unfortunately partly covered for restoration and cleaning at present with the Spanish Steps a short walk away.

 

 

St Peter’s basilica is breathtakingly beautiful inside. We climbed up to dome’s interior to view the mosaic ceilings up close, and appreciate the size and scale of the space below. Then up more steps, we exited at the top of the dome for views of the Vatican City and Rome below.

 

 

Returning to the ground floor, we admired Michelangelo’s Pieta, saw the inlaid keys of St Peter, and the huge bronze canopy reserved for the papal mass. Below this is the beautifully decorated tomb of St Peter.

We’ve enjoyed Rome, but will leave tomorrow and head north to Pisa.

Will post again next week - love to all

Slovenia

Hello everyone

The Skocjan Caves were fantastic. A short walk led us to an artificial entrance where we descended into the ‘Silent Cave’ where the temperature is a constant 12°C. Next was the ‘Murmuring Cave’ – so called because you can hear the River Reka running through it - said to be the world’s largest subterranean canyon at 300m long, 60m wide and 100m high.

We’d had constant rain for the previous few days so the river was thundering through – it usually flows at 6m³ per second, but on that day it was flowing at over 200m³ per second. Crossing the narrow 45m high Cerkvenic Bridge was truly magnificent, but unfortunately, no photos allowed in here.

 

A short drive away was Predjama Castle, amazingly built into the rocky cave half way up a 123m high vertical cliff in the 16^th century, although an earlier building dates back to the 12^th century. We took a tour of the castle – set over 6 floors the dungeons and stables are housed below, and on the top floor is a passage leading back deep into the cave system. There are miles more of cave systems below the castle, but closed over the winter so the hibernating bats are undisturbed.

 

 

 

Next, we visited Ljubljana. This is a lovely capital city, and with a population of 280,000, it is small but very welcoming. Its castle is perched on a hill with great views of the city, including the cathedral and triple bridge over the river. We spent a couple of days here living city life before heading for the Triglav National Park – sadly a brief visit due to the constant rain.

 

The small town of Bled near the Austrian border is incredibly picturesque, with its church on an island on the lake – an image often used by the Slovene tourist board. A walk around the lake took us 1 ^1/2 hours, and it was blissful to enjoy the sights without all the summer tourists!

 

After a drive through the beautiful Soca Valley, we headed north skipping across the Austrian and Italian borders and are now in the Dolomites. These mountain drives have offered spectacular scenery with the trees in their autumn colours, and there’s a sprinkling of snow high on the summits. We're currently on a camperstop in Covara - how’s that for a view!

 

Will post again soon - love to all

Croatia

Hello everyone

We set off on the coastal route south through Croatia marked on our map as a scenic drive – and it was. The road hugs the coastline but is set high offering lovely views of the sea and the small villages set within the coves. The sea is crystal clear and the area is renowned for diving.

 

Our first port of call was Zadar - a pretty town with Roman ruins near St Donat's church in the centre. The weather had improved and we were back in shorts and T-shirts as we ambled around.

 On the waterfront is the impressive ‘Sea Organ’ – a series of 7 marble steps leading into the sea underneath which are pipes and bellows which create a pan-pipe-type sound when the waves lap. It was a mesmerising sound increasing in volume when boats passed! Next to this is the ‘Salute to the Sun’ – a huge disc of small solar panels set into the ground which absorb the sunlight and then produce dancing multi-coloured light patterns after dark. Watching this whilst listening to the wave music was fascinating.

From here, we continued southwards stopping off at Primosten – a typical coastal town set on a small promontory with a church at the top of the central hill. As the tourists have now left, we had the place pretty much to ourselves to mooch around.

Split is a much larger and busier town than Zadar. We visited Diocletian’s Palace – built in 305AD, but now a ruined shell filled with cafes and bars. Next to it is the mausoleum with beautiful Corinthian columns inside - this has since been converted into the town’s cathedral.

There were no overnight camping opportunities in Split, so we headed inland.

 

Turning northwards, we headed for the Plitvice Lakes National Park. There are 16 lakes over 8km with water rushing from lake to lake via a series of waterfalls. Surrounding the lakes are forests, whose leaves shone gold and bronze when the sun occasionally came out. We walked through the lake area on wooden boardwalks to see the falls up close – a truly beautiful place.

 

 

 

 

We’ve now crossed the border and are in Slovenia again, planning on visiting the Skocjan Caves later today.

Will post again next week - love to all