Well it’s all go on this tour! Up for breakfast at 6.30 and then into the bus at 8am for a drive around the city. We had a specialist guide from Zagreb (Tamara) and she was excellent. She is also a lecturer in the university in Russian and French.

The bus drove around the various areas of the old town for about 20 minutes with a commentary from Tamara and then we all got a head set unit and hopped out for a 11/2 hour guided walking tour. Tamara gave commentary and each of us could hear her provided we didn’t get too far away.

It was another hot day in Zagreb so we were glad we started early. I really enjoyed it and we learned heaps about the city, its history and culture. Many of the buildings have a strong Austrian architectural style and many are extremely grand.

There is a scale model of the old city made out of bronze and that is very useful. We saw another one here in Bled so it must be a ‘thing’ in this part of the world. We saw churches and the parliament and city council buildings, and museums and markets. All very interesting. Then we had another 11/2 hours of free time to chill in Zagreb. Most people had only arrived yesterday so they hadn’t had any time in the city, but for those of us that have been here longer we’d have preferred to move on and have more time at Lake Bled. Today Mike got new sandals in Zagreb. His old ones from Cyprus have died and these are similar but a different colour.

Then we found a cafe for a coffee (me) and some Aperols and then we went to the Museum of Naive Art. It’s called Naive because the artists were untrained and work in a folk art style. They paint in reverse on glass and it is a skilled technique and very effective. I loved many of the paintings, mainly the colourful ones, but I imagine they are horrendously expensive. It’s a craft that they are now teaching and I hope it survives.

We got back to the bus all hot and bothered in time for our 12.30 departure to Lake Bled which is about a 3 hour drive away. The Slovenian border is close to Zagreb. Slovenia is very leafy and green and very clean. It is part of the EU and uses the Euro. We stopped on the way for a coffee/lunch break at a motorway place. It had nice food and Mike and I shared an apple strudel and Barbara had this bread/pastry thing stuffed with feta.

We got to Lake Bled at about 4.30. It is in the foothills of the Austrian Alps and is a tourist/holiday spot. The lake itself is probably about twice the size of Hamilton Lake (maybe 3 times) and has a Rapunzel type castle up on a cliff and a church on a tiny island at one end of the lake.

We are staying in a very modern hotel that is rather Scandinavian in style and has lovely views over the lake. We are on the side on the fifth/top floor but can see the lake from our terrace. We decided to walk around the lake as far as the castle and walk up to it. The climb up the hill was very steep with quite a lot of steps but the view at the top was excellent. There is a museum and restaurant and bar at the top. We just went to the museum and forewent any refreshments.

Dinner started at 6.30 and we could go any time until 9.30 so we were aiming for 7.30. By the time I fluffed around having a shower after our walk it was closer to 8 and Barb had scored us an excellent space on a table overlooking the lake. The buffet meal has to be one of the best I’ve ever had. Such a range of meats and salads and cheeses. All yum.

We are only here one night then it’s off to Slovenia’s capital, Ljubljana tomorrow morning and back into Croatia in the afternoon. It’s a 7.30 start tomorrow and breakfast doesn’t start until 7 am so we won’t need to waste too much time contemplating the food options. Such are the causes of worry on this trip!