Molly and Scott's Great Adventure Part 4

The final chapter...

After Motor on our last night on the ship we were treated to a farewell dinner including (the traditional) Baked Alaska:

We stayed up late, drank too much, danced with the Australians and had a great time!

The next morning (tough due to the activities of the night before!) we got up and got off the ship (in Koper) and were greeted by Goran (who would lead us on our "land tour") and taken to our first hotel, in Portoroz. This hotel was VERY nice!

We got there too early to check in so we checked emails and went and checked out the spa. Scott (who was getting his first massage EVER) and I both signed up for a massage later in the afternoon. I really wanted to do a mud wrap too but there was not an appointment in time to meet Goran later that evening.

After we checked in our room, got our massages (very average) we met Goran and took a short trip to Piran.

I really liked Piran. It was a small port town that had an Italian charm. Below is our guide, Goran and the two folks who traveled with us (also sat at our table on the trip). Goran grew up in Piran, so one of the coolest things was that every other person that we came upon stopped and said Hi to Goran.

We walked up to a beautiful Catholic church that was being renovated after damage in the war. This church also gave us this beautiful view.

Another great picture from Piran.

After our trip to Piran we were treated to a "seafood feast". I had a caprice salad and pasta...not in the mood for seafood! Scott tried the Halibut and everyone else had prawns.

Goran was a sailor/fisherman when he was younger and this restaurant was owned by a very good friend of his (who he scolded for not cooking the pasta correctly.)

The next day our first stop was back in Koper. While we were in Piran Goran wanted to take us to a place that makes salt chocolate. Salt has a very rich history in Piran. Families would leave and go to harvest salt for 5 months a yeas. The place in Piran was closed and so we went back to Koper to go to a salt chocolate store. We picked up some salt chocolate but the neatest part of the store was that they literally had wine pumps...like gas pumps...where anyone can purchase wine by the gallon!

We then headed to the Postojna Caves. These caves were pretty cool, a lot of stalagmites and stalactites. It was also very cold. This is the only picture...it was against Slovinian law to take pictures inside the caves:We went around for about an hour in these caves and although they were pretty cool (literally and figuratively) I would have been fine with 30 minutes.

Next we headed to the Predjama Castle. I was not very focused on this castle b/c I was very car sick. I was sandwiched in the back of the care, Goran was driving his stick aggressively and we were traveling up winding roads. The only thing that I absorbed was that the prince was killed by a bullet while sitting on the toilet.

After being given the front seat, and subjecting Scott to the sandwich we headed to Ljubljana. This is where we got our first, clear view of the Julian Alps.

Ljubljana was another beautiful, Italian style city. We did not spent a lot of time there. We ate another "small"lunch of giant pizzas and walked the city a little bit.

In the back of this picture you can see one of the three bridges that come together at either side of the city. This is another example of the new, post war architecture.

And then we were off to Bled. After we settled in, in another nice hotel, we went out to have our Austrian feast. Check out this "platter for two" that Scott and I shared. Under all the meat (2 pork chops, several Cevapcici, two hamburger and two veal kabobs) war fries for five and a few scattered veggies n the side. We also had a very good apple strudel for dessert.

The first stop in Lake Bled was the castle on the Lake. This was a really neat place, beautiful views and out best views of the Alps.

Next we took a boat ride out to the church in the middle of the lake.

I have to say that Bled was my FAVORITE. I sat still and wrote in my journal for two hours this afternoon...and if you know me well you know how unusual this is! If anyone is looking for the perfect honeymoon destination...this is it.

As you can tell, we had a wonderful time. I can not imagine anything that would have made the trip better. This was truly the trip of a life time!

Take Care,
Molly

Molly and Scott's Great Adventure Part 3

Our next stop was Kotor. We got up at 7:00 that morning, threw come clothes on and rushed up to the deck. (note picture below). Our plan was to watch the boat travel through the fjords of Kotor. For those of you, like me, who had no idea what a fjord is, it is a long narrow inlet with steep sides. A fjord is created by glaciers, which means that, despite the close proximity to land, the water is very deep. So, we were in this cruise ship surrounded by vistas that you would presume could only be seen in a smaller boat.

These two island churches sat perched within the fjord. One tid bit we learned on the trip...when you see Cyprus trees near a church it indicates that there is a cemetery there. The trees protect the grave site and the Cyprus root is very "smelly" which keeps the rats from invading the graves.

As we were arriving to Kotor we passed this little town. Notice the tall tower which is home of the church bells. As a ship goes by the tradition holds that the ship blows its horn three times. In response the patrons of the ship receive an enthusiastic ringing of the church bells.

When we arrived in Kotor Scott notices theses barracks on the hill. As a lover of photography, and especially aerial pictures Scott decided that we were going up there. I must admit I was not too excited...he went wine tasting with me, I could climb a mountain with him! I was drizzling when we got into the city so we walked about for a little bit to see if it would let up...we thought it had and we headed up the mountain.

The end result...we got soaked...all the way through...it took my shoes three days to dry out!

Because of the rain and the clouds we did not get many good pictures. This picture shows our climb from the city. Going up was not that bad. The hike is along a rock path...much more treacherous in the rain. It was going down, on the rocks, in the rain, with a bad knee that I was not too thrilled about! The good news is I probably would have gained 10 pounds if it was not for this hike!
Our final full day on the ship was in Ploce. Ploce is a small port town that, in the words of our guide, did not have a lot to offer. This was one port where we were strongly encouraged to take the excursion. So, Scott and I headed with a large group to the city of Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Mostar is an interesting city because of the presence or many different religions and cultures.

In the picture below you will notice several mosques, as there is a heavy Muslim population. I visited inside a mosques, for the first time, on this trip...we also visited a Turkish house and a Catholic church. There is also a fairly large Catholic population in Mostar. These two faiths like together peacefully in this city.


I mentioned earlier that while the region is peaceful there are visible signs of the unrest in the 90s. Most of the destruction was seen in Mostar...a small example below.

Mostar is also where Scott found Cevapcici (Che-vap-chi-chi). Mostar is famous for this dish...it is "skinless" seasoned sausage that they serve with grilled flat bread and raw onions. We took the picture below later on in the trip...where it is served with a roll and other veggies. Scott said Mostar had, by far, the best offerings (although he tried it several times!)

Stay tuned for the last installment of Molly and Scott's Great Adventure.

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Workout:

Had a good run today...made me feel a lot better about Tuesday. Slowly but surely I should be ready next Saturday.

Mile 1: 13:20 (3 minute run (4.8)/2 minute walk (3.8))
Mile 2: 13:36 (3 minute run (4.8)/2 minute walk (3.8) )
Mile 3: 12:57 (same as above for first 8 minutes...last 5 minutes: 3 minutes at 5.0 and 2 minutes at 5.2)

Take Care,
Molly

Snap back to reality

A break in the Great Adventure for a few announcements:

Workouts:

I went for a run/walk outside Saturday morning. I ran 3 walked 2, decided to ease myself in after a 2+ week sabbatical. I felt good, the knee was good and all seemed really good.

Monday I did 45 minutes on the Elliptical.

Yesterday I went to the gym to run. SUCKED! I could not get through 2 intervals. My side was cramping like it has not cramped since I started running forever ago. I could not recover enough during the walks and as SOON as I started running again it killed me. So, I gave up running and did walking incline intervals. I have been thinking about working on inclines b/c I have not done that...but I envisioned myself running.

This morning I had early meetings and did not work out. SO, I loose my Friday off day. Here is the plan:

Tomorrow: RUN
Friday: 20 minute Elliptical 20-30 minute swim
Saturday: Run 5K course

I am thankful that I signed myself up for the Riverbend 5K. I am not sure that I would be getting up and out this quickly if this race was not looming in a week and a half. I am also thankful because I stepped on the scale Monday morning to see that the extra weight I could feel in my clothes was actually there - 5 pounds!

Anxiety

hate, Hate, HATE this medicine I am on. Don't get me wrong, if I take it I am fine. But if I forget, or take it too late in the day...I am a queen BITCH. Poor Scott was the benefactor this morning when, out of the routine, I forgot to take it. I get antsy, jumpy and literally (I MEAN literally) want to punch something. Getting off of it ASAP. I need to do it with the Doc though b/c, obviously, just quiting it is not an option.

Thinking of getting of everything for good, again.

Croatia

Why Croatia you ask. As I mentioned in the last post Scott loves Rick Steves who does a travel show on PBS. He saw a special on Slovenia and Croatia and fell in love. He showed it to me and I fell in love. We literally traveled from the beaches to the Alps...where else in the world can you do that. Another cool thing is that it is pretty well undiscovered (I say pretty well b/c that is changing...the French have descended) so it is not as busy as other parts of Europe. There are still people who think that this part of the world is in turmoil and are afraid to travel there. You will see, in later Great Adventure Posts, that there are definitely still remnants of the unrest in the 90s, but everything is resolved.

And, there is this:



The Koz

Is great. He enjoyed his time with his friends while we were gone; but, I think he is happy being top dog again!

Momma

Happy Birthday to my Momma...the best mother and the best friend a girl could have!

Question

Does anyone know how to fix my sidebar? It has moved to the bottom of my screen and I can not figure out how to move it back!

Take Care,
Molly

You can do anything you set your mind to, man
-Eminem

Molly and Scott's Great Adventure Part 2

Our next stop was Split. It is the second largest city in Croatia. We spent the majority of our time just wandering and absorbing, as opposed to going to the sites, my favorite thing to do.

We spent a lot of time at the Market in Split people watching. This picture does not even begin to describe the "hustle and bustle" of the market! Everything you would ever need was available at this market! They even had a several underwear stands...thought of you momo.

This was my favorite booth...they sold the chicken and the eggs...guess we know which chickens were not doing so well in the laying of eggs department.

This was our only day that was split (haha) in half. All the other days, except one that I will explain, we sailed at night and would wake up in our next destination. So, it was kind of cool to watch the ship leave from and arrive to a port.

Our next stop was Kortula, the birth place of Marco Polo. The picture below was taken as we approached the city.

If you look to the right of the picture (left of the ship) above you can see what looks like a small tower. This is actually a bar. After we walked this small city Scott and I retreated to this tower for drinks (don't order a margarita in Croatia). We ended up talking to two couples from California who are probably still riding their motorcycles through Europe. Cool folks. From the tower Scott took this great picture:

Although our stay here was short we got two of my favorite "souvenirs". We purchased an amazing first edition painting of the harbor (which we thought was appropriate b/c we watched the boat arrive) and I got a coral, the stone of the Adriatic, bracelet.

That night we were off to Dubrovnik...one of my favorite places on the tour. The "feature" of this city, which is a must do, is to walk the city walls. These walls do a complete circle around Dubrovnik.

One of the things that interested us the most about this trip is that we literally went from the beaches (as you see here) to the Alps (later in Bled). From the city walls the views were amazing...including the city itself and the beauty of the Adriatic.

This picture (above) is the best example of the city and the ocean.

Have to throw a Molly and Scott picture in there too!

Around the right corner of this building is where Scott and I chilled for a while. Around the next corner was a swimming hole. When we got there we watched kids jumping off rocks and playing around. Later a man came strolling by in a causal work outfit, striped to his underwear and went swimming, about thirty minutes later he put his clothes back on and, I imagine, headed back to work.

This is one of my favorite pictures. Notice the classic, beautiful, red clay roofs...with satellite dishes on top!

While we usually had lunch on the boat we decided to spend the entire day in Dubrovnik without making the trip back to the boat. Scott is a big Rick Steves fan and we went to the pizza place he recommended. Check out our small pizzas (no wonder I gained 5 pounds!)!

If you have to chose a place to go in Croatia, Dubrovnik would be my recommendation.

Back to work...more tomorrow.

Take Care,
Molly

Molly and Scott's Great Adventure Part 1

This was an amazing trip!
I would recommend going to Croatia and Slovenia to ANYONE!

Our boat was small by cruise ship standards, it help 330 passengers. We were about 3/4 of the way full and about 1/3 of the passengers were English speaking.

Here is our room. Small, but that is what we expected. It was just big enough to be comfortable.

There were not many English speaking tables on the ship. We were lucky to be seated with a great group. A couple from England and two friends from California (who ended up going on the excursion after the cruise with us!).

Most days we ate breakfast, lunch and dinner in the dinning room (seated, from a menu) above but some mornings we ate breakfast (buffet) on the deck.

So, that is the basics. And after the safety drill...

...we were off.

Our first stop was Pula.

Most of Croatia has been under Italian, mostly Venetian, influence. Above are some ruins that are still used today as a concert hall.

Pula is a small town, we did not spend a lot of time there. We chose to take an excursion to Medieval Istria.

And part of the trip was a wine tasting...hmmm, wonder why I was so excited to go...

Every night we were "entertained" by the unity orchestra. This brings up another point. We were called, "the aliens" by the crew because we were about 1/2 the age of most of the people on the ship...who I am sure enjoyed the unity orchestra...especially Natasha the Russian singer.

Next stop was Zadar

We walked around Zadar in the morning. We found it quite charming and would have enjoyed the day there. Instead we went on another excursion to the Plitvice National Park.

This Park was absolutely amazing. Every turn led to a waterfall or a lake. The water in Croatia, due to a lack of industry, is amazingly clear. It is possible to look down and see layers of fish and on to the bottom of the lake. The water is an amazing blue/green color that is impossible to catch on film. An absolutely amazing place!

Off to get ready for Scott's birthday dinner. Another installment tomorrow...

Take Care,
Molly