Sunday, November 27, 2011

Plitvice Lakes National Park

We left Zadar and headed inland about 2 hours to the Plitvice Lakes National Park.  The park is well known for its terraced lakes, clear water and numerous waterfalls and was Croatia’s first national park as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

We arrived mid-afternoon in June so we had plenty of daylight left to make our way through the park.  The boardwalk paths make their way over beautiful blue green water that is so clear you can see hundreds of fish.  Since we arrived later in the day we were able to miss most of the crowds and did not feel rushed along.

This first photo is the view as you begin the decent down to the lakes and the main trail.

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This last photo is another view from up above as we made our way back to the park exit.  We enjoyed our time here and I was super excited to shoot some waterfalls.  It was a long walk through and our girls were real troopers and made it the whole way without any issues. 

We stayed nearby the park in small but very nice room at the Apartments Plitvicer Seen.  It was modern and the owner was nice.  We ate breakfast out by the pool before we headed north to Austria.  Since I am such a dork I was excited to get a stamp in my passport before we left Croatia and back into Slovenia!  Since the countries who have joined the EU have open borders the border crossing stations sit vacant so we never have to show our passports as we travel between those countries. 

We drove straight through Slovenia and into Austria to we could visit the Lipzzaner Stud Farm in Piber.  This is the where the famous stallions from the Spanish Riding School in Vienna are born.  I may have been more excited to visit here than the girls!  We arrived about 90 minutes before they closed for the day and were able to wander around.  We walked through a small museum and watched the horses being brought in from the fields for the night. 

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This mare was very friendly and I spent a lot of time rubbing her nose and she became a willing subject for my photos. 

The next day we drove to Graz so JG could visit the Landeszeughaus.  He needed some manly time after hanging out with the Gibson girls for the entire vacation and really enjoyed his time walking through 4 floors of this Styrian Armoury.  The entire place was nothing but old weapons and suits of armor.  Unfortunately we were not allowed to take any photos while we were in there.   If you are interested in seeing some photos though just click on the hyperlink above and it will take you directly to the website for more information.

This finally wraps up our trip through Slovenia, Croatia and a quick stop in Austria.  It was really a vacation of a lifetime for me.  I loved every single place we visited and the drive along the Adriatic Sea was breathtaking.  I was happy to be home again but sad to have our amazing vacation come to an end.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Sibenik, Croatia

Here is another day of our Croatian vacation.  We drove down the coast from Zadar to Sibenik.  This was a lovely town with a very unique UNESCO Heritage Site.  The St. Jacob’s Cathedral has a frieze of 74 faces around the outside.  We were not permitted to take photos inside but the interior was smaller than I anticipated based on the outside.  It was beautiful and simple very much unlike the detailed exterior. 

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After we left the cathedral we wandered around the town and it was so beautiful.  It had narrow alley’s with tall stone buildings.  There was lots of climbing as we made our way up the hillside.  This town had so much of an old world feel to it.  There were not a lot of people wandering about and I loved the slower pace compared to Zadar.   

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Sibenik is a little gem along the Dalmatian Coast and I am glad we spent some time here.  If you are ever traveling near here it is well worth a visit. 

This was our last day along the Adriatic Sea and I tried to savor it.  I cannot believe how much I feel in love with this region!  It was truly an amazing vacation that will probably not be topped (sorry JG!).

I had no intention of dragging my Croatia blog posts out but life gets in the way.  I was reading a blog post recently by Stacy Julian and she mentioned that the longer you are away from your blog the easier it is to stay away and that really is true!  I will write up my posts from Plitvace National Park and the Lipzzaner Stud Farm and set them to auto post. 

Thanks for stopping by and reading about our travels.  I enjoy reading the comments and if you have any questions about our travels please feel free to ask.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Crochet Love!

Pinterest has really renewed my interest in crochet!  I love all the fantastic projects that have been shared on there and thanks to a few helpful You Tube videos I have managed to make 2 blankets and have a 3rd in the works.  I am sure JG is shaking his head because he thinks I don't need another hobby about now.

Aubrey wanted a rainbow blanket so I went to the store and picked up some basic colors and got to work.  After what seemed like forever, especially to a 4 year old, I finished it.  I told Aubrey I was going to keep it because I loved it so much but she was having none of that  :-) 

Crochet Rainbow Blanket

Crochet Rainbow Blanket 2

In a few weeks I will be participating in another blog hop just in time for the holidays!  I have an idea in mind but just need to put it in action.  I also need to finish up my Christmas cards as I am really making them this year, or most of them anyways.   I have about 10 more to make and I have been putting it off.  Oh, and I need to get my butt moving on my December Daily foundation pages as well.  I have all the supplies and just need to sit and get going on it. 

Do you have any projects you have been procrastinating on?  Please tell me that I am not alone here.