From Riga to Croatia by car

Posted on 09/09/2024 by ainarsbl

I have already written quite a lot about traveling to Croatia, but here I will summarize how to get there by car from Latvia.

Even though we have been flying everywhere for the last decade, we have mostly driven by our car to Croatia. We have also seen other cars with Baltic and Polish license plates in Croatia, so we are by no means the only ones and this information may be useful to someone else.

The usual route is as follows: Riga – Warsaw (Poland) – Bratislava (Slovakia) – Graz (Austria) – Maribor (Slovenia) – Zagreb (Croatia). This is also the option offered by Google Maps. What happens after arrival to Zagreb is entirely up to you, depending on where else you have decided to go. There are people who prefer to drive through the Czech Republic, but staying overnight in the Czech Republic (not to mention Austria) can be quite expensive.

If you are going to relax by the sea, then you should take into account that it is practically impossible to visit all the regions of Croatia at once. The country is stretched from north to south and there is a highway that connects it all. But once you get off the highway, driving is very slow.

I would say that there are three main regions in Croatia that are worth visiting – the north, the Istrian peninsula and the island of Krk, the south of Dalmatia, including Dubrovnik, the Peljesac peninsula and the island of Korcula, and central Dalmatia – Split, Trogir, other smaller towns and seaside villages.

Driving from Riga

We started driving at the time when it was a habit to drive through Poland during night. Now a lot has changed in Poland, so you can drive through it during the day. Driving at night has the advantage that it is possible to drive a longer first part of the distance. On the first day, we usually tried to drive at least 1200 kilometres.

In any case, it will take at least ten hours to get to Warsaw from Riga, so if you leave around midnight, you will be in Warsaw around ten in the morning. We usually chose hotel or apartment somewhere in Slovakia. You still have to drive quite a long distance from Polish capital, about 500 kilometres, which is at least 6 – 7 hours. It should be noted that it is also necessary to stop to eat, relax and stretch.

We usually took thermoses with hot water and dry soups with us, so that we didn’t have to only eat dry snacks. Although, we usually got off at least once in Poland to have a late breakfast or lunch at one of the roadside restaurants.

Overnight stay in Slovakia

We used the accommodation to stay at night because we were traveling with children and it would have been quite cruel to ask them to spend the night in the car. After driving more than 1000 kilometres, you need to sleep in a normal bed. You must also remember to replenish the hot water supply for next day’s soups before departure!

We usually looked for hotels (guest houses) in Slovakia on the Internet somewhere between Zilin and Trencin, a little off the highway. When it comes to the motorway, remember that in Slovakia (as well as in the Czech Republic) you have to buy a vignette. Inspections are not frequent, but if you are caught without a vignette, you may end up with paying quite large fine.

Now it is possible to buy a Slovak e-vignette online in advance, you can pay with payment card or PayPal. Even in Austria, to drive on the motorways, you need to buy a vignette; Austrian vignette for 10 days (minimum time) costs 9.6 euros (summer 2022).

Slovakian vignette for ten days costs 15.8 euros, but if you choose to drive through the Czech Republic, you can save a little – for 10 days there, a vignette costs 12.5 euros, but other costs, if you stop, will probably be higher.

Spending night in Zagreb

The last section of the route from Slovakia to Zagreb is practically only driving on motorways. Google Maps offer to drive through Hungary as the main route, but I don’t recommend it, because the roads are rather boring and driving through Hungary just doesn’t excite me (we’ve tried it ourselves).

Since you can get to Croatia (Zagreb) in about seven to nine hours from Slovakia, we did not rush to leave early in the morning. Accommodations usually offer breakfast and you also want to slow down a bit before leaving. And the main thing is that it is not even possible to go anywhere further than Zagreb during that day, unless your destination is the island of Krk or the Istrian peninsula.

In that case, you can pass Zagreb going through Slovenia in the direction of Rijeka. It will take up to 10 hours in total then.

If the destination of your trip to Croatia is central or southern Dalmatia, then staying overnight in Zagreb is worth it. Both in the city and its outskirts, there are many hotels for good price. It should only be noted that they are all very busy during the summer season; the hotel should be booked well in advance when the trip is being planned. This also applies to all other hotels in Croatia during the summer period.

The capital of Catalonia Barcelona

Posted on 02/03/2024 by ainarsbl

The first thought that comes to mind when you hear the word Barcelona – it’s something special! It is one of Europe’s must-see cities. Like Prague, Paris, London and Rome.

I can’t even tell if there are many more similar cities in terms of the added value of the trip. The list can then be continued with Venice, Florence in Italy, Vienna in Austria, Amsterdam in Netherlands, Budapest in Hungary and so on. This is, of course, my list and it may be different for everyone, but one thing is clear: Barcelona is a must-see place and it is located in the very north of Spain.

About the city

Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia, with a population of just over one and a half million people and, together with the surrounding areas (almost 5 million people), it is the second largest populated area in Spain. And of course – Barcelona is a seaside city on the Mediterranean coast.

Catalonia is an autonomous region of Spain and differs from central Spain in many ways. Catalonia even has two official languages, Catalan and Spanish.

The origins of Barcelona can be traced back to the beginning of our era when the Romans came there, but it is best known for its houses designed by the architect Antonio Gaudi rather than the Romans. Pablo Picasso also lived in Barcelona but later moved to Paris.
Barcelona did not start to develop until the very end of the nineteenth century, so it can be considered a modern city. The city also has many other cultural and historical sites, several of which (about eight in total) are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. And of course, as it should be in Spain, the food there is great – just because of the restaurants and cafes, it is worth going there.

Getting around

The best way to get to Barcelona is to fly there. Barcelona Airport is the largest on the Mediterranean coast and from the city can be reached by train, metro or bus; it is just 17 kilometres away. We used the subway and it was very convenient and simple. By the way, the bus (Aerobus) from the airport to the city return ticket costs just over 10 euros (you have to make your return within 15 days).

The Barcelona metro is very convenient, so being in the city, we used it the most to get to different places where we did not want to walk. We also used bus services a bit. The best deal is to buy a T10 ticket, which is intended for ten trips within the first zone of the city and is suitable for any mode of transport travelling in this zone. Tickets can be purchased at any metro station.

By the way, the subway works from five in the morning until midnight, but on Fridays until two o’clock after midnight. The price of a T10 ticket in 2021 was 11.2 euros.

What to see

On the first day, we went to the cathedral Sagrada Família (holy family), which, of course, was designed by Gaudi. This building is the culmination of his talent. The architect worked on the project for almost the last ten years of his life.

The queue at the entrance was not very long in the morning, however it was not possible to get inside right away – we had to wait for our turn. The interior of the cathedral is fantastic.

The overall feeling was a bit spoiled by the fact that we didn’t climb up the tower; in case of bad weather (wind, fog) this attraction is cancelled (money, of course, we got back).
It should be mentioned that without prior reservation it is practically impossible to climb the tower because there are many more people willing to get there than the opportunities to get there.

Las Ramblas, Barcelona’s main street, has certainly been heard by many even if you have not visited Barcelona. You can walk along it for a long time and always see something interesting. Las Ramblas starts at Plaça de Catalunya and goes all the way to the sea.

Undoubtedly, one of the most popular places in the city, apart from architectural masterpieces, is the square Plaça de Catalunya. There are fountains, sculptures and lawns. And there is a special story about city parks. Without even looking specifically for one, we turned into several and the views were amazing! Trees, lawns, canals, buildings, fountains – fantastic!

Accommodation

Hotel prices in Barcelona are quite high, but we chose to rent an apartment again and it paid off, because we ate, came and went when we wanted to. This was especially good when we came home very late in the evenings. The city in the evenings is very attractive and everybody wants to spend time there as much as possible.

Italian cooking classes in Rome

Posted on 23/11/2023 by ainarsbl

This experience was part of our trip to Italian capital city Rome. After returning from our one-day long trip to Vesuvius, we had one more major attraction booked – cooking classes in Italian restaurant.

small restaurant in rome — Small restaurant in Rome

Almost everybody around the world knows Italian food. Italian cuisine has been developing since ancient times and has spread around the world until nowadays. One of the main characteristics of Italian dishes is that it is usually simple to prepare a meal because just a few main ingredients (often two to four) are normally used. However, Italy is large country and the same dish may be very different in different areas of the country.

Some very well know ingredients of Italian cuisine are olive oil, pesto, pasta, tomatoes, peppers, olives, garlic, artichokes, eggplants, zucchini, all kinds of meat, fish, seafood and cheese (parmesan, pecorino, ricotta etc.).

There is a huge range of pasta used in Italy as well as in other countries around the world – macaroni, spaghetti, linguine, fusilli, penne, lasagne, ravioli and tortellini. Pasta differs from each other with various lengths, widths, and shapes but, for example, ravioli and tortellini are filled with other ingredients.

A while before coming over to Italy, we booked cooking classes at Le Fate Restaurant (Le Fate means fairy). In this privately owned restaurant, Italian Chief Andrea Consoli was teaching groups of 4 to 6 people about preparing excellent Italian dishes.

We were really enjoying this cooking class and I would recommend it to anyone who likes to enjoy free time acquiring some new knowledge mixed with just having fun. However, I was checking for availability of this cooking class in 2019 and it appears that this restaurant has been closed – what a pity.

There is another blog about finding good restaurants in Rome for eating breakfast, lunch and dinner – this may save your some time in finding those as I can recommend all of them after my own positive experience.

So, this is it about our cooking classes in Rome but there also are travel notes about another trips to Italy, for example, to Italian Alps.

Seafood specialities in Montenegro

Posted on 18/11/2023 by ainarsbl

During our vacation trip to Montenegro, we obviously enjoyed a lot of seafood in Montenegro and local fermented grape juice of course. Especially, we were excited about buying fresh seafood on the shore from fishermen and preparing our (not anymore their) catch at home.

In my opinion, there are more tasty oysters in neighbouring Croatia, however, the taste of mussels from the Bay of Kotor outperforms many regions offering similar production. In local warehouses, it was possible to buy different kinds of seafood (and the price was excellent indeed). It was a real celebration of summer every evening in Montenegro all week long.

Seafood in Montenegro is a usual thing for locals. Humans have used seafood in their cuisine for thousands of years. For example, mussels can be smoked, boiled, steamed, roasted, barbecued or fried in butter or vegetable oil. As with almost all shellfish, mussels should be checked to ensure they are still alive just before they are cooked.

We have had mussels for a meal in many countries and definitely those we had in Montenegro, along with Scottish mussels, have been one of the best experiences. We did not particularly buy any fish, which I believe should also be excellent in Montenegro. The main reason for that was a huge variety of shellfish – mussels, clams, scallops and many more.

Quick and easy seafood preparation recipe – scallops

Scallops are high in protein, low in calories and contain a whole lot of good things for our body like Omega-3, minerals and vitamins. I am wondering why there really are not that many things around, which are that much beneficial for our health as well as really tasty.

So, what you should do if you have been lucky enough to buy some big fresh scallops (this recipe may not be suitable if you get frozen scallops from a supermarket).

The first thing – bring home and wash if there is some sand or dirt on the shells
Open shells and leave scallops in one half of the shell (kids may like to play with them later on).
Chop garlic, put over scallop, add pepper and salt.
Put on a frying pan (see a picture here) and cook until it gets ready (it should not take long – just a few minutes).

Enjoy your results and read about our experience of visiting Durmitor National Park in Montenegro.

Adriatic coast of Montenegro

Posted on 17/11/2023 by ainarsbl

After visiting Durmitor National Park, Tara River Bridge and some challenging off-road driving we arrived at our final destination in Montenegro – Adriatic coast.

Bay of Kotor

Town Kotor is located along one of the most beautiful bays of Montenegro. The old town of Kotor was built during the Middle Ages, between the 12th and 14th centuries and listed as a UNESCO World Natural and Historical Heritage Site since 1979 (to be more precise, UNESCO lists the whole complex – Bay of Kotor, City of Kotor and surrounding territory).

In the Middle Ages Kotor was a natural harbour on the Adriatic coast but this place was inhabited already about two thousand years ago. Our accommodation was located in Dobrota village, about 3.5 kilometres from Kotor however in reality it is sometimes even not possible to determine when one town ends on the coast and another one begins. Dobrota looks straight onto Mt. Vrmas and the seaside promenade of the town runs for several kilometres along the shore.

Numerous little stone jetties are splendid more than anywhere else. We booked our accommodation in Dobrota in advance, it was located in a large private house. The main advantage of the accommodation was that it was in a quiet area with a large terrace and shady garden, about 20 metres from the coast.

Adriatic coast

The rest of our time in Montenegro we spent either walking around the town and enjoying the sun or visiting other towns and beaches of the Adriatic sea. The city walls of Kotor are very interesting (they are about 5 kilometres long, up to 20 metres high and up to 10 metres wide).

A very interesting site in the Kotor area is an artificial island Gospa of Skrpjela (Lady of the Rock). According to stories seamen from Kotor and Perast created islands bringing with their sailing vessels large stones.

sveti-stefan island in montenegro — Sveti Stefan island in Montenegro

There is a church on this island. Another very special is the island of Sveti Stefan. In reality, this is a town hotel located on an island. It is connected to the mainland with a narrow strip. The town was built in the 15th century, and it became a town-hotel in 1960. Many famous people have visited Sveti Stefan. To visit the island there is an entrance fee but near the entrance, there are beautiful sandy beaches (one full day we spent there).

Our longest trip was to Skadar Lake. The Skadar Lake (Skadarsko Jezero) is the largest lake on the Balkan Peninsula, it is situated in the far Southeast of Montenegro. The shore of the lake is full of bays, peninsulas and riffs, however, it is most popular because of bird watching – there have been more than 280 bird species registered so far at Skadar Lake, which is more than half of the European ornithological fauna.

Durmitor National Park

Posted on 16/11/2023 by ainarsbl

At the beginning of June, together with friends, we went to Montenegro (meaning Black Mountain) to visit Durmitor National Park and the Adriatic coast. It was exciting not only because we hadn’t been visiting this country before.

On June 3rd, 2006 Montenegrin Parliament declared independence of the country (previously it was a part of Yugoslavia and various incarnations). It was interesting to find out what people think and to see how a small country starts its independent living. Montenegro has a territory of less than 14 thousand square kilometres and a population of less than one million.

Arrival to Montenegro

To reach our destination, we crossed Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary, and arrived in Montenegro from Serbia, crossing those days very recently established border control points. The first stop we made was at a petrol station soon after crossing the border and were really surprised about the cleanliness and order prevailing around.

Large rest area and surrounding landscapes let us to relax after a long trip through Serbia. It was late afternoon, however, we didn’t have a hotel booking, so after a short break we continued driving and had to find suitable accommodation before sunset.

Driving from Mojkovac to Zabljak, we found a convenient motel “Ravnjak” with separate bungalows (address: 18th kilometre of the road Mojkovac-Zabljak, phone: 084 472 144). The next morning we ordered a really excellent breakfast. In case you don’t need an apartment, it is worth stopping there even just to have lunch or dinner.

Visiting Durmitor National Park

Our next destination was Crno Jezero (Black Lake) located in Durmitor National Park about 25 kilometres from Tara Bridge and about 3 kilometres from Zabljak. Before arriving at Crno Jezero, we looked around the town of Zabljak which is the highest urban conglomerate in the Balkans (located 1450 metres above sea level).

Zabljak is surrounded by 23 mountain peaks over 2200 meters high. There are 18 glacial lakes in Durmitor National Park, however, Crno Jezero is the largest and the deepest of them.

It is situated at the feet of the mountain massive Medjed. Crno Jezero is formed by receding glaciers and it has 2 halves – Big Lake and Small Lake. There is a 3.5 kilometres long walking path around the lake (we used only some part of it).

There is a parking place near to the lake. About a kilometre before the lake, car traffic is prohibited, however, access to the lake is very convenient – trails are covered with asphalt. There is also a restaurant on the coast available. More than 3 hours we spent walking in this area, enjoying nature and the beautiful landscape around the lake before moving forward to other parts of Durmitor National Park.

Tara river canyon

We continued our trip and the first site to visit in Montenegro was a bridge across the Tara River (this bridge called Djurdevica Tara is a symbol of the Tara River). Tara River cuts the Tara River Canyon (Tara River Gorge) which is the longest canyon in Montenegro and Europe and the second longest in the world after Grand Canyon in the United States (Arizona).

It is 78 kilometres long (there are also sources mentioning that it is up to 82 kilometres long) and 1300 metres high at the deepest point.

The canyon also is a part of Durmitor National Park and it has been listed as a UNESCO Heritage Site since 1980. Tara Bridge was built between 1937 and 1940 (rebuilt in 1946 after the Second World War). The bridge is 365 metres long, has 5 arches and the largest span is 116 metres. The roadway stands 172 metres above the Tara River. For sure, this is one of the most interesting sites in Europe to be seen.

Off-road driving in the mountains

To have more fun, we decided to cross the mountains before going to the Adriatic coast. And we had a lot of fun and challenges! Mountain road was very challenging to drive because sometimes it was covered by melting snow. There were some sections covered by asphalt but some were not.

We even reached mountain pass Sedlo (1907 metres above sea level) and continued driving, however, a few kilometres before the crossroads we had to stop because heavy road machinery was still cleaning the road after the winter season (it was June 12th but the depth of snow covering road was still about 3 to 4 metres). We found out that at least one more day should be spent cleaning the whole section of the road to get to the crossroads.

After a short interview with the reporter of the local newspaper who was preparing an article about snow clearance work, we turned around to get back to our starting point to continue the trip to the capital of Montenegro Podgorica. Late in the afternoon, we reached the Adriatic coast and continued our trip to the next destination – Dobrota, a small town near Kotor.

We had booked a guest house there to stay for a week and enjoy our vacation on the sunny beaches of Montenegro, explore interesting places in the surrounding area and enjoy local food specialities..

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