Roadtrip through Norway- Hiking Pulpit Rock and waterfalls

We had an amazing day in Oslo (check out my Oslo post here if you missed it) but we were so excited to check out the natural wonders of Norway!  One of our first destinations- Preikestolen, known as Pulpit Rock, on the Lysefjord. Surprisingly, it was equal drive time to cut through the country as it was to drive south and along the coast to get there, so we made a day of it, stopping at Kristiansand for the afternoon (more about that stop in a later blog).
It was our first glimpse of seeing the wild side of Norway, and it was simply breathtaking.  Warning right now, none of my pictures are even going to be a fraction as beautiful as what we saw in person. YOU MUST GET TO NORWAY!  Lol, you’ve been warned, but I hope you enjoy my pictures all the same.  Kinda kicking myself for not investing in a cool camera, but my iPhone camera pictures will have to do.  One thing that we learned to love, appreciate and expect from everywhere we went, were the sheep wandering around the roads.
If you are planning on driving Norway- which I highly recommend because we were able to see so much and stop when we pleased- there are some things you should know.
Driving Norway Tip #1: The roads around the fjords are often two-lanes, around 80kph.  You won’t see police out on the road, but you will see cameras that will take pictures of your speed, though they are usually announced ahead of time.  Speeding tickets are expensive we heard, so be warned!
If you see this sign, make sure you’re going the speed limit! Camera ahead!
Driving Norway Tip #2: If you are claustrophobic- be warned! There are A LOT of tunnels.  Some of them are 5km or longer.  Often times, you will enter a tunnel and come out 20 minutes later seeing a different terrain and experiencing weather that is completely unlike what it was like on the other side of the tunnel. It was unreal. Sometimes in the tunnels there were lane changes or exit ramps, so pay attention!
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Norway was so spectacularly beautiful, but since I was driving I wasn’t able to take tons of pictures. The fjords are absolutely amazing: the beautiful water with the high mountains next to them.

Driving Norway Tip #3: There are often ferries to take you from one side of the fjord to another (though our GPS also had an option to avoid ferries, but sometimes can’t be avoided.  Of course, taking a ferry involves a cost and waiting for the ferry to arrive. Also, we didn’t always know that we were going to be catching a ferry on our route, because the ferries are considered just part of the road (Route 5 for example).

We were getting near our destination of Stavanger, the home of Pulpit Rock, but we had to take our first ferry.

On the ferry, make sure to overfart
On the ferry
We had learned from our pre-trip planning that in Norway, people can camp wherever they’d like, as long as you respect the nature and keep 492 feet away from the nearest house.  Also, from April 15-September 15 you may not have an open fire. We had planned on doing that often in Norway, and I’m not the biggest camper…alright, I have never camped before in my life, but we had the tent and I felt confident to go.  Okay, I wasn’t confident, but when in Norway…
So after the ferry, it was getting late into the evening, and we needed to find a place to camp.  We knew we could basically pull off anywhere and be okay, but what we hadn’t put into consideration in advance were these mountains.  Where does one find a suitable place to set up a tent 492 feet from the road without falling off a cliffs edge?  Luckily, as were were approaching our hiking site for the next day we passed a sign for camping.

Driving Norway tip #4: “Camping” signs are everywhere, and usually mean that there are cabins for rent.  However, most of the camp sites are also for setting up a tent or parking a camper, and reservations are not needed in advance.  These camp sites are must more prevalent than hotels in the Norway countryside.
So we pulled into the campground and found out that we could set up a tent for the evening for $30. We started setting up our tent site near a babbling brook and some trees, but after spending about 10 minutes setting it up we were more busy swatting away gnats than we were with anything involving the tent, so we made a run with our almost-set-up tent to another spot near by.  It took us about 30 minutes and then we had a completely set-up tent and we were celebrating! Girl power!  We had done it!
However, watch these videos to find out what happened after we had set up our tents.
Right, we hadn’t set it up correctly, so a nice German man came over to tell us what to do to fix the problem, mostly, he said, because he didn’t want to hear us crying in the night when it started to rain.  And rain it did, but we stayed nice and dry, albeit cold.  We had on several layers of our clothes to keep warm through the night, which was pretty helpful.  We got up fairly early to get a start on the hike before the crowds set in, and we were very close to the park entrance so we were able to get started around 9am.  We had been told by a very nice American Norwegian-transplant that we met the day before in Kristiansand that the weather was going to be bad today, and she warned us that it was supposed to be stormy all day and that we would be better off hiking Pulpit Rock on the following day, but our schedule didn’t allow us any time to spare, so off we went!

So Pulpit Rock is also called Preikestolen, but it is well marked by both names so it’s very easy to find. There is a fairly large car park, which costs 200NOK, about 25 dollars, which you pay as you leave.  So, like I mentioned, it was a rainy day so it wasn’t busy when we arrived. The hike is about 2.4 miles long each way and the destination, the lookout called Pulpit Rock, is 604 meters (thats 1,982 feet for all us Americans) above the fjord. There were so many beautiful views along the way, and it’s a pretty moderate hike up, we were bundled up in our rain gear and it wasn’t a bad hike on the way up.  Look at the all the beautiful sights we saw.
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View of the carpark from our hike


The hike was pretty varied, as you can tell from the pictures.  There were often steps, made of large stones, flat sections, walking along stone boulders, of course lots of trees and even some waterfalls.  But it definitely was very green! There were many places where there were stones stacked up.  We saw this all over Norway: you are supposed to stack up the stones and make a wish, and the higher you are able to make your stack, the better the chances that your wish will come true.

The higher we went, the foggier it got, and also the rainier, and did I mention that it was pretty chilly? So we weren’t feeling very optimistic about having a great view of the top.  It took us about 2 hours to get to the top, and although it was foggy we were ecstatic to reach the summit.

 

At the top of Pulpit Rock there are no signs warning you about falling, no barriers, just you and nature and a big BIG drop-off.  However, we couldn’t see the fjord below at all, so I had few qualms about laying down and hanging off the edge a bit.

Now, here is a photo, not taken by me, of what Pulpit Rock looks like on a clear day.  If it had looked like this I’m not sure I would’ve done that, but I guess I can call myself a daredevil now.

There are over 200,000 visitors to Preikestolen/Pulpit Rock every year.  Loads of tour buses bring people here every day, and I had read a lot about people just hiking along like in an assembly line, so that was one very nice thing about our hike.  We didn’t have to deal with crowds really until our hike down, then we did at times pass hoards of people, so it took a little bit longer to descend.

The hike was really not too difficult; it would be easier for people with longer legs because there were times when the steps were pretty far apart, or pretty big stones that I had to kinda hoist myself up on.  I did slip and land on my bum one time, but it wasn’t an overly dangerous hike.  It was well worth it and I can only imagine the views when it is a nice day.  You don’t really need to imagine, there are pictures all over the internet.
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So it wasn’t the most beautiful day, but I still loved it, the hike was great, with beautiful views along the way, and it was our goal to make it to the top and we did!

Once we got back to the car we were soaked all the way through our layers (for the record I had leggings and rain pants on, two pairs of socks, a t-shirt, a long-sleeved shirt, a sweatshirt and a rain jacket- and it was June 12), chilly from being wet (our hands and feet were freezing!), and hungry.  The interesting thing was changing out of all our wet clothes in the public bathroom, and then trying to figure out what to do with all our wet clothes (which was most of our cold-weather gear that we had with us in Norway) while we drove towards our next destination. Our original plan was to spend another night camping, but we were so cold and with most of our clothes being wet we decided to change our plan and head toward Bergen and stay the night in an AirBnb, which we had to book in the car (thank goodness Heidi had an international phone plan- though it didn’t always work).  So we turned the heat in the car on high to make it a sauna, made some PB&J sandwiches and headed off.

Our driving route from Preikestolen to Bergen was almost a 7 hour drive, and we didn’t realize it at the time, but our route was mostly a scenic road.  I kept seeing these brown signs along the way and a few times I even wondered aloud what they meant, while also exclaiming over and over how beautiful it all was, only to find out later that we were on the scenic route.

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I don’t know the names of everything we saw, but enjoy the pics of beautiful Norway!

Is it me, or does this waterfall look like a walking man?

There were many times when we were driving and we just had to stop, or sometimes pull a U-ie to go back and enjoy the view/snap some pics.

There were lots of mountains, dozens of tunnels, and sometimes construction. Like this time when we had to wait 20 minutes just to continue on our route.  I will say that driving in a country where you don’t completely understand the rules of the road can be a little intimidating, especially when you are driving and just come up to a car facing you in your lane.
Blue skies for a moment!

Driving Norway tip #5: There are public bathrooms all over the roads of Norway, labeled by road signs as WC.  They are basically porta potties, but look at the views that some of them come with!

Now to one of the most amazing moments during our drive that day.  It had been raining off-and-on all day, and we had passed multiple waterfalls.  We were heading for a specific one actually.  I’m just driving along a fjord, the Hardangerfjord, the second largest fjord in Norway, fourth largest in the world, and all of the sudden the road gets very misty and I have to turn on the windshield wipers, but it was odd because it wasn’t coming from the sky, and then we drove by this amazing waterfall, just right next to road.  I had to stop to look at it.

The road we were driving along

 

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I was literally in tears (which I sometimes do when I’m so extremely happy) when I saw this.  There were some parking spots because there is a little shelter that sells ice cream, but otherwise it was not touristy at all.  I didn’t even know the name of this waterfall until much later in the trip when my amazing friend Dan researched it for me. Latefossen is a 541 tall waterfall, special because it is actually two streams flowing down the mountain, under the road 13 we were driving along.
We continued our drive, and though it was a long day in the car, we barely noticed because of those amazing views.  Here’s a few more:
  

Driving along the fjords were just spectacular, and you pass all these little villages, all the communities pretty small with all the buildings in a little area, but they were so charming!

Finally, we made it to our final destination before going to our AirBnb in Bergen for the night- Steindalsfossen waterfall.  We were still in Hordalang county along the Hardangerfjord.  This waterfall is one of the most visited in Norway; Emperor Wilhem II of Germany even used to visit this waterfall every summer from 1889 until World War I started in 1914.  We got there late, when there were no crowds (because it is definitely built up a little to be touristy).  This is the first time that I’ve mentioned the late nights- it wasn’t even ever getting dark!  We were there after 10pm and there was still plenty of light out.  So back to the waterfall, there is a nice path from the parking lot up to the waterfall, and the cool thing about this waterfall is that you can walk behind it!.
 
 
There you have it, June 12, one of the most spectacular days of my life, can’t believe how much we fit in in just one day, and it was completely unforgettable!

Ljubljana, Slovenia

The beginning of my summer trip started in Krakow, Poland (read about that trip here) and after spending a few days there, I flew into Vienna, Austria, spending the night with my dear friends Dan and Irina.  The next morning, Dan accompanied me to the car rental place to pick up the car I would be driving the next few weeks around Europe, and shortly after I went to the train station to pick up my travel buddy for the next 6 days, Erin! Erin is a pretty prolific traveler so I was excited to be experiencing some new destinations with her, and our first stop was Ljubljana, Slovenia!

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Llubljana

In less than 4 hours we made it to our Airbnb, but it was a lovely drive- full of green, grassy mountains and picturesque villages (and that’s just what we were able to see  from our drive on the freeway), and once we arrived we headed straight to our Airbnb just outside of the city center (Erin did a great job on planning all the places where we stayed the night, so all credit goes to her) where we quickly stashed the car and headed out, eager to see all that Ljubljana had to offer but also in search of some food  If you’re like before this trip, you’re thinking “Ljubl…what?”.  I didn’t know much about this city at all, so I had no expectations.  Before I traveled there, I had never heard anyone talking about this city, though after I posted my first pictures on social media during my travels I did hear from a few people who exclaimed that it was one of their favorite cities they’ve been to, and I can tell you now, I almost don’t want to share about it.  It’s a stunner, and one of the best things about it was, it wasn’t covered with tourists.

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As we walked, with no sure destination in mind besides finding food somewhere, we were passing colorful building, darling churches, tree-lined cobblestone streets, quaint squares, old buildings (of course, it is Europe, but there is something I love about a historic and slightly dilapidated building) and within 5 minutes we hit the mother-load, the beautiful Ljubljanica river, which is lined with a rainbow mixture of buildings.  It was a beautiful day- there were people kayaking down the river, the sky was blue without a cloud in sight, and the city was gorgeous.

IMG_0848 IMG_0849  IMG_0851 IMG_1118IMG_0852IMG_0856Crossing over the river and continuing on our quest for food we passed by the Church of Saint James, built in 1613-1615. I love the yellow façade.  IMG_0860IMG_0863

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Just past the church we found the main throughfare, which is even better because it is a completely pedestrian zone.  Running parallel to the river, and flanked on the other side by the Ljubljana castle looking down from its hillside position, it is lined with cafés, restaurants and shops- this is the place to go to see and be seen.  Even though it is only 3:30 the outside tables were already filled with people enjoying the beautiful weather

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Halfway down the street is the Ljubljana town hall, built in 1484, though it went through a renovation in 1717 to be the Baroque Italian design that it is today.  Outside the Town Hall is a replica of the Robba Fountain.

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Dining in Ljubljana

After walking the street for 30 minutes and taking in the sights our stomachs rumbled loudly enough to knock us out of our rhapsodic state and reminded us that we hadn’t eaten all day.  Perhaps it was because we were so hungry, but in reminiscing about Ljubljana, Erin and I both agree that in Ljubljana we had perhaps the best food during our 6 days together. After checking out several menus posted outside we agreed on the restaurant Gostilna Pri Kolovratu.  We started with a cheese plate, featuring Slovenian cheeses.  Back in the States, I have a gluten intolerance, and looking at this menu (and several others) I realized that I was just gonna have to risk it- but I didn’t feel sick at all after this meal, so I’m fine with admitting that I ate A LOT of bread (because if you’re going to risk getting sick from some gluten, you might as well go all-in and eat all the gluten, right?). I followed the bread and cheese up with Idrian dumplings with mushrooms (what are Idrian dumplings you ask?  Couldn’t tell you, but I CAN tell you that they were delicious), and we washed it down with some very delicious (and inexpensive – I’m talking 1e80 per glass) wine, all while sitting outside and people watching, it was an amazing meal.

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Saint Nicolas Church

While we were sitting outside enjoying the afternoon we heard church bells ringing, so after our meal we went to see the church, the Ljubljana Cathedral, also known as Saint Nicolas church. While we couldn’t go inside and see the church, I was fascinated by the beautiful bronze doors, created in 1996 to celebrate the 1250th anniversary of Christianity in Slovenia and the visit of Pope John Paul II.  One door, known as the Slovene door, has a relief depicting Slovene history, and the other door, called the Ljubljana Door, has reliefs of bishops of Ljubljana.  The Cathedral also had several facades featuring beautiful religious paintings.

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Central Market

Just past the cathedral is where the central market is located, though only in the morning.  It was closed while we were there the first evening, but during our last morning in Ljubljana this is where we came to find lunch. The vendors were so friendly, letting us sample their fruits and veggies, check out my fabulous lunch! IMG_1126

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Back to our first evening in Ljubljana, the sun was beginning to set so we were very content to continue walking around and taking in the sites, so we meandered down a little alley towards the river, and discovered another busy pedestrian street.  This one was louder, with more bars and clubs, but absolutely beautiful as the sky turned rose and orange, the colors reflecting off the river. Can you think of anything more romantic?  I can! throwing in some gelato, which is exactly what we did.

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As we walked back to our AirBnb, completely content with our day, is when we really noticed the Ljubljana castle, sitting atop the hit, looking over her city.  She looked so beautiful, all lit up.  This day was so amazing that I could practically hear the angels singing. But then Erin said she heard it too!  We came across a park and there was an opera being performed. To this day I don’t what we heard, or why they were performing that night- perhaps it was a dress rehearsal because there wasn’t an audience, besides Erin and I and the few other people walking or biking around.  That made it all the more perfect, because it seemed like Ljubljana was performing just for us.  I know, it sounds so corny, but that’s how great this day was.  Click on the videos so you can experience it yourself.

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Lake Bled

The next day, we woke up bright and early to drive to Lake Bled, which was about a 40 minute drive.  We decided to stay in Ljubljana (before we knew how gorgeous it was) because it was close for us to drive to Lake Bled for a day trip, and we figured staying in the capital would give us something to do (good call, us!).  Lake Bled is AMAZING, and if you haven’t read my blog post about it yet, click here.  And here is a photo of it just so you know how amazing it is, and how much you should read that blog so you can see more pics and learn more about it.

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After a day of hiking and exploring Lake Bled (and also finding a spot to go hiking called Soteska Vintgar, which is also featured in the blog post) we had worked up quite an appetite, but luckily we had a plan! After our amazing evening the night prior we just had to venture back to the amazing streets next to the river.  This was the night that Erin said she had the best meal, just look at this happy face.

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Ljubljana Castle

The next morning we were up and at ’em early; we checked out of Airbnb but they allowed us to leave our car in the parking lot so that we could have one last adventure in Ljubljana- visiting the castle! To get to the castle there is a funicular that you can pay to take you up the hill to the castle (and there are castle entrance tickets that include the funicular), but the tricky part is finding the funicular.  I was depending on my ole’ Google Maps, but somehow we never did find it.  Have I mentioned that it was a major heat wave in Europe while we were there, with temperatures rising over 90 degrees Fahrenheit everyday?  And you probably know in Europe there isn’t air conditioning available everywhere, especially in a 15th century castle.  So, we had to walk ALLLL the way up the steep hill in the heat, I didn’t mind it, and maybe one of these days Erin will forgive me and start talking to me again (pretty please Erin?). Once we arrived at the top it was beautiful views and we did find the funicular, so I know that it DOES actually exist.

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If you’ve read many of my blogs, you might have noticed that I don’t frequently visit castles and museums, and that’s because I travel on a tight budget, so I stick to exploring the outdoors, places with free entrance fees, and really special monuments or exhibits (people always ask me how I’m able to travel so much, and this is just part of how I really do it inexpensively, I’ll give you more tips in a different blog post soon). So what made the Ljubljana castle one to visit? Very simply, it was because Erin and I found out that they have an escape room style challenge you can participate in when you visit. For 13 euros you can participate in the escape room challenge, which involves finding and solving 5 puzzles centered around the idea of releasing a dragon (perhaps it’s the dragon that is on the coat of arms for Ljubljana).

Escape Room at the Ljubljana Castle

The castle visit alone is 10 euros, and our ticket allowed us to visit all part of the castle, including the towers which are usually an additional cost.  You have an hour to “release the dragon” and though we had a slow start, I am happy to report that Erin and I successfully completed the mission.  When you finish the escape room you are allowed to return to the castle and visit any parts that you missed. I definitely recommend doing this, it made for a very fun way to explore the castle. I’m not going to give away any hints about the escape room on here, lest I ruin your future fun, but here are some picture highlights of the castle.

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And that concludes our stay in Ljubljana- on our walk back to the car we took in our last views of the beautiful city that so enchanted us.  I hope you get to visit it one day, or maybe I don’t, I kind of want to keep this little gem all to myself.

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Krk island, Croatia

After having been in Croatia for 8 days, I left Dubrovnik, back again on my own again after Dan and Irina had left the previous day to fly back to Vienna, in my rental car and headed north.  This was as far as I had planned for my trip. Actually,  my original plan had been to leave Dubrovnik and drive to Montenegro, spend a few days there and then drive back to Vienna via Bosnia and spend a day or two there, but when I got my rental car I found out that I wasn’t allowed to drive outside of the EU, so that threw off my plans (this is why I don’t like advanced planning- because then you get disappointed when things don’t work out).  So there I was, in Croatia, by myself, with no idea of what to do next.  I had gotten some suggestions from Dan, and I asked my mom if she would do some research for me, and she suggested checking out Krk.  So that is where I decided to head on July 10.  
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Because I wasn’t supposed to drive outside of the EU,  even getting from Dubrovnik to the rest of Croatia meant that I had to take a ferry, because the southern tip of Croatia is blocked by Bosnia, and though I wanted to risk it and drive to the customs border and see what happened, the ferry that we had taken TO Dubrovnik was quite pleasant and easy, so I decided to do that again.  After the ferry I drove about 4 hours to get to the city of Zadar, which I explored for about 4 hours (and I will talk about that fun city in a later blog post).  There, I decided that I needed to book an Airbnb for the evening, and I sat on a park bench, quickly finding a place that looked great for the evening for under $60.  I messaged the owner, apologizing for my late booking and later arrival (it was 6 and I’d arrive by 9) but he quickly wrote me back and told me it was all good, so off I went.  The drive was beautiful, and very winding, but I was blasting my music, singing at the top of my lungs with the windows down and I didn’t mind at all.  Once I got near Krk, which is an island accessible by a bridge, I could tell that I was going to love it.  
I went to the Airbnb where I was met by my host Damir.  The place was great- it was the best Airbnb I stayed at in Croatia- so if you find yourself in Krk, you must stay here!  I’ve included the link to his listing, just so you have no excuse not to do it! He recommended a place for me to eat, and though it was already after 930 I walked there and had a great meal.  The island looked so cute, and I loved my place so much that I decided that I would stay an extra night (and Damir gave me a great discount for staying an extra night.  That, and the fact that he had stocked the fridge with beer and fruit, definitely helped influence me to stay an extra day), but after all my traveling around, I thought a day of relaxing sounded really great too.

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The next morning I got up and decided that I wanted to do several things with the day: 1) explore some of the little towns that are on the island, 2) find a great spot for hiking, 3) check out the beaches, 4) find some wine that the island is known for.  And I’m happy to say that I accomplished all those goals!  But to hear more about them you must keep reading!  

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Krk City

Krk is the largest island in Croatia- for that matter, it’s the largest in the Adriatic Sea, so visiting all the parts of Krk is definitely easiest by car, but there were a lot of people riding bikes along the roads that led from one small town to another.  One of the most popular towns is Krk City, and that’s where I went first. 

Krk is a fortified city, so after I parked my car I passed into the walls and started wandering around, not sure what I was going to see, and immediately loved all the narrow winding streets. 

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I came to the main town square, and saw the Frankopan Castle.  I went into the ticket office to get some information about the castle, and found out that for less than $3 I could climb and walk around the castle’s ramparts.  I love a good climb for a panoramic view so I couldn’t pass it up. 

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The castle was a fortress built between the 12th and 15th centuries for the Frankopan family. 

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I learned while in Krk City that there are several Roman ruins in this town.  However, here it is ruins in the truest sense- as in there is nothing really left of them.  There are signs all over pointing you towards different landmarks, such as the Venus Temple, built in the 1st century, but I was having difficulty finding some of them.  It’s a relatively small town, it shouldn’t be so hard.  But then I DID find the Venus Temple- right here in this clothing store. And then there was also this stone with inscriptions from the 4th century.  So a little disappointing on the Roman ruins fronts, but still a cute town, worthy of a few hours of exploring.

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The hike was about 6 miles with a elevation of about 860 feet (at least according to my iPhone health app); it wasn’t too difficult for me, but it was beautiful!  I didn’t pass too many people on the trail at all, but along the way there were these blue and white markings that let me know I was on the right path.  

I thought these stone walls I was passing at the beginning of my walk were so cute, I had no idea how or why they were there, but they were beautiful, as was the view I encountered every 10 minutes or so.
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After about an hour and a half I came out of the trees and came across this vast clearing.  This is what I had read as being called the “lunar landscape”.  Maybe too many shrubs and greenery to be confused for being on the moon, but I did love how different the terrain was from the other places I passed during my hike. 

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I read on a sign before I entered the “lunar landscape” that this area has been used for centuries by shepherds with their sheep, hence the stone walls.  I also read that this was the nesting site for some rare birds- including vultures.  It also mentioned to be mindful of where you step because this was the home of the horned viper, you know, the most venomous snake in Europe.  And those of you who know me may know that I’m afraid of 4 things in this world including a) birds & b) snakes.  At least there were no signs of my other two fears (mice and bananas). 

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As I was hiking this part of my trail I started to think to myself “You know, it does almost feel like you’re on the moon because it’s so secluded. Besides the signs that say to not disturb the sheep. Especially the dead ones. Because they’ve been bitten by the most poisonous snake in Europe. And now are being eaten by vultures. So it’s probably safe because vultures only like dead things right? But also maybe girls hiking solo. Especially girls walking solo named Katie…” No,  this was silly, I was perfectly fine.  But I did heed my friend Dan’s advice and didn’t step in the tall grass. But just as I’m telling myself that everything was fine, that’s when I saw it…

No it was fine, it was just a stick!  Were you scared?  No, me neither, not at all, not once.  It just so happened to be time for me to head back, the snake scare had nothing to do with it. 

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After my 3.5 hour hike I got back to my car and headed for my next destination, a beach!  I also read that the Baška area had the best beaches, so I headed to one I had read about. 

Oprna Beach (Stara Baška)

As I approached the area that Google Maps told me was the beach I noticed a lot of cars parked on the side of the road, so I assumed I was in the right area.  I found a spot to park my car, and then climbed over the guardrail and descended the hill that led to the beach (I like an unconventional way to get to a beach, it makes it more worth it). 

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I like this method of ensuring that your car doesn’t roll down the hill, find a large stone to put behind the tire.
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I had to climb over a lot of large rocks to get to an available spot on the beach, however after having seen that it a stone beach I decided I was not going to be lounging and swimming, but I did find a large stone to sit on, people watch and read my book, enjoying hearing the sound of the water lapping against the shore. 

 

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Vrbnik

After cleaning up I headed to my last town of the evening, Vrbnik.  My first stop was a winery I read about, the Katunar winery. 

When I arrived I was the only person in the place, and the girl who was working asked me what kind of wine I liked.  I told her red, but that I wanted to try the wine they were known for, žlahtina, a delicious yellow wine. The girl was very friendly, but this is also where my friendliness paid off too, because my tasting turned started with two types of wine, which then turned into 4, and ended with 6 total.   And guess how much this tasting was?  Zero dollars! And they were very good!

But here is the best thing about this winery (or perhaps every winery in Croatia): while I was sitting there sipping my wines a couple came in, bearing empty plastic bottles, and they were able to fill them up with wine!  And I mean these were empty water bottles, Man, that had me wishing I had plastic bottles on me, what an awesome concept.

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But fear not dear readers- I  got my own plastic bottle of wine!  In the form of this 3 liter jug!  And guess how much it cost me?  8 dollars!!!  So that concludes my blog post about Krk because the rest of the evening was spent drinking this wine and I can’t remember anything else.  Just joking, I took it back to Vienna with me to give to Dan and Irina for hosting me while I was there, but man I just couldn’t resist the good deal. 

After leaving the winery I continued on to Vrbnik, and after finding parking a bit outside of town I started my little tour of the city.  It was ADORABLE, definitely my favorite town on Krk. 

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It had those little narrow winding streets that I love, so I was not surprised when I came across what was proclaimed to be “the most narrow street in the world”; I squeezed through it and believe it to be true. 

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I decided to splurge on dinner because I hadn’t in the last few days, and I realized I hadn’t had a proper meal all day. I went to what I read was the best restaurant in all of Krk, a place called ‘Nada’.  I was shown to a table on the rooftop patio with beautiful views, and told the waiter to bring me the best fish on the menu. I was presented with a plate of monkfish, polenta and greens . That was my first time having monkfish, and it was delicious! 

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I forgot to mention my meal from the night before, when I first arrived in Krk and walked to a restaurant at 10.  There I also requested the most popular meal on the menu (plus a small salad) and I was given a plate of squid and fries, and let me tell you- it was delicious!  

After dinner I headed back to my car, and back to my Airbnb for a night’s sleep.  The next day I was heading back to Vienna, making a stop in Bratislava for the afternoon.  

There you have Krk Island.  It was a great way to relax after having been traveling for so many days.  I loved that it was less busy than many of the places I had been to already in Croatia, prices were also cheaper, and it was just quieter and calm, I definitely recommend it, and I hope I gave you some good ideas for your trip to Krk. “