Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome! Part Five

[TLCOhio]

16 hours ago, jpalbny said:

 

It was a great day. Tomorrow we leave Slovenia for Croatia. 

 

Look forward to seeing more from Croatia.  Looks like nice weather and fun times.  Keep up the great sharing. 

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

[rojaan19]

I have been  to  the doctor and got a diagnosis ....

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers!

 

Today's funny.....

 

 

Have a great safe fun day all!

[QueSeraSera]

"My ex-wife still misses me. But her aim is starting to improve!"

 

wc getting too far down on the topics list, had to think of something!

[mysty]

18 minutes ago, QueSeraSera said:

"My ex-wife still misses me. But her aim is starting to improve!"

 

wc getting too far down on the topics list, had to think of something!

 

Awesome Que! 🥰

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers!

 

Today's funny.....

 

 

Have a great safe fun day all!

[jpalbny]

Hello from the road. We're driving from Zagreb to Split today. It's probably a 4h drive if we went straight through but we made a stop at Plitvice Lakes National Park. 

 

This is one of the reasons we decided to come to Croatia in the first place. It didn't disappoint. 

 

Chris is ecstatic with her first view.

 

 

From here we hiked down to the big waterfall. Yes, that's the name - Veliki Slap.

 

 

The lakes are created by snowmelt and are separated by travertine barriers. As the barriers form and disintegrate, the levels of the lakes can change. The waterfalls are never the same.

 

 

Here a group of larger falls.

 

 

The colors keep changing. Even with grey skies and an occasional drizzle, the lakes were spectacular. 

 

 

The second tallest set of falls. This massive travertine barrier holds back a huge lake. Let's hope that it doesn't break!

 

 

Waterfalls everywhere! The water just meanders wherever it wants, regardless of whether it's in the forest or in a channel.

 

 

Lots of work to maintain the boardwalks. Every few years the paths get washed out as the water levels change. We saw a number of old paths under the water.

 

 

These falls were idyllic.

 

 

A close-up of the second largest falls from a few pictures back.

 

 

Now we circled back and climbed out to the upper wall of the canyon. As we headed back to our car, there were panoramic views to be had.

 

 

 

Like a necklace of emeralds. It was a great way to finish, with a bird's-eye view of where we had been.

 

 

 

We were lucky to have a great guide who set a brisk pace, and so we were able to cover more ground than expected. This might be the highlight of the trip, but we still have a week to go...

 

The rain has returned for the rest of the drive but we should be in Split within 2 hours. I'm so glad we could see this gem. And it wasn't too crowded.

[mysty]

15 minutes ago, jpalbny said:

Hello from the road. We're driving from Zagreb to Split today. It's probably a 4h drive if we went straight through but we made a stop at Plitvice Lakes National Park. 

 

This is one of the reasons we decided to come to Croatia in the first place. It didn't disappoint. 

 

Chris is ecstatic with her first view.

 

 

From here we hiked down to the big waterfall. Yes, that's the name - Veliki Slap.

 

 

The lakes are created by snowmelt and are separated by travertine barriers. As the barriers form and disintegrate, the levels of the lakes can change. The waterfalls are never the same.

 

 

Here a group of larger falls.

 

 

The colors keep changing. Even with grey skies and an occasional drizzle, the lakes were spectacular. 

 

 

The second tallest set of falls. This massive travertine barrier holds back a huge lake. Let's hope that it doesn't break!

 

 

Waterfalls everywhere! The water just meanders wherever it wants, regardless of whether it's in the forest or in a channel.

 

 

Lots of work to maintain the boardwalks. Every few years the paths get washed out as the water levels change. We saw a number of old paths under the water.

 

 

These falls were idyllic.

 

 

A close-up of the second largest falls from a few pictures back.

 

 

Now we circled back and climbed out to the upper wall of the canyon. As we headed back to our car, there were panoramic views to be had.

 

 

 

Like a necklace of emeralds. It was a great way to finish, with a bird's-eye view of where we had been.

 

 

 

We were lucky to have a great guide who set a brisk pace, and so we were able to cover more ground than expected. This might be the highlight of the trip, but we still have a week to go...

 

The rain has returned for the rest of the drive but we should be in Split within 2 hours. I'm so glad we could see this gem. And it wasn't too crowded.

 

Spectacular JP!  Thanks for letting us tag along virtually! 

[TrulyBlonde]

4 hours ago, jpalbny said:

Hello from the road. We're driving from Zagreb to Split today. It's probably a 4h drive if we went straight through but we made a stop at Plitvice Lakes National Park. 

 

This is one of the reasons we decided to come to Croatia in the first place. It didn't disappoint. 

 

Chris is ecstatic with her first view.

 

 

From here we hiked down to the big waterfall. Yes, that's the name - Veliki Slap.

 

 

The lakes are created by snowmelt and are separated by travertine barriers. As the barriers form and disintegrate, the levels of the lakes can change. The waterfalls are never the same.

 

 

Here a group of larger falls.

 

 

The colors keep changing. Even with grey skies and an occasional drizzle, the lakes were spectacular. 

 

 

The second tallest set of falls. This massive travertine barrier holds back a huge lake. Let's hope that it doesn't break!

 

 

Waterfalls everywhere! The water just meanders wherever it wants, regardless of whether it's in the forest or in a channel.

 

 

Lots of work to maintain the boardwalks. Every few years the paths get washed out as the water levels change. We saw a number of old paths under the water.

 

 

These falls were idyllic.

 

 

A close-up of the second largest falls from a few pictures back.

 

 

Now we circled back and climbed out to the upper wall of the canyon. As we headed back to our car, there were panoramic views to be had.

 

 

 

Like a necklace of emeralds. It was a great way to finish, with a bird's-eye view of where we had been.

 

 

 

We were lucky to have a great guide who set a brisk pace, and so we were able to cover more ground than expected. This might be the highlight of the trip, but we still have a week to go...

 

The rain has returned for the rest of the drive but we should be in Split within 2 hours. I'm so glad we could see this gem. And it wasn't too crowded.

We have visited Krka National Park and I think you would really enjoy that one too. You can reach it from Split

[TLCOhio]

4 hours ago, jpalbny said:

Hello from the road. We're driving from Zagreb to Split today. It's probably a 4h drive if we went straight through but we made a stop at Plitvice Lakes National Park. This is one of the reasons we decided to come to Croatia in the first place. It didn't disappoint. Chris is ecstatic with her first view.  The rain has returned for the rest of the drive but we should be in Split within 2 hours. I'm so glad we could see this gem. And it wasn't too crowded.

 

Great updating and wonderful visuals.  Keep it coming.  Look forward to seeing your pictures for in and around Split.  Super enjoyed Dubrovnik, but need to go back to this region and explore more for Croatia.  How's the food?  What you have enjoyed most there for dining and tasty treats?

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

[jpalbny]

1 hour ago, TrulyBlonde said:

We have visited Krka National Park and I think you would really enjoy that one too. You can reach it from Split

 

That's great to hear! It is on the agenda for Sunday. 🙂

[jpalbny]

43 minutes ago, TLCOhio said:

How's the food?  What you have enjoyed most there for dining and tasty treats?

 

Terry, so far the food has been great. But we are in for a big shift in the cuisine now. 

 

Both Ljubljana and Zagreb are inland so the local cuisine is lots of meat and potatoes. We love it but it's heavy. There are lighter options I guess but we haven't sought them out...

 

From Sunday night in Ljubljana, we enjoyed a tasting menu. Highlights were a pork terrine with asparagus salad on top,

 

 

And a pork medallion (yes more pork) with sauteed dandelion greens on top. And a potato. 

 

 

The next day for part one of lunch on the run, we had a Carniolan sausage. Made with pork, of course. I'm growing a snout.

 

 

Around Lake Bled we stopped for a late lunch and had a "barbecue" plate. This is derived from Turkish cuisine but has been adopted in the Balkans. Ground meat shaped into sausages and grilled. With potatoes. Chris ate half and I helped her with the rest. The dish came with six pieces of meat. Oink.

 

 

This is a local specialty of Zagreb. It was on every menu. Štrukli, folded dumplings stuffed with cheese. It's almost savory but when baked in sweet cream It's an amazing dessert. We had some for an appetizer here.

 

 

This was a "Zagreb cutlet" which we saw on several menus. Veal cutlet stuffed with ham and cheese (like a chicken cordon bleu), then breaded and fried. It was yummy. So were the potatoes. 

 

 

They make delicious ham here. You can also get it as an appetizer. It's called pršut which sounds close to prosciutto. Here's one of several appetizers that we enjoyed. 

 

 

We've enjoyed lots of new wines also. Mostly reds - Teran, Refošk, Dingač, Plavać, and Plavać mali (totally different grape). All tasty.

 

We tried some orange wines from Slovenia and bought a few to bring home.

 

Ok. We just arrived in Split and now we're on the coast for the next week. It's time for lots of fish and white wine. My cholesterol will thank me.

[dusababy]

Cevapcici -- ground meat sausages -- specialty of Croatia - first sampled in Dubrovnik -- yummy!

[Dolcevita Diva]

Greetings Coolers!

It has been a while since I've been able to check it.

4th quarter 2021 was even more grueling at work than usual and had a quick start to 2022 with my firm's first conference of the year starting in Scottsdale on January 4th.   But a terrific start to the new year with an international A330 on the flight and usual fabulous weather and view (below) while there.   

Now, after a whirlwind few months finishing up or transitioning client projects at the end of Q1 - I am officially retired!    

 

JP- looking forward to following your trip details because it's time to start planning my itinerary and excursions for my Croatia-intensive cruise in June.  KRKA National Park is an excursion option and based on TrulyBlonde's comment, will look forward to seeing your photos. 

 

Edited April 1, 2022 by Dolcevita Diva

[QueSeraSera]

Well, its Friday night in Central Virginia and I find myself wishing I was in Croatia!

 

Our Friday night treat from Uruguay (with some of this Spring's herb seedlings and, wow, I didn't know the windows were that dirty)

 

[mysty]

15 minutes ago, QueSeraSera said:

Well, its Friday night in Central Virginia and I find myself wishing I was in Croatia!

 

Our Friday night treat from Uruguay (with some of this Spring's herb seedlings and, wow, I didn't know the windows were that dirty)

 

 

Enjoy Que!  And kindly ignore the state of the windows.   Life's too short and too unpredictable to be concerned about minutiae!  😁

[Host Jazzbeau]

Friday night and I must be somewhere near you @que — on I-81N less than an hour from Roanoke.  Stayed last night outside Nashville and saw the Parthenon this morning. Much better than the one in Athens!  😉

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers!

 

Today's funny.....

 

 

Have a great safe fun day all!

[frantic36]

1 hour ago, mysty said:

Greetings Coolers!

 

Today's funny.....

 

 

Have a great safe fun day all!

 

That would never happen with my chocoholic husband as he can find chocolate even when I hide it, then eat it 😀.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Parthenon Nashville – For those who haven't heard about it:  In 1897 a full-size replica of the Parthenon was built in Nashville for the Tennessee Centennial Exhibition.  It was originally intended to be temporary, but it was so popular that it was rebuilt out of permanent materials.  It has been maintained, and the gigantic statue of Athena was added in 1990.  This represents what the Athens Parthenon would have looked like in its heyday, rather than the empty ruin that is there now.  It is truly amazing!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TLCOhio]

19 hours ago, jpalbny said:

Terry, so far the food has been great. But we are in for a big shift in the cuisine now.   Both Ljubljana and Zagreb are inland so the local cuisine is lots of meat and potatoes. We love it but it's heavy. There are lighter options I guess but we haven't sought them out...  Ok. We just arrived in Split and now we're on the coast for the next week. It's time for lots of fish and white wine. My cholesterol will thank me.

 

Super appreciate from J.P. these great food visuals, dining comments and detailed follow-ups.  Keep it coming!!  Wonderful and very enjoyable.  

 

Doesn't Split have some interesting architecture?   Have not been there, but desire to see much more along that scenic and historic coast.  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio 

 

Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise from Copenhagen, July 2010, to the top of Europe. Scenic visuals with key tips. Live/blog at 243,843 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[Dolcevita Diva]

4 hours ago, mysty said:

Greetings Coolers!

 

Today's funny.....

 

 

Have a great safe fun day all!

This reminds me of one time when I arrived at my hotel after midnight after a very long day and caught myself trying to summon the elevator with the rental car remote key fob…

[Host Jazzbeau]

16 minutes ago, Dolcevita Diva said:

This reminds me of one time when I arrived at my hotel after midnight after a very long day and caught myself trying to summon the elevator with the rental car remote key fob…

When I want to go to the lobby for breakfast [pre-coffee of course] I often push the elevator button with the big One that has arrows pointing to it to get your attention!  The door closes, but the elevator doesn't go anywhere...

[TLCOhio]

3 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Parthenon Nashville – For those who haven't heard about it:  In 1897 a full-size replica of the Parthenon was built in Nashville for the Tennessee Centennial Exhibition.  It was originally intended to be temporary, but it was so popular that it was rebuilt out of permanent materials.  It has been maintained, and the gigantic statue of Athena was added in 1990.  This represents what the Athens Parthenon would have looked like in its heyday, rather than the empty ruin that is there now.  It is truly amazing!

 

With all due respect to Host Jazzbeau, I very much appreciate these excellent details and visuals from Nashville.  Nice statue of the Goddess Athena.  Impressive!!

 

BUT, hate to disagree, I have been to both location, including Nashville, and much prefer the original in Athens, Greece.  Sorry!!  Why?  Much more history in Greece and that mountain-top site in Athens is so totally awesome and amazing.  The one in Nashville is nice, but just kind of sits there.  Good, but not great.  Almost too perfect and orderly in Nashville.  Need proof and evidence?  See below a couple of my visuals for the "Real Thing" in Athens.  Lots of great food, music and sights, however, in Nashville.  

 

Climbing up to the top of the Acropolis is interesting and inspiring, especially on a beautiful weather day.  Then to think what it took nearly 2500 years ago to get materials up there and to construct this structure without today's modern tools is fascinating.  Great sharing by Host Jazzbeau.  

  

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio  

 

Athens & Greece: Many visuals, details from two visits in a city with great history, culture and architecture.  Now at 44,005 views.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1101008

 

From June 2006 with a glorious sunny day, here are just two visuals from our visit to Athens' famed and historic Parthenon.  First, our expert guide explaining construction details to my wife, second is the two of us there at this great site.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!)

 

[TLCOhio]

From our early February touring of Miami's Little Havana, below is a sign up at one of the dining locations there.  Anyone tempted to bring BOTH your girlfriend and wife there at the same time to gain the maximum discount?  

 

But, at what price for your domestic tranquility??

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio