Traveller ... Kamal Kapur .... 45 Countries

According to “Copyright@2013 Maps of world.com there  are 236 countries in the world. 

“If we add all the pieces of land under jurisdiction by other countries, like Aruba, Christmas Island, Isle of Man…then we can argue that there are 247 different countries.

www.world-country.com 

Another argument : You can be part of the  “World Country List “ If you are member of the UN…and then there are  193.

On June 22, 2017 I set out for Slovenia and Croatia and by July 15 my tally was 45 countries visited. 

I had almost ruled out Slovenia because I could not pronounce the name of its capital city. 

Ljubljana.... The J’s were throwing me off. .and then I was told to ignore them..and  Loo..Blee..Ana   just rolled off my tongue.

Not that different from Loo  Dhee Ana.

Slovenia , Croatia and five other countries were  carved out of  Yugoslavia.

I visited two of them ( Slovenia and Croatia ) and drove through a third Bosnia

Map from the WEB

My strongest memories are of great natural beauty…


Shades of Blue  and Green

Red Roof  Tops 

There are cable cars, easy to attempt   grassy   tracks…and my special mention goes to the cows I encountered…an unbelievable size with lovely tinkling bells around their necks. 

Both countries are Adriatic..Slovenia has only 46 km of the sea..but it has the Julian Alps and Croatia has an 1800 km coastline.

It was summer. There were plenty of tourists, mostly from Europe, families, students, back packers; and tour groups from the far east.  The numbers were manageable. I did not wait in long queues and there was no jostling. 

I loved the fact that my hotels in Ljubljana  ( Slovenia)and Split ( Croatia) were in a pedestrian only zone. You walked or rode a cycle . Food and other provision trucks came in before 7.30 am and thereafter you could cross the busiest street   as many times as you liked..where ever you liked and there was no danger of being knocked down. .

6 AM

 A great rule that ensured no pollution be it noise or fumes. It allowed for pavement cafes  which ranged from rustic tables and benches to elegantly laid ones with silver cutlery and little posies.

Slovenia is primarily a catholic country.

 I had visits to several churches on my itinerary. Their interiors  were ornate , but not garish. Some had tiny souvenir shops and almost all of them had little cafes serving simple snacks, soft drinks and coffee.

 I suppose that since my entire schooling was in a convent  I felt a kind of kinship when I entered them. 

Slovenia Highlights :  

- A Gondola ride to the Bled Island.  The Gondola had a feminine name and I was told that It is customary to name your gondola after your daughter. I don’t know how they sort out an issue if there is more than one daughter.

The ride is approximately 20 minutes and then there are a daunting 90 steps to climb.. to reach The Church of the Assumption….this is a must..and I did…because you dare not disbelieve that when you ring the church bell and make a wish…it will come true.

-A visit to Ljubljana Castle..you go up in a Funicular…there is the charm of the views from the castle walls a lovely courtyard and when you are exhausted from climbing the turrets  you can rest on one of the several stools  around a tree with a book stand..not for sale just reading.

 The castle has a museum with its history and there are underground   prisons with an audio that has the sound of tortured prisoners !

- You cannot leave the country unless you have tasted their absolutely sinful cream cake; crisp on the top and at the bottom with a  custard filling which oozes out at the first bite!

Croatia is currently the more popular tourist destination.

 Perhaps it is the beeches and the  crystalline waters of the Adriatic

  , the over 1000 islands , and the absolute must see

 Plitvice National Park .

( Croatia has 11 Nature Parks , 8 National Parks and 2 Nature Reserves.)

It is a country, that in its 56.59 sq. km of space makes a huge variety of experiences available.

Over a stay of 4 days , I went truffle hunting, 

rambled around in Goznjan,an interesting hill town with private galleries and studios, then stopped for a snack at Porec where my guide revealed that she always shops for her clothes in Italy..there is a ferry service ..one and a half hour one way ride…to Venice…No visa required. 

I had a full day for Plitvice…and it was not enough. You need time to linger, reflect, savour.. and revisit.

You can cover the park on foot, by train or by boat….and there a lot of visitors, queues..but I did not mind because there was always a lot to feast your eyes on and it was well managed.

Dubrovnik…is the star of Croatia. 

I was recommended to take a cable car to Srd Hill..which I did, to get a view of the city…

take a boat to the Elaphati  Islands , which I did. The sea was very rough but luckily for me I have a strong stomach .

and to get another view of the city from the city walls …a tough climb !

My two evenings were wonderful. After walking approximately 10 km a day I returned to

 my  now deserted   hotel beach… not for any serious swimming …just cooling off and recording  memories

…and then on to the terrace restaurant where they had  musicians playing  and you could sit till as long as your eyelids stayed open.