Ljubljana Slovenia

Travelled:249km tolls €11 Croatia, €15/7 day vignette Slovenia

Stay:Ljubljana-paid parking Tivoli Garden N46.0597 E14.4975

Occasionally travel plans go awry and last night was one of those times. It appeared that Mark could have a possible hernia and we were advised by the Travel Insruance that it would be best to see a doctor and so we decided to drive straight to a public hospital in Ljubljana as Slovenia has reciprocal medical care with Australia (just in case he needed surgery). So off we set in the dark of night for 8km to the motorway and on the way we get waved down by a police officer...of all the times it’s tonight! After 20mins he had checked our passports and papers as well as having done an inspection in Bluey. He apologised for having stopped us but our type of vehicles are high on their suspect list...we were free to go and from here on it was smooth sailing. We spent the rest of our Kunas on fuel and continued to the border.  At this time of night there were a minimal amount of cars and we were through in 20 mins. 

It’s an unusual feeling travelling through the night, a bit like travelling through a tunnel, as we cannot see the scenery around us. We bought a vignette on the Slovenia border and continued on, reaching Ljubljana just before midnight and we’re happy that there was no traffic and that we managed to get a parking spot just outside the emergency entrance.  Mark presented himself to the nurse and within 10mins he was being looked at by a doctor who concluded that he was suffering from external hemorrhoids that should be treatable with a cream and rest. He suggested we stay a couple of days to make sure symptoms don’t get worse and gave us a referral for a specialist if required. Feeling relieved we moved to the parking area at tivoli park where we had stayed in July and got some sleep. 

In the morning we went for a stroll in the old quarter and enjoyed the atmosphere of the town without the pressure of sightseeing. Then it was back to Bluey for some lunch of fresh pasta and a bottle of Croatian red wine followed by a restful afternoon with a bit of planning for the next 2 weeks.

Breakfast time!



Fresh milk dispenser

Lots of different kinds of mushroom for sale



Nice flower arrangements 

Mark always likes a good broom 

From a flat piece of wood to a bowl

Inside market selling meat, cheese and pasta



A nice hidden courtyard



The dragon, symbol of the city can be spotted everywhere 

We think these were strategically placed so people would notice their shop

We found a kangaroo..EwoutnJenny where is your Koala costume?

Interesting wall mural

Bon appétit 

Beer in a bag

Our trek last night.

War Graves, Croatia

Travelled:253km Tolls €15

Stay: Jasenovac Croatia- parking at memorial N45.2765 E16.9216

Visited: Ilok, Ovcara memorial, Vukovar cemetery, Dakovo, Jasenovac memorial

On the way out of Ilok we stopped to get some kuna’s from one of the numerous atms in the village and then went to have a closer look at the church and castle complex perched on the hill.

 We also had a look at the winery and bought a bottle of red.

There was a strong smell of fermented wine in this shed!

Beautiful table set in a lovely room.

another bottle to taste ...

It’s harvest time...

Having read Our Bumble’s trip through this area we were inspired to travel a short distance to The Ovcara Memorial, which was a farm where 200 people of non-Serbian nationality were massacred on 20 November 1991. 

At the entrance there were bullets set in the concrete floors.

 Photos of the victims lined the walls of the building and there was a display of some of their personal possessions found in the mass grave. 

 In the middle of the room there was a candle and the victims names created a vortex. 

The atrocities of war are difficult to comprehend. We then continued towards Vukovar and went to see the Memorial Cemetery of the Victims of Homeland War. This is the largest mass grave in Europe since WWII. There were 938 bodies exhumed and in their place 938 white crosses are placed. 

In the centre of the cemetery there was 4m high bronze monument with the eternal flame in the middle. Once again the victims were mainly young men.  Such a sad and tragic loss for their families... 

There are many buildings in Vukovar that still bear the scares of war.

As we drove along the country roads to Dakovo our main observation was how clean and rubbish free Croatia was in comparison to all the countries we have travelled through since Hungary. The highlight of the town is the Cathedral basilica do St.Peter built in 1882 standing proudly in the main square with a pedestrian only street lined with restaurants. 

Our last port of call for today was the site of the WWII Jasenovac Concentration Camp that was really an extermination camp established by the Independent State of Croatia (NDH). It was one of the largest in Europe where around 100,000 men, women and children (20,000) were killed, the majority being Serbian along with Roma, Jews, Croats and Bosnian Muslims. As there were no gas chambers it was notorious for it’s barbaric practices and murders. There was a museum that was free to visit and we spent time reading, looking and listening to the sad and tragic stories.

Names of victims 

Too sad for words...

 Feeling a little washed out by the horror of what humans are capable of doing to others, we had a break in Bluey. After dinner we walked out to the Stone Flower which was built as a memorial to the victims. 

We pass a train and carriages and walk over a railway sleepers that symbolises the railway track that transported the prisoners to the camp. 

In the surrounding field are mounds where the buildings once stood.

 At the base of the Monument is a small lake where swans peacefully swim amongst the water lillies. 

Quite a contrast of what used to be here but a fitting resting place for the victims. The sun sets and the thunder and lightning roll by and we settle in for the night.

Unfortunately that was not the end of our day...