We arrived Dubrovnik from Zagreb on the last day of 2016. It's finally the day that we've been waiting for! People from all around the world celebrate the New Years Eve in Dubrovnik. Tens of thousands of people gathered in the old town. Holiday lights, live music (performance from Croatian pop singer), and fireworks above the old city's wall. The performance of the legendary band and never more spectacular fireworks at midnight will ensure an unforgettable night!
“Dont’ wait for the perfect moment, take the moment and make it perfect.” by Zoey Sayward
2016 New Years Eve Dubrovnik Countdown
Pile Gate
This was the main gate into the old town. It consisted of inner and outer gates connected by a stonebridge. Felt like we have entered a world of the past after crossing the bridge.
Trattoria Tezoro
Looking for a place to have an evening meal before the new year countdown celebration. We found this restaurant completely by chance. It was located in a narrow alley just off the Stradun (the main street).
We got the white shrimp risotto, grilled vegetables, carpaccio, and blackrisotto.
Plitvice National Park is located in the center of Croatia. This place is recommended by friends from Slovenia. Thanks to them we visit this amazingly beautiful place. This is the largest national park in Croatia with 16 spectacular lakes to view. We plan on a solid 4-5 hours to see the highlights. The Plitvice Lakes National Park should be in your Croatian bucket list!
We had a 20 minute boat trip across the large lake.
Best Time to Visit
Plitvice Lakes National Park is popular year-round for its changing looks. Summer time (high season) is usually crowded in Croatia. Visit during low seasons (Spring, Autumn, and Winter) or in the early morning are the best way to avoid crowds.
We visit Plitvice Lakes National Park in late December (temperatures below zero). It is not crowded at all. The park has not covered in snow yet. It is freezing cold but so pretty!
Stunning Nature and Beautiful Landscapes
The water was roaring over the falls. The views of the lakes and waterfalls are extraordinary. Be prepared to take hundreds of photos!
There are a series of lakes and waterfalls going through a spectacular gorge.
I love walking on the wooden walkways but not so much on climbing steep stone stairs. Don’t wear high heels when hiking! Especially in Plitvice Lakes, it gets wet and slippery. Definitely wear something comfortable. There are 9 recommended trails, which take between 3 and 12 hours.
Wow! crystal clear water. Waterfalls of various shades of blue and green, with various sizes and lots of fishes. This place is truly God’s wonderful creation. We are having so much fun here. The Park has done an amazing job of building the pathways that allow a very close up experience. I would LOVE to visit again! Tomorrow we are heading to Dubrovnik for the new year's eve celebration!
If you like truffles, you should not be disappointed with this restaurant. We came here for lunch after truffle hunting in the nearby forest. While in truffle heaven, we made sure to add fresh white truffle to each dish. 😛
Bread
Appetizer
White Truffle!
Riblji filet
Tartare with White Truffle
Risotto
Ravioli
Chocolate Souffle
Ice Cream
The owner is the Guinness record holder for finding the largest white truffle (weight 1.31kg) in the world. Also they were awarded a 15 point rating (with 20 highest) on the Gault Millau restaurant guides.
Our tour guide Nikola took us to the forest with his dogs (Nero, Biba, and Nellie) to search for the truffles. Nikola explained everything about the region, the truffles, and truffle hunting to us. We had so much fun watching the dogs dig up truffles and learning everything about it!
Hiding and planting truffles for the dogs to find. They found it!
Truffle Seasons
In this region, white truffles are in season from September to early January and black truffles from May to September.
Bye! Nikola, Nero, Biba, and Nellie. This was truly the best possible way to see Croatia!
Zigante
If you like truffles, you should not be disappointed with this restaurant. We came here for lunch after truffle hunting. While in truffle heaven, we made sure to add fresh white truffle to each dish. 😛
Bread
Appetizer
Tartare with White Truffle
Risotto
Ravioli
Riblji filet
Chocolate Souffle
Ice Cream
The owner is the Guinness record holder for finding the largest white truffle (weight 1.31kg) in the world. Also they were awarded a 15 point rating (with 20 highest) on the Gault Millau restaurant guides.
Konoba Mondo was located halfway up the hill in the main street of town. We had a delightful dinner here. The minute we walked into the restaurant I knew this place will bring us great memories that we could talk about it over and over again. We even received 3 umbrellas as souvenir from the restaurant before we left!
Bread
White Truffled Polenta
Vegetable Soup
White Truffle Carpaccio
Being in the truffle country, we had to take advantage of it. We pretty much ordered everything with white truffles. Back home it would cost a fortune to have the fresh white truffles so generously placed on each meal! 😀
Surrounded by a medieval wall, this medieval hill town was built on a 1st century Roman site. We stayed here for one night. To be honest, we went there especially to go to the restaurant Konoba Mondo (Thanks to Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations). 😛
Konoba Mondo
Konoba Mondo was located halfway up the hill in the main street of town. We had a delightful dinner here. The minute we walked into the restaurant I knew this place will bring us great memories that we could talk about it over and over again. We even received 3 umbrellas as souvenir from the restaurant before we left!
Bread
White Truffled Polenta
Vegetable Soup
White Truffle Carpaccio
Being in the truffle country, we had to take advantage of it. We pretty much ordered everything with white truffles. Back home it would cost a fortune to have the fresh white truffles so generously placed on each meal! 😀
White Truffled Gnocchi
Steak with White Truffle
Grilled Vegetables
Pnana Cotta with White Truffle
Loved everything with shaved truffles on top!
The Motovun Film Festival
If you are a cinema lover, you probably know about the international film festival here. The Motovun Film Festival is held in Motovun in late July or early August every year. It will be great to visit during summer.
The view on a foggy day....
We were supposed to be able to see the view on a nice day. Too bad! However we enjoyed the nice romantic walk around the walls and historic stone buildings.
We spent a few days in Zagreb. Jelacic Square was the central point for tourist activities in Zagreb. The Ban Josip Jelacic Monument (statue of Ban Jelacic on his horse) was an ideal meeting spot. This was a great place to start your exploration of the city.
Jelacic Square at night
We visited during the Christmas markets were on. There was a huge Christmas tree in the middle of the square covered in fairly lights, a center stage, and live concerts. Definitely a must visit during this time of year.
Zrinjevac Park
Zagreb Cathedral
Beautiful cathedral in the center of Zagreb. We spent some time walking around the inside and enjoying the calm and peaceful atmosphere.
vinodol restoran
Caffe Bar Atrij
Got tired of walking, we stopped into a local cafe and it was great! Now bellies were happy, we may continue our exploration.
Breakfast at Hotel Jägerhorn
Loved the buffet style breakfast at this hotel. Today was our second day in Zagreb, we were going to visit Dolac Market after breakfast and eat more! hahaha
Dolac Market
It was located behind Jelacic Square. The place was alive with vendors, local shoppers, and tourists. There were lots of stalls selling vegetables, fruits, flowers, baked goods, souvenirs, and various other local produce. So much color and life!
Tržnica Dolac
This is Croatia’s largest daily farmer’s market.
Tkalciceva
Tkalciceva was lined with restaurants, bars, and shops. The place was so vibrant. The atmosphere was fun and relaxed. We enjoyed walking and observed everything around us.
Ivica i Marica
The restaurant was on Tkalciceva Street. We stopped by here for desserts and coffee.
Left:Međimurska gibanica (made of puff pastry and 4 fillings: nuts, cheese, poppy seeds and apples)
Right:Kremsnita (vanilla and custard cream cake)
Funicular Railway
We walked to the lower station after dessert at Ivica i Marica. This was the world’s shortest cable railway. This short journey linked lower town with upper town and took just a minute. Only 4kn each way.
It has been in action for over 100 years! Still in pretty good shape.
Upper Town (Gornji Grad)
Glad we chose the cablecar up! There were nice views when we exited the cablecar. The center part of upper town was Zagreb's most photographed St. Mark's church on St. Mark's square. It was charming with lots of history and easy walkable.
Upper Town (Gornji Grad)
We spent a good part of the day in the Upper Town. Plenty of interesting buildings and markets abound in upper town. The oldtown was very picturesque and easy to walk around.
Upper Town (Gornji Grad)
One of the major attraction in Upper town was Stone Gate (Kamenita vrata). A small passage with a chapel of Our Lady. It was the only surviving medieval city gate. We walked through silently to respect worshippers.
St. Mark's Church
Located on the top of the hill. You can easily identify St. Mark's church from its beautiful colored roof tiles with Croatian crest and Zagreb coat of arms.
Museum of Broken Relationships
It collected break-stories from around the world. We spent maybe half an hour reading some stories in the gallery. Those stories ranging from the humorous, to the sentimental and tragic. Some stories were really touched.
Zagreb was voted Best European Christmas Market in 2015 and 2016. It offers a special atmosphere which simply must be experienced by yourself. Christmas market in Zagreb have traditional look and it’s spread out in numerous locations.
Zagreb’s Christmas decorations are elegant and classy. As the night falls, the city is at its most magical. If you like ice-skating, you can stop at King Tomislav Park. The Ice Park is very nice, offering fun for all ages.
Zagreb Cathedral (Cathedral of the Assumption)
You can enjoy Live Nativity Scene near the Cathedral.
Live nativity scene in front of the Zagreb Cathedral
Zrinjevac offers food and drink stands to warm you up during the cold winter days. Sausage and mulled wine combination has been a Christmas classic for many years.
Germknoedel (sweet fluffy dough dumplings with jam, vanilla and poppy seeds) served with vanilla cream sauce.
It is a long way from anywhere but totally worth the visit. This is my first visit to this ancient and spiritual landscape. It takes about three hours to fly from Sydney to Ayers Rock Airport at Yulara. We arrive on a Friday afternoon and drive from the airport pretty much straight over to the Uluru Kata Tjuta national park around noon.
You can see Uluru from the far away distance and after you drive close to the base it is even more impressive! The atmosphere at Uluru is something I can’t describe. It is a highly spiritual place. You can feel it everywhere.
Lunch at Uluru Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre
Once you enter further into the Cultural Centre, there are art and gift stores, a café, and bathrooms. It’s a great place to take a break and have something to eat.
Kata Tjuta
Uluru and Kata Tjuta (Mount Olgas) are the two major features of the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park. Kata Tjuta is a group of large and domed rocks. It’s located approximately 40km west of Uluru.
It is definitely hot and the flies are insane. You must buy the fly net head covers. There are so many flies, so be ready for that.
Walpa Gorge
Tjukuritja
Kulpi Mutitjulu
This is the family cave, Anangu families camped here for many generations.
Sunset at Uluru
Sunrise and sunset can not be missed. We were fortunate enough to watch the sunset right behind the rock as the colors went from dark yellow to orange to orange-red-brown to almost purple. Viewing it at different times of the day displays totally different colors and images. From north to south, east to west take your time to admire this unique piece of nature.
There are clearly marked sunrise and sunset watch places. You should plan to be at lookouts at least 30 minutes before the sunrise/sunset as it can get very crowded.
Australia Zoo is a must visit! The staff were very friendly and passionate about their work. They were always happy to stop and share their knowledge. Also being able to walk up to kangaroos and wombats and hand feed them out of your hand or hug a koala made me so happy!
The animals are well looked after.
We spent a full day at Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo and still didn’t cover all the bases. Now we have a reason to come back 🙂
It’s a very interactive zoo where you were allowed to feed kangaroo.
Red Panda Encounter
My favorite part was to feed the red panda!
Koala Encounter
Another highlight of my day was to hold a real live koala bear~ They are adorable!
There were so many vantage points and sights within the National Park, but Echo Point was where you should start. We were going to Scenic World after here. It gave you a panoramic view of the whole valley.
Excellent views of the Three Sisters and all of the valley.
Scenic World Blue Mountains
Scenic world was a fun place to visit. Ride the Skyway, cable car and train. It gave you a different perspective of the maintains and Three Sisters.
Magnificent views of the valleys and waterfall.
The Giant Stairway
The scenic railway was the steepest in the world at 52 degrees. Riding the steepest rail way while simultaneously seeing stunning views was amazing.
The view from the waiting deck was absolutely stunning.
I loved walking on the boardwalk trails in the forest. The walks were very educational with signs and information along the boardwalks.
Sydney’s most iconic landmark. The opera house is a majestic building that really dominates the harbor. After an hour guided tour, we left with a much deeper appreciation and understanding of this iconic structure.
We went on the guided tour. You get to see a number of different performance theaters, rehearsal spaces and backstage areas. Our guide was very knowledgeable and explained to us all aspects of the building and the architect Jørn Utzon. It was surprised to learn that the architect had never returned to Sydney to see his masterpiece completed.
Bennelong
We had a great lunch at Bennelong. This was the perfect location before the Opera House tour. The food was delicious!
Raw Kingfish
artichoke, capers, ice plant
Red Claw Yabbies
lemon jam, cultured cream, buckwheat pikelets
Suckling Pig Sausage Roll / Roasted Carrot Salad
Sydney Harbour Bridge
This bridge connects the Sydney business district and the Northshore. It was always spectacular and amazing to see it on TV especially during the New Year’s Eve with the fireworks display.
Sydney BridgeClimb
This was an amazing one-of-a kind experience. The safety issues were well explained and carried out. Even though I am scared of heights, at no time did I feel unable to continue. It was a great way to see Sydney and the Harbor.
Celebrity Spotting
The Rocks
Located next to Circular Quay. Lively trendy area for street market during the weekend. Great cafe culture during the day and good bar scene at night.
Queen Victoria Building
Great place to stroll through. Plenty of top end shops and cafes. It is worth a walk through to see the beautiful tile work, paintings and hanging clock.
Darling Harbour
Darling harbour is especially fun in the evening. We went to Darling Harbour to see the fireworks on Saturday night at 9pm and were pleasantly surprised by all the restaurants and cafes that were there. It’s a great spot to hang out, get an ice cream, and walk around. Very family friendly!
Just loved to sit and watch the world go by, and the night lights were also amazing!
Darling Harbour Ferries
Best way to see Sydney at night. Get an Opal card from the machine and tap away.
Diner en Blanc 11/28/2015
I heard that this worldwide dining event is not released until the day of the event. We saw hundreds of guests came dressed in white. Looked like this year it will be held in the Sydney Opera House. Fun!
Day Trips From Sydney
The Blue Mountains (Three Sisters) are just under a two hour drive west of the city.
