Summer Summary

13/10/2018 Seamus Comments 0 Comment

Sign in white on grey, reading Going up on the 127 winding stairs is pretentious. There is on the view floor the most beautiful view. Going up this tower in Slovakia may have been ‘pretentious’ but it was worth the climb for the beautiful views. At the risk of sounding pretentious, I must say that I’d be hard pushed to pick a favourite view or indeed a favourite memory from our travels this summer. In fact, I’ve had to take a look back over my diary to remind myself of all the wonderful places we have been to.

I always love hanging out in beautiful Istria, and this summer it was as beautiful as ever. And there is always something new to discover there, especially when you take a look behind the scenes…

close up of balconies, stairs of block of apartments with mural of James Bond holding gun on wall behind stairs, Umag, Croatia This is a nice reminder of the many faces of Sibenik. With its dramatic coastline, beautiful islands and stunning waterfalls, Dalmatia was a definite highlight for me.

Detail on stone building with five carved faces, all different, Sibenik Cathedral, Croatia .

Seamus the Seagull with pint clothespeg on his beak Oh dear, how could I have forgotten this? I had plenty to kick up a stink about in Piestany spa!

Close up of Rolls Royce logo on grill of vintage Rolls Royce car with reflection of black vintage car and people, Concours d'Elegance, Piestany, Slovakia I don’t usually have much truck with cars, but the exquisite vintage vehicles at the Concours d’Elegance in Piestany were a sight to behold.

Close up of head of eagle, Trencin Castle falconry, Slovakia The Oldies enjoyed seeing how the aristocracy used to live in the numerous castles we visited in Slovakia. I have to admit to have been rather intimidated by the birds of prey still living in some of them. I certainly wouldn’t mess with this regal eagle I met in Trencin Castle!

Seamus the Seagull standing next to large can of Campbell's Cream of Celery Soup outside building with pictures of famous people in every window, Andy Warhol Museum of Modern Art, Mezilaborce, Slovakia We were all in the soup in Medzilaborce, home of the Andy Warhol Museum of Modern Art, just one of the many surprises we stumbled upon in Slovakia. row of light blue portaloos in grass on the right, statue of madonna on pedestal with flowers at base on the left, trees in background, near Levoca, Slovakia Loos with views … at the Basilica of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary on a hill overlooking beautiful Levoca on the foothills of the High Tatras. This photo belies the breath-taking beauty of the region, and boy, oh boy, it was fun to watch the Oldies being stretched to their limits as they tackled a couple of the hikes through gorges in the Slovak Paradise National Park!

Reflection in heavily gilded mirror of heavily gilded elaborately carved ceiling of tourists viewing large room with three windows, paintings on walls, heavy red curtains on windows, Bonnice Castle, Slovakia Castle interiors were sometimes scary, sometimes elegant, always impressive. This one in Bojnice gave us plenty to reflect on.

Detail of two elaborate roofs of wooden shingles, Podbiel, Slovakia If I didn’t already have my cosy little spot in the Oldies caravan, I’d fancy living in a wooden house. In Podbiel and Cicmany in Slovakia I was spoilt for choice.

silhouette of ruined house with chinmey stack against blue sky, mountains in background, Pican, Croatia These stone houses in Pićan in Croatia, on the other hand, were not in the best of nick. But, sure, don’t they say the most important characteristics of a house are ‘location, location, location’. That must make these ideal homes, so!