Slovenia, Croatia, & Montenegro 2019

On the way to Koper, Slovenia	Early morning on the Adriatic Sea	Slovenia Olive Farm	Traveling through the Slovenian countryside	Roadwork in Slovenia
Traveling E61 from Koper to Ljubljana, Slovenia	Lone tree on hill in Slovenia	Town outside of Ljubljana, Slovenia's Capital	Path along river in Ljubljana, Slovenia	Starting a cruise on the Ljubljanica River, Slovenia
Sculling on the Ljubljanica River, Slovenia	Dog enjoying a swim in the Ljubljanica River, Slovenia	Boat rentals on the Ljubljanica River, Slovenia	Kayaks on the Ljubljanica River, Slovenia	Party Boat on the Ljubljanica River, Slovenia
Ljubljanica River, Slovenia	Dog, ducks, and paddleboards on the Ljubljanica River, Slovenia	Ducks and paddleboards on the Ljubljanica River, Slovenia	1st bridge open to traffic on the Ljubljanica River, Slovenia	Cobbler's Bridge dates to 13th Century (current bridge constructed in 1931) on the Ljubljanica River, Slovenia
Church of the Annunciation and Triple Bridge in Ljubljana, Slovenia	Central Market in Ljubljana was built between 1940-42	Central Market in Ljubljana stretches between the Dragon Bridge and the Triple Bridge	Crossing under the Dragon Bridge in Ljubljana	View of Dragon Bridge from the Ljubljanica River
Approaching Ljubljana's famous Triple Bridge	Drinking water in Congress Square, Ljubljana, Slovenia	The Pigeon Whisperer in Congress Square, Ljubljana, Slovenia	University of Ljubljana (founded in 1919)	Ljubljana Castle (constructed in 11th Century) was renovated in the 12th, 15th, 16th, and 17th Centuries
The Galerija Emporium is a fashion store in a renovated Art Nouveau palace, once home to Ljubljana's first department store	Julija Primic (1816-54) was thought to be the Slovenian National Poet's poetry muse	Statue of Slovenia's national poet, France Preseren, in the town square of Ljubljana	St. Nicholas's Church (Ljubljana Cathedral) was consecrated in 1707	Mural on wall of St. Nicholas's Church, Ljubljana
Bronze side door on St. Nicholas's Church depicts 20th-century bishops of Ljubljana	Bronze front door on St. Nicholas's Church depicts Slovenian history	Fruit market in Ljubljana, Slovenia	Vegetable market in Ljubljana, Slovenia	Flower market in Ljubljana, Slovenia
Clothes market in Ljubljana	Interesting decorations at sidewalk cafe in Ljubljana, Slovenia	Replica of the original Fountain of the Three Carniolan Rivers (1751) in Ljubljana, Slovenia	Ljubljana, Slovenia City Hall (1484)	17th century Herculean statue in the Ljubljana, Slovenia City Hall
Historic map of Ljubljana on the wall of City Hall	Historic decorations in Ljubljana City Hall	Old stone well in Ljubljana City Hall	Lunch at restaurant Sokol which opened in 1870 in Ljubljana	Doors to kitchen at restaurant Sokol in Ljubljana
Lunch at restaurant Sokol in Ljubljana	Ljubljana's 'Butcher's Bridge' is covered with locks from lovers who throw away the key in the river	Ljubljana's Butcher's Bridge is unofficially known as the Bridge of Love	Strange decorations on Ljubljana's Butcher's Bridge	Dragons in Ljubljana are like Mickeys at Disney -- they're everywhere
Accordian playing mechanical bear in Ljubljana, Slovenia	Pedestrian street in Ljubljana, the Capital of Slovenia	Pedestrians crossing the Triple Bridge in Ljubljana	Overhead shot of the Triple Bridge in Ljubljana (from the internet)	View from Ribja Brv Footbridge in Ljubljana
Ursuline Church of the Holy Trinity (1718-26) in Ljubljana	Slovenian countryside	Slovenian farmland	Muda gate (on left) in Koper dates to 1516	Boats in Koper, Slovenia
Classic Skoda Automobiles at the port in Koper, Slovenia	Classic Skoda at the port in Koper, Slovenia	On the Red Carpet at the Azamazing Evening in Koper, Slovenia	Welcome to the Azamazing Evening by Captain Carl Smith, Master of the Azamara Pursuit	Bill, Simon, and Robert at the Azamazing Evening in Koper, Slovenia
Susan, Mel, and Jill on the front row for the Azamazing Evening in Koper, Slovenia	The Loggia Palace (1462) in Koper is the only preserved Gothic town hall in Slovenia	Slovenian Food at the Azamazing Evening	Local Wineries offered wines at the Azamazing Evening	The stuffed roast pork at the Azamazing Evening was fantastic
Samples of Slovenian desserts at the Azamazing Evening	We purchased two bottles of Yellow Muscat to drink with dinner on the ship	The 15th Century Praetorian Palace on Tito Square in Koper, Slovenia	Department Heads from Azamara Pursuit at the Azamazing Evening	Azamazing entertainment provided by Perpetuum Jazzile, a Slovenian a cappella group
Perpetuum Jazzile has won many international awards and is best known for their version of Toto's song Africa	Four volunteers from the ship to interact with Perpetuum Jazzile	Volunteers directing Perpetuum Jazzile	Bill onstage to direct the tenors in Perpetuum Jazzile	Finishing up onstage with a dance
Azamara Pursuit on the Azamara Evening in Koper, Slovenia	Headed back to ship from Azamazing Evening	Next stop is Sibenik, Croatia	Lots of sailboats on the Adriatic Sea	Another Bon Voyage gift from Concierge and VIP Travel
Sailing along the Croatian Coast	Small Shrine on rocky outcrop in Croatia	First look at Sibernik, Croatia	Sailboat just outside our balcony	Panoramic view of Sibernik, Croatia
St. Michael's Fortress (left) and St. John's Fortress (top right) overlook Sibernik, Croatia	St. Michael's Fortress dates to the early 15th Century in Sibernik, Croatia	St. John's Fortress was started in 1646 and completed in 58 days	Captain and Staff Captain of the Azamara Pursuit supervising docking in Sibernik	Croatia written in Serbo-Croatian
Vinplod Winery in Sibernik, Croatia	Wind Farm on the hills of Croatia	Roadside restaurant in Croatia	Krka River is part of the 35,000 acre Krka National Park in Croatia	At the first stop in Krka National Park in Croatia
1 of 17 Waterfalls in Krka National Park in Croatia	Watermills on the Krka River provided milled wheat to the Adriatic Coast in the 14th and 15th Centuries	Krka River slows and spreads at some places in Krka National Park	Krka National Park, Croatia	Krka National Park, Croatia
Krka National Park, Croatia	Clear water in Krka National Park makes it easy to spot fish	Interesting tree in Krka National Park	Water plant and fish in Krka National Park	Krka National Park, Croatia
Krka National Park, Croatia	Frog in Krka National Park, Croatia	Fish in Krka National Park, Croatia	Marasovika Lake in Krka National Park, Croatia	Krka National Park, Croatia
A few of the steps in Krka National Park, Croatia	Krka National Park, Croatia	Krka National Park, Croatia	Food and Souvenir stands in Krka National Park, Croatia	Beer and French Fries in Krka National Park, Croatia
Ozujsko is the most popular beer in Croatia, with 10 bottles being consumed every second	Skradinski buk is the longest waterfall in Krka National Park	Skradinski buk (waterfall) is the highest gypsum barrier in Europe at 150 feet high	Skradinski buk (waterfall) is one of the places that allows swimming in Krka National Park	Local Croatian products for sale in Krka National Park before starting to climb 80-100 steps back to the bus
The Church of St. Nicholas (1761) is mostly built of dripstone (deposited calcium carbonate)	A final look at the Krka River in Croatia	The town of Skradin, Croatia is over 6,000 years old	Church of Our Lady (18th Century) in Skradin, Croatia	Arches and small street in Skradin, Croatia
Bill just had to prove he could climb this in Skradin, Croatia	Coming down seemed more treacherous than going up	The Church of St. Spiridon (1878) in Skradin, Croatia	Entrance to the Church of St. Spiridon in Skradin, Croatia	Inside the Church of St. Spiridon in Skradin, Croatia
Watching momma cat and kitten in Skradin, Croatia	On the boardwalk of the Skradin Marina	Skradin Marina is a popular place for sailboats	There are a few yachts anchored in Skradin Marina	Looking down on Skradin, Croatia
The Azamara Pursuit Band and the Signature Singers performing in the Cabaret	The Signature Singers performing popular songs about love	Tony Markey, Cruise Director, joins the group and has an excellent voice	Lokrum is an island 600 meters off the coast of Dubrovnik, Croatia	The Woodsman's Lodge on Lokrum Island was built in the 1860's as part of the summer villa of Maximilian I, the Emperor of Mexico
Fort Royal on Lokrum Island was started by the French army in 1806, and completed during the Austrian administration around 1835	View of Old Town Dubrovnik, Croatia from our balcony on the Azamara Quest	Modern Dubrovnik, Croatia and Sea Cave	Launching Tender Boats below our balcony off the coast of Dubrovnik, Croatia	Enjoying our balcony with Dubrovnik, Croatia in the background
Entering the Old City Harbor of Dubrovnik by Tender Boat	The Cathedral of the Assumption of Virgin Mary (1673-1713), Dubrovnik, Croatia	The Assumption Cathedral is also known as the Dubrovnik Cathedral	The Dubrovnik Cathedral is the seat of the Diocese of Dubrovnik	The Dubrovnik Cathedral was built on the site of 7th, 10th, 11th, and 12th century places of worship
Inside the Dubrovnik Cathedral	Stained Glass in the Dubrovnik Cathedral	Pipe Organ (1690) in the Dubrovnik Cathedral	Entrance to the Rector's Palace (1467) in Dubrovnik and used in filming Game of Thrones	Stradun is the main street in Dubrovnik and very quiet at 9 AM on Wednesday morning
The Dubrovnik Clock Tower dates to 1444, but had major repair in the 18th Century	The Dubrovnik Clock Tower shows the hour in Roman Numerals and the minutes in the Decimal System	Big Onofrio's Fountain (1438-40) in Dubrovnik is a sixteen-sided container with faucets projecting out of the face of masks	15th Century Pile Gate was the main entrance to Old Town Dubrovnik	Ancient Statue-Fountain of Nymph and Pan in Dubrovnik
Bougainvillea along road in Dubrovnik	Panoramic view of Dubrovnik, Croatia	Azamara Pursuit at anchor off Lokrum Island, Croatia	Duboka Cove, Croatia	The Konavle Valley in Croatia is separated from Bosnia-Herzegovena by a mountain range
Large flock of sheep in the Konavle Valley, Croatia	Mediterranean Cypress trees in the Konavle Valley, Croatia	Life in the Konavle Valley, Croatia	Ljuta River in the Konavle Valley, Croatia	Welcome liquor shots at Izletiste Mill in the Konavle Valley, Croatia
Sugary snacks at Izletiste Mill in the Konavle Valley, Croatia	Pieces of 15th Century aqueduct used as planters at Izletiste Mill in the Konavle Valley, Croatia	16th Century flour mill on the Ljuta River in Croatia	Grinding corn using a 16th Century Mill in Croatia	History of mills in Croatia
Fulling mill for wool on the Ljutja River in Croatia	Water wheel for wool fulling mill on the Ljuta River in Croatia	Large mallets hammer the wool to compact the fabric (called fulling or felting)	Fulling is the fourth step shown in this diagram	Wool on the right after the fulling process is almost waterproof
Ljuta River in the Konavle Valley of Croatia	Old stone aqeduct and olive trees in the Konavle Valley of Croatia	Lunch in Cilipi, Croatia	Flowers in Cilipi, Croatia	Welcome drink at lunch in Cilipi, Croatia
Musicians in Cilipi, Croatia	Old mill for grinding olives to make olive oil in Cilipi, Croatia	Garden where the restaurant grows all their own vegetables	Stalk cabbage is used a lot in Croatian cooking	Family home and restaurant in Cilipi, Croatia
Old still at restaurant in Cilipi, Croatia	Lunch companions at restaurant in Cilipi, Croatia	Dalmatian prosciutto, cheese, and bread for starters in Cilipi, Croatia	Beef and a kind of gnocchi for lunch in Cilipi, Croatia	Toilet sign at restaurant in Cilipi, Croatia
Kittens in Cilipi, Croatia	Fascinated by a small branch in Cilipi, Croatia	Traffic jam added an hour and 15 minutes to our return from the Konavle Valley, Croatia	Almost back to Dubrovnik	Looking at Dubrovnik from the motorcoach
The walls of Dubrovnik were constructed between the 12th and 17th centuries	The walls of Dubrovnik are 6,360 feet long and were never breached by a hostile army	The Minceta Tower (1463) is the highest point on the walls of Dubrovnik	A lion fountain on Gundulic Square inside the walls of Old Town Dubrovnik	Christmas in July in Old Town Dubrovnik
Bill found one of Santa's elves in Old Town Dubrovnik	Last look at St. John's Fort (14th Century) protecting the entrance to the Old Town Port of Dubrovnik	View of Dubrovnik, Croatia at dusk from our balcony	Dubrovnik, Croatia sunset	Deck party on the Azamara Pursuit with Cruise Director, Tony, and his wife, Christine
Deck party off the coast of Dubrovnik, Croatia	Tony, Christine, and the Azamara Pursuit Band	Bill's attempt to photograph fireworks over Dubrovnik from rocking ship	Internet photo of fireworks over Dubrovnik celebrating Summer Festival	Another internet photo of Dubrovnik fireworks celebrating Summer Festival
Susan and Mel in the "Living Room" of the Azamara Pursuit for a nightcap	Sailing along the coast of Montenegro	Dobrota, Montenegro, is adminstratively a separate town, but encompasses most of Kotor's residential area	The Church of St. Matthew in Dobrota, Montenegro	The Bay of Kotor (Montenegro) has been inhabited since antiquity
Freedom Park and the Monument of Freedom in Kotor, Montenegro pays tribute to citizens who died in WWII	Kampana Tower and Citadel (13th-14th Century) in Kotor, Montenegro are situated on the Skurda River	The view of Kotor, Montenegro from our balcony	Traveling up a narrow mountain road in Montenegro with 25 switchbacks	Here's why Susan sat in the inside seat
Looking at the road below you can see the first 3 switchbacks	Kotor, Montenegro, from a scenic overlook	Overlooking Kotor, Montenegro	Had to go to the internet for aerial photo of 13 or the 25 switchbacks we just traveled	Mid-morning snack of Njeguski prsut (local prosciutto), local cheese, fresh tomatoes, and homemade bread
Can't have a mid-morning snack without a local 'Niksicko' Beer	Njeguski ham requires salting with sea salt, pressing, light smoking, drying, and maturing (process takes about a year)	Antique Montenegran baby crib	Monument in Njeguski, Montenegro, birthplace of the royal dynasty of Petrovic (1696-1918)	Village in the Lovcen Mountains of Montenegro
Cetinje is the old royal capital of Montenegro	The Court Church of Cetinje was built for the needs of the Court Prince Nikola in 1890	The Court Church of Cetinje sits among ruins of the original Cetinje Monastery, destroyed in 1692	Cetinje Monastery was reestablished across from the site of the first location	Cetinje Monastery was rebuilt between 1701 and 1704
Ivan Crnojevic, also known as Ivan the Black, founded Cetinje, Montenegro in 1482	Biljarda (circa 1838) in Cetinje, Montenegro was built as a residence of Prince-Bishop Petar II Petrovic Njegos	King Nikola's Palace was built from 1863 to 1867, and served as the seat of the Montenegrin Royal family for over 50 years	A Royal Guard for King Nikola's Palace in Cetinje, Montenegro	Dvorski square in Cetinje, Montenegro
On the pedestrian street in Cetinje, Montenegro	Outdoor tables from restaurant across the street in Cetinje, Montenegro	Dvorski square in Cetinje, Montenegro	Snake on the Well in Dvorski square in Cetinje, Montenegro	Budva, Montenegro, is a resort town on the Adriatic Coast that dates back to 5th Century BC
The Budva Riviera has some of the most attractive beaches of south Adriatic	Budva is well-known regionally as the capital of nightlife and gambling of the eastern Adriatic	Entering Kotor, Montenegro, by the Sea Gate (1555)	Inscription above the Sea Gate acknowledges the date of the end of WWII in Montenegro	The Lion of St. Mark on the Kotor City Walls is from the time it was a Venetian Republic from 1420 to 1797
Kotor, Montenegro Clock Tower (1602) leans toward the sea after 1667 earthquake	The ''pillar of shame'' in Kotor was used to punish and publicly humiliate wayward citizens during the medieval era	Kotor, Montenegro was founded in the 5th Century BC	Giant lamp-bench in Kotor, Montenegro	The Pima Palace (1667) in Kotor, Montenegro
The Cathedral of Saint Tryphon (Kotor Cathedral) was consecrated in 1166	The fortifications of Kotor going up the Mountain of St. John	The fortifications around Kotor, Montenegro, were constructed in the 9th-12th Centuries and are 2.8 miles long	The Church of Our Lady of Remedy (1518) and city walls on the slope of the St. John Mountain above Kotor, Montenegro	The Church of St. Nicholas is a Serbian Orthodox church built from 1902 to 1909 in Kotor
The Palace Grgurina (18th Century) is now a Naval Museum Kotor, Montenegro	Cats are considered a symbol of good luck in Kotor, Montenegro, and there is even a Cat Museum	There aren't just cats in Kotor, Montenegro	St. Luke's Church (1195) in Kotor, Montenegro	Leaving Kotor, Montenegro
Sailing out of the Bay of Kotor, Montenegro	Dinner at Aqualina Restaurant on the Azamara Pursuit	Appetizer at Aqualina Restaurant on the Azamara Pursuit	Caprese Salad at Aqualina Restaurant on the Azamara Pursuit	Second course for Bill was pasta at Aqualina Restaurant on the Azamara Pursuit
Main course for Susan at Aqualina Restaurant on the Azamara Pursuit	Main course for Bill at Aqualina Restaurant on the Azamara Pursuit	Dessert at Aqualina Restaurant 2 hours after we started	Looking at a hillside town on the Bay of Kotor from Aqualina Restaurant on the Azamara Pursuit	Enjoying sights along the Bay of Kotor from Aqualina Restaurant on the Azamara Pursuit
Small beach along the Bay of Kotor viewed from Aqualina Restaurant	Above the Bay of Kotor viewed from Aqualina Restaurant	The only ferry on Kotor Bay (known locally as 'trajekt') leaves Kamenari, Montenegro	Kotor Bay Ferry seemed pretty close to our window in Aqualina Restaurant on Azamara Pursuit	And how do you get home if you live here along the Bay of Kotor?
1 of 3 tunnels built by the Yugoslav Army along the Bay of Kotor and used to hide submarines in WWII	The outside of the Submarine Tunnels were covered by fake rocks so they would not be visible to satellites or spy planes	Old fort or palace near Herceg Novi on Kotor Bay, Montenegro	More hillside villages along the coast of Kotor Bay, Montenegro	Mamula (1853) at the entrance to Kotor Bay is one of the best preserved Austro-Hungarian fortresses
Mamula became notorious when the fascist forces of Benito Mussolini’s Kingdom of Italy turned it into a concentration camp