Dvorac Trakošćan (27th April 2014)

Dvorac Trakošćan (Trakošćan Castle) is among one of the best preserved Croatian historical buildings. About an hour's drive up north of Zagreb. Came here so that we could make full use of the last few hours of the car we rented.

This is Easter #13 and the last one too... Really quite amazed as I look back at all that I've seen during Easter. Very thankful for my friends who accompanied me along to see all these. It's always good to travel with at least one friend, because you know someone is watching your back.

So that's it... for Easter. There's more to come!

Looking back, it looks like this lonely little church was tearing away :'(

Love this nice mix of colours here with the autumn red, cream coloured castle and the Spring green.

Painting in progress, or at least it was made to seem that way...

Wonder if this is a coat of arms of some sort...? Hmm....

Wasn't possible to get a full shot of the Trakosšćan so this was perhaps the closest I could get. Unfortunately, not all the trees were ready for Spring yet. But the running gag all the while was that Spring never came...

All kitted out in my United scarf with the Trakošćan castle in the background to celebrate Ryan Giggs' first match in charge as interim manager (and an emphatic 4-0 win too)

And that was it! The last and final stop for Easter and it was time to head back to Graz after almost a full month away...

(Posted on 10th June 2014, Written on 4th August 2014)

Bijeli Zagreb Grad (26th April 2014)

Zagreb is one of many cities around the world with the "White City" tag, which for some reason, I don't get...

The album cover shows the iconic St Mark's Church with its very unique southern roof. Again, the fact that we went North from Dubrovnik meant that Zagreb did not have the draw of the previous 2 cities.

That said, I do believe we did not cover that much of Zagreb because we all  seemed rather tired by now... We managed to have a delightful dinner (or at least 3 of us) at Sofra, which serves Bosnian food. The wait for the food was rather long though but I'm quite sure we would all recommend it, especially if you've got a car.

Initially thought that Zagreb would be the last stop, but surprise surprise!!! There was enough time to squeeze in one more stop! ;)

(Posted on 10th June 2014, Written on 4th August 2014)

The statue of Kralj Tomislav (Tomislav of Croatia), the ruler of Croatia during the Middle Ages.

Zagreb Glavni Kolodvor (Zagreb main train station) is in itself an attraction where it faces the Zagreb Art Pavilion.

Umjetnički Paviljon (Zagreb Art Pavilion) was designed by 2 designers from Vienna, hence the clear similarities to Austrian buildings.

Zagrebačka katedrala (Zagreb Cathedral) with its right spire under construction. One of many unsightly under construction things in Eastern Europe :(

Taken from just outside the Zagreb Cathedral with the statue of Mary and a little church within the Dolac Market area.

The model of the city of Zagreb.

Dolac, the farmers' market in Zagreb. I'm told that this is in Kaptol, which is the upper town of Zagreb, and the Zagreb Cathedral also belongs to it.

Wished there was more stories in Zagreb, but unfortunately, that's it. Was supposedly the end of the Easter break until we realized there was time for one last stop! ;)

Plitvička Slapovi (25th April 2014)

Plitvička Slapovi (The Plitvice Waterfalls) along with the entire National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Although it was raining when we arrived, we still managed to make the most out of our day within the National Park and captured many really pretty photos of God's amazing creations.

For me, Plitvice was a natural sanctuary. I couldn't help but sing of how Great God is at every moment. Worshipping Him amongst His creation is truly amazing and incredible. Perhaps it can be done back in Singapore more often, but I felt His presence in Plitvice and I am truly thankful that I got to see all these with the eyes He gave me!

(Posted on 10th June 2014, Written on 4th August 2014)

First proper test shot of using the right settings for waterfall photography ;P

Not much else to say for the rest of the album. Pretty sure the pictures speak for themselves :)

Rebel Alan

These photos were just too beautiful, I couldn't resist but say something about them...

The stillness of the water in the lakes of Plitvice is unbelievable. Makes the natural beauty even prettier!

Achtung! Incoming boat!

Another really beautiful viewpoint from one of the cliffs. A combination of the beautiful blue lake and the rushing waterfalls.

Well-synchronized smiles from all 4 us with the tripod coming in really handy!

A nice little stroll into the woods, or is it into the unknown?

Just another stream in Plitvice...

You don't need photoshop for this effect. All you need is a really quick turn on the zoom ;)

Completely drenched from top to toe. Not even the camera was spared...

Coming to Plitvice in Spring meant it was still really cold. Coming on a rainy Spring day made it even colder. But when you're all wet from the rain already, I guess it doesn't really matter if you get wet from the waterfalls. Wonder how it's like in summer...?

Again, it's the stillness of the water that captivates you. The greenery emphasizes the Plitvice beauty.

If I'm not mistaken, this is where there is the largest congregation of Plitvice's waterfalls is. Plitvice in all of its Spring beauty!

Split: Velo Misto (24th April 2014)

Split is nicknamed Velo Misto (Big Town) and is the 2nd largest Croatian city and is extremely popular because of its seasides. Unlike Dubrovnik, Split is accessible by rail, which is one of the reasons why there would be more tourists here.

These photos would not be here had Recuva not salvaged the majority of my corrupted photos and I'm really thankful for that!

There's no surprise that most of these photos all depict the seaside, simply because Split is known for the sea anyway. Honestly though, in terms of sheer amazingness, coming to Split after Dubrovnik meant that it didn't rate as high. Perhaps it was also because the seasides were empty that meant Split was missing something. 

Still, Dubrovnik aside, Split is a really pretty seaside city, where the "sea to infinity" and sunset was a joy to see!

The Port of Split, or rather, the left side of it if you look out into the Gradska luka.

A small section of the right side of the Port of Split with the Marjan peak in the background.

Overlooking Split from atop the Belltower in Central Split.

"The Sailor's Harbour", or at least that's what I call it. You'd probably get to go sailing by renting one of this at the "right-side" corner of the Port of Split.

The Cathedral of St. Domnius with its iconic Belltower in full view.

The cross upon the Marjan hill.

Once you've hiked up the Marjan hill, there's a whole lot you'll get to see, including Lučica Jardan, a nice little marina.

Seen from the other side of the Marjan hill, Poljudska ljepotica (the Poljud Beauty) is the home stadium of Hajduk Split Football Club. Not too big of a stadium though since it can only sit 35,000.

Trying my best to stand tall (safely) with the Port of Split behind me.

Finally, The Port of Split, in full view (almost!)

The photo that symbolizes Split, with the St. Domnius Belltower clearly towering above Riva, the main city's promenade.

Was a strong contender for Split's album cover, but I chose the other simply because there were more boats in them. Here, this little red boat seemed so lonely...

Just another day for these two boatmen as they enjoy a chat in their boats while the evening sun prepares to descend upon them.

(Posted on 10th June 2014, Written on 4th August 2014)

Dubrovnik: Pearl of the Adriatic (22nd-23rd April 2014)

Called the Pearl of the Adriatic for obvious reasons, Dubrovnik was a true beauty to behold! The ENTIRE city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is however, not accessible by train and all 4 of us flew to the airport and landed like royals! 

Had the honour of being hosted by Nikolina's family on our 1st evening, where we had really awesome authentic home-cooked Croatian food. Her adorable son, Mauro, finally warmed up to us and had lots of fun laughing at us (or me, at least, because I just couldn't get the car to do a circular motion). He even said "Bye Guys!" to us when we left! :)

Day 2 was so amazing that your eyes are perhaps the only camera that can fully capture its beauty. Unfortunately, my photos from the first part of day 2 got corrupted (without backup). I am still very sore about it, but I'll take what I have because I still managed to salvage the 2nd half.

This might be a bold declaration, but having been through most of the main cities in Croatia, I stand by what I said that "if you've not been to Dubrovnik, you've not been to Croatia". I hope these photos sufficiently justifies why I say so.

Cruises are a common sight here in Dubrovnik. You'll see the "Holland America Line" in the background, docking in the Gruž neighbourhood.

The Franjo Tuđman Bridge. We're told that there's some controversy over its name, that one side it has the name Franjo Tuđman and on the other, it says Dubrovnik. Didn't get the chance to verify it because we just went over it when we left for Split.

Everything's better when it's home-cooked!

The cruise and Gruž by night. Nicely lit up with just the right amount of lights

Having a crazy fun time with the adorable little Mauro! Glad he warmed up to us eventually :D

This is black and white for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it allows me to put some emphasis on the Croatian flag. Secondly, it signifies my sadness because almost all my pictures from the rest of the morning were all corrupted and could not be recovered or salvaged :'( :'( :'(

The first of only 4 I managed to retrieve from the morning. One of the many boats that can take you around the Adriatic Sea.

Salvaged #2: Just a little alley in Dubrovnik. Nothing too spectacular but the walls and roofs are almost "coloured" in unison and that makes it special.

Salvaged #3: Our only Brothers group photo taken with the Old Town.

Salvaged #4: The view of the Old Town with the Lokrum island in the background... :)

Atop Fort Lovrjenac (St Lawrence Fortress). Rumour has it that it was built in just 3 months!

Trying to do a Sly :P

Climbing even higher to get a better view. Looking down at the Old Town from Fort Lovrjenac, which is also known as Dubrovnik's Gibraltar is not the least bit scary. The view just amazes me, really.

Living on the edge, quite literally! ;-) B-)

My Permanent Facebook Photo!

At the Srd peak. Just another awesome view of the Old Town and the Lokrum island. In fact, I would say this is quite an amazing view because you literally get a bird's eye view of it due to the steepness of the peak. That's it for Dubrovnik. Honestly, these photos don't do justice to how beautiful it is!

A sneak peek into Dubrovnik... I'm so glad I managed to salvage some of the very beautiful photos taken here. They're especially precious now, so I've kept a good load of them unpublished ;)

Next stop, the long drive up to Split!

(Posted on 11th June 2014, Written on 2nd July 2014)