We decided to stay another few nights at Camp Ulica as the weather wasn’t very good.
We chilled out for a couple of days and on Wednesday morning we drove to Rovinj.
All around the area of Istria we saw little stone huts.
The receptionist had given us a map showing where we could park the Motorhome free of charge. So after parking up, we walked down the hill into the town.
The seafront was busy with people sat outside enjoying coffee in the sunshine.
Lots of boats were moored along the revetment edge and the view of the old town beyond was magnificent.
Although we’d seen lots of old towns on our journey through Croatia, we still had a wander through the narrow cobble streets up to the church at the top to admire the views.
Thursday we didn’t do a lot, apart from talking to a retired professor from Switzerland who told us about Motovun, a hill top village not far from where we were based.
So Friday morning, we settled our bill and left. We called in to one of the supermarkets for supplies and drove to Motovun. As we drove around the corner the view of the village was amazing. It was misty & drizzly so the photo doesn’t really do it justice.
We parked in the designated Motorhome parking area at the bottom and took the courtesy bus up the hill.
We paid to walk around the walls in the liquid sunshine admiring the misty views and visited a gallery full of amazing photographs that had been taken of the area.
There were lots of shops selling truffles which puzzled us until we did a bit of research ...
The area is very well known among foodies, because the nearby forests are full of hidden treasure: black and white truffles. The largest truffle in the world was found in the forests of Motovun Istria back in 1999. The founder, Giancarlo Zigante, still holds the world record in the Guinness book of records for the largest white truffle ever found in the world ...
We didn’t treat ourselves to any truffles but Andy had some of his favourite apple pie.
Leaving Motovun, we headed for a camping shop we’d found on google maps, on the outskirts of Porec. We got there just before it closed. We bought some more “blue for the loo” and a second peg hanger for drying underwear. The owners were lovely and showed us where we could park up for the night just outside their compound.
In the morning we drove to the Slovenian border, and after showing our passports, we were waved through. It took all of 10 minutes. Looking at the long queues of traffic on the other side of the road of people trying to get into Croatia, we were glad we were heading north.
Not only was it Andy’s birthday on Saturday, not only had we been travelling in Harriet the Hymer for 300 days and clocked up 18000 miles, we’d crossed the border into our 27th country! What a day for celebrating!!
Our first destination in Slovenia was Postojna Caves. To say they were magnificent was an understatement. Being originally from the Peak District in Derbyshire, we’d been in lots of caves, but these were something else!! They were 24km long and 40m high in the tallest chamber. You are treated to a 2km train ride and then a 1.5km guided tour of the best bits before embarking on another 2km train ride back to the entrance. Stunning just wasn’t the word.
That night we stayed at the sites’ Stellplatz in the grounds of the caves.
Not far from Postojna Caves is Predjama Castle. After leaving our overnight stop, we drove up the road (9km) to the castle and parked up at one of the many free car parks. What a sight!
It was built in the 12th century in the gaping mouth of a cavern halfway up a 123-metre-high cliff and is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the worlds largest cave castle.
The castle is now a museum that shows life as it was in the 16th century, with an armoury, dungeon, halls, living quarters and other castle facilities. We were given an audio guide to walk around with. It was fascinating. To think that all our ancestors survived the hardships of medieval times just blows my mind.
All around the area of Istria we saw little stone huts.
So Friday morning, we settled our bill and left. We called in to one of the supermarkets for supplies and drove to Motovun. As we drove around the corner the view of the village was amazing. It was misty & drizzly so the photo doesn’t really do it justice.
The area is very well known among foodies, because the nearby forests are full of hidden treasure: black and white truffles. The largest truffle in the world was found in the forests of Motovun Istria back in 1999. The founder, Giancarlo Zigante, still holds the world record in the Guinness book of records for the largest white truffle ever found in the world ...
In the morning we drove to the Slovenian border, and after showing our passports, we were waved through. It took all of 10 minutes. Looking at the long queues of traffic on the other side of the road of people trying to get into Croatia, we were glad we were heading north.
The castle is now a museum that shows life as it was in the 16th century, with an armoury, dungeon, halls, living quarters and other castle facilities. We were given an audio guide to walk around with. It was fascinating. To think that all our ancestors survived the hardships of medieval times just blows my mind.
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