Gate to Ptuj Castle, Croatia.

Fitch Family Travels: JOurney along with us!

June 1

Dobar dan! We flew out of PDX midday with Denise Wilson shuttle service (thanks for swinging back around to give me my phone and wallet!). Got lunch. KLM 616 to Amsterdam was long (9+ hrs), but smooth. Movies and games and reading. No one really slept.

June 2

Amsterdam early morning arrival, went through customs, then hiked to our terminal with a couple of hours to spare. Airport was busy and stuffy. We got some drinks, and I picked up some duty free bourbon as a gift for John and Jessica.

Flew Croatia flight 3081 to Zagreb, another two hours in the air, then got our rental car while trying to avoid the smokers at every corner. We got a black Dacia Duster (both of us remembered how to drive standard, and improved quickly!), and drove two hours through pretty countryside—mostly wild forests and fields dotted by villages nestled into valleys, each with a prominent, historical church. And went through 14 tunnels. Arrived at Drivenik, a quaint, stone village with a prominent castle on a hill (this will be a recurring theme for the area), and found Jess and John’s place in the hills. Lovely, quiet home, with a separate 2-level former barn converted to a modern guest house all ready for us. Only one bed though, so one of us used a guest room in their house.

Downstairs in the beautifully renovated space.

They welcomed us with a drink on their patio with a view over the valley, then cooked a lovely dinner for us. We then drove with them down to Crikvenica and got some excellent gelato at a spot with a huge old Sycamore tree growing in the courtyard. We then walked along a lively pier with and colorful buildings. Long day but we pushed though and crashed by 9pm or so.

June 3

Our first full day in Croatia, and a rainy one. I went for a run around a reservoir and along a creek, then came back to dry off and get coffee and a breakfast of yogurt and fruit. John took us to Drivenik Castle where we walked around the ancient structure and nearby church and cemetery. John’s family had donated to renovations to the church and had their name on a door plaque. The hilltop castle was impressive, in great condition, and they sometimes hold music events in the courtyard.

Back at Jess and John’s, they showed us their second, adjacent house they had recently purchased and were renovating, for a purpose to be determined. We visited Jessica’s friend Tabitha’s new and amazing glass artwork shop, Tabitha's Glass Emporium, and picked up a few small pieces, wishing for a way to get more home safely.

We then drove to the island of Krk, and first to the city of Krk on the west coast. We ate pizza at Volsonis, a restaurant built within Roman ruins and where a trip to the lower restrooms takes you through recently unearthed ancient stone passageways. We walked around endless narrow and steep cobblestone streets and alleys, where a mix of shops and cafes and residences filled the historical buildings. We visited Frankopanski Kaštel, including the interior courtyard, but didn’t pay the fee to walk the ramparts. These castles are all incredible, with their precision in construction and their longevity. The rain opened up, and we sought refuge in the Church of St Quirinus. Stunning, old, humbling, all that. The rain didn’t seem to be letting up so we walked back a kilometer or so to our car, where the wheels were half underwater in the uneven dirt parking lot.

Excavated ruins to navigate in search of a restroom.

We drove to Katunar winery near Vrbnik on the east side of the island. Long valleys of vineyards filled the area. The wine was ok, but service was subpar, despite the place being empty besides us. Kids were bored but grabbed some seats overlooking the valley. We picked up one bottle of Maestral, an effervescent white.

Lauren decided to try the Duster at that point, and although she drove standard cars exclusively in Zim, she hadn’t since then. She did fine, but we drove into Vrbnik center which has some of the narrowest and steepest old cobblestone roads we’d seen. At one point, I had to get out, fold the sideviews, and guide her. She did great.

Back at Jess and John’s, we shared another great homecooked meal, then drank wine and watched the sunset from the roof.

June 4

We left Jess and John with much appreciation for their hospitality during our first couple of days. We would have been more tired and stressed if we didn’t have friends to welcome and guide at the start of our trip. They gave plenty of advice for the next adventures, too. Elliot and Juniper had started tracking EU license plates, which continued for the rest of the trip.

We drove to Istria, which included a 4km tunnel, then to Pula on the southern tip. We parked next to a year zero era Roman arena, as one does. The ruins were incredibly well preserved, and we spent an hour or so walking around the seating and arena area, balconies and passageways, plus an underground oilve oil processing plant and museum.

We then visted the Pula Citadel, an impressive hilltop castle and underground tunnels with ancient and 20th century history.

We left Pula and stopped for the kids to take a quick swim near Rovinj, but it was a busy resort beach and we didn’t stay long. Despite the rocky beach they enjoyed the refreshing Adriatic seawater, and few others were swimming, mostly sunbathing.

We then headed to Motovun, our place in Istria for three nights. Took us a few tries to find the road up, thanks to Google Maps accuracy (another theme throughout the trip), but we did and made it through one of the most challenging driving experiences I can recall. Most cars aren’t allowed into the Old Town, and there’s bollard control that we’d previously shared with the host so got access. Steep, uneven cobblestone in narrow streets with people and bikes and with luck no other oncoming cars, but we made it in and parked with guidance from Stella, our lovely host who met us in the road. Not a chance we would have known where to go without her.

The fully equipped rental was spacious, modern, and stunning. We had plenty of room to spread out, and an extra bedroom we used for luggage. Glassed-in and uncovered porches with breathtaking views on the south side, and bedrooms with balconies and a bathroom view towards the north and sunset on the other side. Farmland and mountains and historic churches wherever we looked. (Probably the best toilet and shower view I’ve ever had.)

South balcony from our rental in Motovun

We settled in, then continued up the cobblestone hill on foot, passing cafes and shops and entering through the castle gates, then walking the ramparts around the castle during sunset. Words fail. We grabbed a table at the Montana Gallery restaurant. Amazing food and drinks and dessert, with the valley and mountain sunset and a tabby cat who visited, and then did some wine tasting and came back with some Fakin Teran bottles. Juniper loved the Fakin Good Wines shirt I purchased.

June 5

First full day in Istria. We drove to the Karlic Truffle Museum, took in some fascinating history and plenty of samples and met some of the hunting dogs. We stopped at a hilltop shrine (we saw these small buildings throughout Croatia and Slovenia), then went to Kastel Petrapilosa, a partial ruins hilltop fortification. Very quiet, only one other visitor when we arrived, and an automated paygate, so we had the place to ourselves. Climbed around the courtyard and chapel and stairs to the ramparts for more stunning views of the surrounding valleys and mountains. I can’t imagine an enemy force thinking of attacking a place like that. History is in the air and in the stones.

We then went to Ispa Winery for wine and olive oil tastings, where we sampled both and brought home a couple bottles of the former. Elliot and Juniper enjoyed partaking in the sampling of the latter. It was a modern building with inside and outside areas and, of course, beautiful views.

Next, Opertalj, another quaint, historical hilltop village where we got lunch and walked around. After that, Visintin, another winery. This one was up in the hills, much smaller, family owned. There was one German couple with a Sprinter van taking in the view, and us. The charming owner, Livia, brought us into her cellar and shared her wine and her family history and gave the kids elderflower water to drink. Her English was spotty, and our Croatian was non-existent, but we had fun trying to translate through other means. Juniper said we were playing charades. We left with a couple of bottles from there, too.

Then, back to Motovun where we cooked dinner and enjoyed some more wine and sunset views. Lauren and I went out for another drink or two, including one at the aptly named Wall Street Pub where we sat along the rampart walkway.

June 6

I went for a run down and back up the hill, then we ate breakfast and went to Groznjan, another historical hilltop settlement filled with ancient stone buildings and narrow cobblestone walkways. Delightful, artsy, and transporting us to another time. We got coffee and snacks and walked around for a while. There were several bike groups riding through (another common element of our trip).

Getting lost in these ancient streets was a joy.

On the way down the hill, we hit what was certainly the lowest point of our trip. I was driving and pulled to the side and stopped before a hairpin turn to allow the oncoming vehicle to pass by. He didn’t and impacted the rear fender of our rental. Damage to his car, but only a thin paint scratch to ours. Had to wait an hour in the rain for police to arrive, they took statements and measurements and couldn’t determine fault so we all left. I’m hoping that’s the last of it. We then went back to Motovun (to get our passports, as we didn’t have them on us when the police asked, oops). The parking was doubly difficult in the middle of a weekend day with throngs of tourists in the way. Nerves settled, we headed to the coast to get some swimming time in, and found a lovely, quiet park in Dajla with grassy shade and a beach bar. The salt and downtime and drinks and ice cream were what we all needed.

After getting some much needed sea time, we went to Gardos, a charming, family-run olive oil farm. Without an appointment, we arrived, the only guests, and were treated like old friends. The welcoming couple paused their chores to chat with us about their farm and their process, and ask about our travels. These little, family-run wine and olive oil farms became some of our favorite places to stop. A lovely spot, and we left with a couple of bottles to take home, then headed back to Motovun.

Sunset from the bathroom is hard to beat.

June 7

We left Motovun and Istria and Croatia with regrets and a promise to visit again. Seamless drive and border crossing into Slovenia, the agent waved us through without even looking at our passports.

Our travel day to Ljubljana included Postojna Caves and Predjama Castle. Although these were the most touristy and crowded places we’d yet visited, they were worth it. The caves are 24km in length, and we took an open train car 2km in, then walked 1.5km, then another train back out. Otherworldly. We were all in awe at the natural majesty of the place. Then we drove to the cliffside castle and got lunch on the way. Still busy, but walking through the iconic and imposing structure, and learning its history, was worth it.

We arrived at our rental near Domžale, in an interesting suburb of working farmland and new construction. We met Jure, very friendly and helpful, and went out for pizza in town.

June 8

Day trip to Lake Bled and Lake Bohinj at the edge of Triglavski National Park in the Julian Alps. The fairytale castle on the cliff and church on the island against the turquoise lake were dreamy. We walked for a bit, but the place was crowded so we decided not to take a boat out to the island or tour the castle.

Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

We instead drove to Lake Bohinj, where we passed the beach near town and continued around to the far side. We parked at a camp (Lauren sweet talked the girl at the entrance into parking with the paid campers) and enjoyed a fairly quiet rocky beach on the alpine lake. Towering, steep mountains surrounded us, and we were the only ones swimming, at first. We got lunch and drinks at the camp restaurant.

On the way back to our rental, we detoured to see Chapel of Our Lady Queen of Peace, an idyllic little church atop a mountain pasture in Plania Uskovnica. A long, single lane switchback dirt road got us close, then we saw signs we interpreted to mean no cars past that point, so we walked the last mile or so through gorgeous pastures and farms. We could have taken the car, it turned out, which Lauren and Juniper made clear. I thought it was worth both the drive and the walk.

Pasture farming was common throughout the area, which was delightful to see. Cows, horses, and sheep.

She seemed to be having a pretty good day here.

Every town had a church, all of them gorgeous.

Nearly every neighborhood had a shrine. This one was around the corner from our place in Slovenia.

We went back to our rental and cooked dinner, then our hosts (Jure and Danijela Kranjc) invited us to their table to share wine and talk until after midnight. They shared fascinating and tragic family histories.

June 9

Our travels took us east an hour and a half to the ancient town of Ptuj, the oldest town in Slovenia and near the Hungarian and Austrian borders. Narrow cobblestone roads and stone walled buildings invited and awed us. We toured the magnificent Ptuj Castle and got coffee in the courtyard café. The tour was fascinating and comprehensive, including history, art, culture, music, and war. And other than a couple of school groups we saw at the beginning and end, we had the place to ourselves. We strolled the streets some more, but the day was hot, and the only food seemingly available was pizza and burgers, so we headed out.

The next stop, halfway back to our rental, was the town of Žalec in the Savinja Valley. The city is the beer capital of Slovenia. We toured the Beer Museum, then went to the Green Gold Beer Fountain (a world first and only), where I sampled each of the park’s offerings. Then back to the rental to cook dinner.

Green Gold beer fountain - why must I travel 5,600 miles for such a thing?

June 10

Last full day in Slovenia. I went for a run, then we ate breakfast and Lauren and I walked to a little café in the middle of the residential farmland a few streets away to get coffee. (At that point, Lauren and I realized we had missed a whole day at the end of our trip, and were one day short for both car rental and hotel. Oops. Time differences are hard. We fixed that later.)

We spent the rest of the morning in downtown Ljubljana, a magnificent old-world city with imposing and charming buildings and streets all around. The river splits the city, crossed by numerous bridges, including the Dragon Bridge. This was another tourist spot, but wasn’t overly crowded. Spotty rain, but we checked out sights and shops and then got a large charcuterie lunch and drinks at a shady café along the river.

We then dragged the kids out to a couple of wineries further west in the Vipava Valley, close to the Italian border. The first was Cultus, in the quaint, historic, and very quiet town of Podnanos. We wandered past the open sign and their aged wooden gate to a back yard between 15th century stone cottages, but needed to call for the tastings. Carolin came out from putting her infant to sleep, and greeted us warmly. She was German and had lived there with her husband on his family farm for 10 years, and they were renovating the neglected stone buildings. Great conversations and great wines, and we left with a couple of bottles. The kids played in the rain during a brief downpour. Next was Vina Poljšak in Vipava, high on a hillside, where the family’s daughter gave us a tour of their amazing cellar, including a natural spring basin and a newly expanded space for events. They are also a family of musicians who play for their guests and theme their wine after instruments. The young woman guiding our tasting didn’t sit down to the piano, though. The wine was great, and we left with enough to intend to bring some home.

The drive back was a little over an hour (lots of major construction projects everywhere we went in Slovenia), and we did a quick stop at Spar grocery then came back to the rental. I took the kids to a large park complex nearby while Lauren cooked dinner. After we ate, I found my way back to the neighborhood bar, where a family was playing volleyball and a few other patrons sat outside and talked and smoked. We did a last load of laundry and prepped for our next couple of days.

June 11

We made breakfast, and Lauren and I walked to the neighborhood café for cappuccinos. We caught Jure and Danijela on their way to work and our way out of town. I asked, and Jure shared directions to his family cemetery, which was on the way to Zagreb. We found his family’s gravesite, then we stopped at Otoĉec Castle which sits on a picturesque grassy and sycamore filled island in the middle of the Krka river, then walked the rest of the island and watched swans swim around it.

Family gravesite of our Slovenian host. Rok and Ladislav were father and son, taken and shot by Nazis. Rok and Jozefa had moved in Pennsylvania for work, and later back to Slovenia. All of six brothers were part of 20th century conflicts during the areas tumultuous history, and now all are buried together.

We left Slovenia, again with regrets and a promise to return. The border crossing was even more seamless, as the only stop was to pay a 1€ toll, no papers or questions. We stopped at a mall (they’re just like American malls) and got a suitcase that we needed to check back home for the extra stuff we picked up.

Then to the Hilton where we parked the car (our room wasn’t ready), and walked through historical Zagreb. We didn’t see the city when we landed and drove off, so took time to explore. Another old-world European capital with magnificent buildings, statues, and parks. Zagreb was a bit more worn and graffitied then Ljubljana, and many buildings were scaffolded and under repairs, but still magnificent with grandeur and charm. We walked along the main park for several blocks to a restaurant district to get a late lunch, then further up the hill for a view of the city. We had a map from the hotel lobby that Juniper had taken notes and guided us with.

Zagreb, with a statue of Croatia’s first king.

Next stop was the Museum of Lost Tales. This fantastical, macabre, and otherworldly space on the second level of an old building was a beautifully curated journey into Croatian folklore, unsanitized and compelling. Stunning, gorgeous art (reminds me of Seb McKinnon, a Magic artist) and fascinating stories, and although I read through most of it, I didn’t get to it all. We picked up a book to read later. (We learned afterwards that the artist and museum creator, Zdenko Bašić, is a friend of Jessica’s, and if we had planned ahead we might have gotten a private tour with him. Such is the cost of spontaneous travel.) Next stop was the Chocolate Museum, but we were getting burned out and ready to check in at the hotel, so we only stopped at the gift shop (guess what we purchased), then walked back to the hotel to check in. The room still wasn’t ready, so they comped us some drinks at the bar while we waited.

After checking in, we relaxed for a bit and then got dinner at Lari & Penati, an artsy little parkside spot with great food and wine. Then back to the hotel. I couldn’t sleep, so strolled Zrinjevac park for a bit, and listened to a live rock show at a (semi) private party on a hotel terrace.

June 12

Our bonus day in Zagreb (see earlier note). We got the hotel buffet breakfast (excellent by Hilton standards) and then walked to the Optical Illusion museum (Juniper’s pick, and a fun one!) and then back to the hotel to check out. We had plans to drive to Medvedgrad castle, as we thought we had to leave the garage, but realized we still had garage access for the rest of the day, and didn’t feel like driving. And believe it if you will, we had seen a lot of castles already and didn’t feel a loss for missing that one. We walked to the lovely botanical gardens, then got lunch at Pithos, a lively café serving excellent authentic Croatian fare.

Thoroughly spent, we left downtown for our airport hotel, where we arranged our lives, added another checked bag that we realized we needed, and soaked in some much needed downtime. Alarms were begrudgingly set for 3am.

Somebody grew during the trip. Or somebody shrunk.

June 13

Flight home and customs were smooth, but long. Thanks to Owen for the airport pickup! We rallied to attend Shannon’s 40th birthday party at their house until an appropriate bedtime hour, then called it. We had a wonderful time, and still saved so much we didn’t see and do for the next visit. Until then, živjeli!

Croatia & Slovenia 2026

Fitch Family Travels: JOurney along with us!