Rab Rocks!

Now either way you want to interpret that title you’d be correct, it is both rocky in landscape and as a meaning for this place. Otok Rab, like it’s neighboring island Krk it has both it’s vast rocky slopes and forested areas as well as a small salt water wetland I tried unsuccessfully to shoot some wildlife birds in.

many of the roads take you through much of the different parts of the natural wonders from the ferry boat at …. to the town of Rab or farther to Lopar however you will not fully see much of this island’s gems unless you really get on a bike, quad or some walking boats and explore the trails and sheep trails that cover the island.

I took part of one day to go as far as i could by car to Dumići and then by foot along the shore viewing the islands of Šailovac, Sredjak and Maman and the unique rock strata complete with wall information plaques. it is not easy walk as there is not conventional path but if you are determand and courtus to walk past what apears to be private porches with people and kids playing and get by a couple who were fully enjozing the rights one has when zoućve stacked a few rocks ontop of eachother – FKK.

The clear water, red earth and rocks provide a stunning veiw

One of the islands and boats

One of the manz rewading shots that come off the beaten trail.

and another

Some of the rocks

The salt wetlands

I then reunited with my transport and headed to Lopar, mostlz consisting of a camping and private appartments this town is pristenly situated on a peninsula, i stayed around the turist spots and took these pictures.

Some of the little islands and bits of rock on this part of the island look like broken cake. The moutain in the background is part of the Velebit national park on the mainland.

The old walls in the town of Rab by night

one of the old streets

A courtyard art gallery in Rab oldtown

Well all was not complete on my visit without taking a quad trip up some of the trails and hinterland. I went with some friends and took the small trek, we really should have taken the longer one and gone up to the hilltop legendary Ćkaminak restaurant, we will next time. we made our way through a small hamlet and on to gravel paths to vast open plains and wilderness. while two of my companions were driving off one other friend mentioned how perfectly quite it was up there, nothing to hear just vast nature to glance at. Our time to return the quads came way too fast and we had to leave this natural sanctuary for the ruckus “real world”, at least long enough to post this blog.

the open plain and sheep fold in the background

Home on the range

This blogger with camera aboard preparing to tear up the dunes and earth behind, did not take enough pics of this part of the trip as we were having to much fun driving around on a time limit. Next time we are getting all day, surly worth it and a great way to see more of the island then by conventional roads and get the photos and experiances other turists don’t ever see.

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Where the Winds Take Me – eBook

Since this is a longer article and many pics I have made it into a Adobe (TM) book. This is just a sample copy, if you would like to reprint or reproduce any text or images in this book just leave a comment and I will contact you.

Enjoy!

wind-small (click to download PDF)

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Adriatic Moments e-book

Well, I am still here and I am releasing a little free e-book of some of the pictures I’ve taken on the Slovenia and Croatia coast, this blog is hard to post big pictures so this is one way you get to see more. Feel free to download but do not print it out as the quality is not good enough.

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Window on the XYZone

Here is something new I will add to this blog of pictures that I take that are not necessarily taken to illustrate my writings or city experiences but more for fun and a candid look into life in the XYZone.

Today I was in Celje so pictures will be from there but some could have been from anywhere, I’ll post proper pics of the sights and write about the city at another time.

For a Picture of the Day fix (mostly sights from Slovenia that you will not see anywhere else) you must only pay a visit to the cyber Piran Cafe, tell him I sent you and stay as long as you like, the tab is on me.

Banking on the Savior?

This picture is in Celje and I thought it interesting that this bank had one of the largest crucifix on it I’ve seen here. Slovenia is a Catholic country but not to the dramatic displays of their fath to the tunes of Mexico or the Philippine Islands, my feeling is that in the wonderful architectural design it was not first intended to be a bank but it is now. It does illustrate the struggle I see people here experience and feel that God is way up there and not on their level and the bank/credit/capitalistic world is at their eye level and their tangible god of right now.

Law and Order

This is a gorgeous old building that has brass wall-plates reading “Odvetnik” (attorney) and a posh law firm in the ground floor on the Celje city center but is just abandoned on the top making for a stark contrast but very common sight here as people do not seem to realise that if the top of the building rots, leaks or falls down all their investments on the bottom floor are useless, but then they are lawyers, they can sue.

If Mr. Bean were born a Balkan…

…he’d drive this Zastava 750 and be really cool and prompt a luxury car brand to buy the rights to it and make a remake that would be featured in blockbuster Hollywood movies, driven by good robbers and smart blonde’s (go figure), and cost as much as a full car for only half the leg room and support the whole economy of Serbia, but alas, he is from that little island that sings to a queen and drives a car who’s name even makes reference to it’s tininess, what a bean-head.

This proud car was once the ‘people’s car of Yugoslavia’, now it is the only car you are still legally allowed to drive fully intoxicated and if all your driving points are gone…if you can get your grandma’s one to start (don’t worry you won’t go anywhere), though not something you would want to get stuck inside of with a full balder, not even the front seat.

This one is nicely restored and a nice paint job on it. There are not many left, at least not road-worthy in Slovenia unlike Bosnia and Serbia. I would love to have one one day before they are all gone, not that I’d ever fit driving in one but a great piece of automotive history from former yu go slav…eh…ah.

It is kind of like the bumble-bee theory, it does not know it can’t fly so it does, no, this is like people did not know cars could go more then 40 km/h and sit on a seat bigger then a thumbnail in the 60’s so they drove this 25 HP car and were still making them up untill 1985!

They say “freedom has no limits” and so I’m sure people were just happy to be on the road and own their own car, while passing up others on mules, but perhaps these designers should have had just a little bigger vision, like a convertible model or at least a sunroof so those of us more then 5 foot tall could enjoy driving it too – from the back seat.

This is how one guy drives (or should I say drags) his

This is how everyone else does.

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