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6 July 2023 - Drive from Rab to Rovinj, Croatia
There were 2 possible routes from Rab to Rovinj. They would take about the same amount of time:
Return to the mainland on the ferry that we had come over on and then drive northwards up the coast to Rovinj.
Drive 20 minutes north to Lopar and take a 1.5 hour ferry ride to Valbiska on Krk Island. Then drive from Krk to Rovinj. Krk Island is now connected to the mainland by a bridge.
We decided on the second option as it meant less driving and we could also visit Krk Town, which is yet another historic Venetian town. See my blog "Krk Town, Croatia: Travel Guide".
When we reached Rovinj we were very pleased with the apartment we had booked. In the evening we wandered around Rovinj and had dinner there. Rovinj is an exceptionally nice old town and it was packed with tourists. See my blog "Rovinj & Pula, Croatia: Travel Guide"
7 July 2023 - Beach & Sighteeing in Rovinj
It is now hot every day and we drove over to the nearby Zlatni Rt Nature Reserve to swim and relax by the sea. It is a popular area, but we found a good shady spot to spend the day, swimming from the rocky coastline.
In the late afternoon we drove into Rovinj again to have a good look around and to have an evening meal. We are finding that restaurant meals in Croatia are no cheaper than in the U.K.. We like seafood but fish is quite expensive. We therefore usually have calamari which is better value.
8 July 2023 - Day Excursion to Pula, Croatia
Pula is a Roman town about 45 minutes' drive from Rovinj. The main site is the fairly well preserved Roman amphitheatre. Unfortunately they were constructing a stage and screen for summer shows that somewhat spoiled the experience. They do this all too often at historical sites and there is never a compensatory reduction in the entrance fee.
There are a number of other historical sites to see in Pula and we spent an enjoyable morning wandering around. See my blog "Rovinj & Pula, Croatia: Travel Guide"
9 July 2023 - Drive from Rovinj to the Dolomites, Italy
It was a 7 hour drive from Rovinj to Ortisei in the Italian Dolomites. This was the last week of our holiday and I had booked 6 nights in Ortisei so we could hike for 5 days. I had skied in the Dolomites in 2017 and 2018 and was so impressed with the scenery that I wanted to experience it in the summer time.
We were grateful to be driving northwards as the traffic going south was very congested. I believe the school holidays in Germany have now begun and families are now travelling to southern Europe.
Once we reached the Dolomites the mountain roads were a lot slower but the scenery was spectacular. The pictures below were taken on the final section of our journey through the Dolomites.
10 July 2023 - Hiking in the Dolomites (Seceda)
The weather forecast was good for the first 2 days and it was important to take advantage of it. We walked into Ortisei to buy a hiking map and then to the nearby Ortisei-Furnes-Seceda cable car. This takes you just below the summit of Seceda mountain (2,518 metres) in 2 stages.
Unfortunately we had a late start and we didn't reach the summit until 10.30 a.m. By then it was far too busy for my liking. As the trail was narrow it was difficult to pass people and therefore slow going.
After an hour of walking the trail became a lot quieter and much more enjoyable. The scenery was spectacular. We walked to the Col Raiser cable car that descends to St. Christina and from there took a bus back to Ortisei.
See my blog "Hiking in Val Gardena, Dolomites" for full details of our hikes
We had pizza again for dinner. We are surprised by how few restaurants there are in Ortisei. We will probably eat at our apartment in future. It will be cheaper and it will avoid a steep 15 minute walk to our apartment.
11 July 2023 - Hiking in the Dolomites (Resciesa)
We decided to start hiking as early as possible today and reached the Ortisei to Resciesa funicular just before the publicised opening time of 09.00 a.m.. Frustratingly the opening time had been changed to 08.30 a.m. so we could have started even earlier.
Fortunately there were very few people and the funicular set off shortly after we arrived. Initially the mountains were obscured by low cloud or fog but it cleared after an hour.
It was another very good walk. We walked down to the Ortesei to Furnes cable way and took the gondola back to Ortisei. It was a hot day so we bought some drinks and ice cream there.
We had bought 6 day lift passes for Eur 135 each. We therefore decided to take advantage of them by taking the Alpe di Suisi cable car from Ortisei to Mont Seuc (2,005 metres). There is a fantastic view of Sassolungo from there. We walked for 1.5 hours on the plateau before returning to Ortisei.
12 July 2023 - Hiking in the Dolomites (Seceda)
The weather forecast for today wasn't good. Forecasts in the mountains are often unreliable and as it was dry when we woke up we decided to do a hike.
I had planned a walk near Sassolungo. That involved taking a bus to St. Christina and then a chairlift from there. Unfortunately it started to rain on the way to St. Christina. We sheltered in a building for over an hour waiting for the rain to stop but it never did! The rain just got heavier.
We therefore took the bus back to Ortisei and ate our sandwiches in our apartment. The rain stopped at midday and we decided to go up to Seceda to walk on some of the trails we hadn't already done.
The weather was fine in the afternoon and I wished that we had done a more challenging hike. With hindsight we should have had a relaxing morning in our apartment and then done a good hike in the afternoon.
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