Tag: Water

Lokrum Island and the Iron Throne

Peacocks and the Iron Throne – all in one location!

During our stay in Dubrovnik, our bedroom window looked out across the sea towards Lokrum Island. Every morning we would wake to the ships passing by, taking visitors to and from the island. Although the island looked fairly small, our Croatian host had told us tales of peacock inhabitants and Game of Thrones scenery, making us curious and eager to explore.

Lokrum is an island nature reserve, around 15 minutes away from the Dubrovnik coast. Boat rides run regularly throughout the day and cost around 35HRK, which also includes entrance to the island.

As we were visiting in Autumn, the weather was a little hit and miss, so we waited for a sunny day and headed off to the boat. Visiting in Autumn did us a huge favour, as the boat was only about three quarters full, giving us room to spread out. The motion of the boat and the sun reflecting off the deep blue waters made for a stunning ride.

There are no overnight stays allowed on Lokrum and cars are also banned, so the first thing that struck us when we got off the boat was just how quiet it is! The second thing we noticed was the abundance of the island’s only inhabitants – the peacocks! Introduced to the island around 150 years ago, these stunning birds now rule the roost. There is something quite majestic about them and the colours they display are captivating. Just be sure to follow the usual rules of photographing / observing wildlife – don’t get too close or you might find that they take a snap at you!

Exploring, we stuck to the coastal path, which took us most of the way round the island. The views were stunning, made even more impressive by the sparkling sea surrounding us. Having this nature reserve on your door step must be amazing for people living in Dubrovnik – no wonder people were really proud of it. It was immaculate and felt just the right mix of natural and well maintained.

Nearer to the centre of the island sat the Monastery, with elements remaining from a number of eras, it was fitting to its surroundings, tucked away in exotic gardens and plants. Inside the monastery, more information on the island’s history was available, including the telling of the curse on the island, placed by the Benedictine Monks who were forced to leave by the French army. Legend says that on their last night, they walked single file around the island three times, dripping wax from their up-turned candles, placing a curse on anyone who tried to seek the island for their own in the future.

A more modern exhibit in the monastery focused on Game of Thrones. The botanical gardens on Lokrum and parts of the monastery were used for the city of Qarth in the show. A full sized Iron Chair stood in the corner of the exhibit for visitors to sit in and take pictures. Given that Wandering Beeb is a big fan of the show, we took some time there for him to play at being Ned Stark (at least it wasn’t Geoffrey!!).

Although it was used as a set for one of the most famous shows of this decade, it was still the beauty of the island itself that stole my attention. Without a doubt, it’s a stunning place to visit. I’d love to go back in the summer and try out the Red Sea pool – it was a little too cold for this when we went!

Have you visited Lokrum? What was your favourite part of the island?

We Found Water in a Deserted Place

The drive into Zion had been beauty of a different kind compared to our other stops. Twisting roads and reddish rock encased us as we wound our way into the canyon.

Our first stop in Zion was to the Watchman Campground to set up our gear. That was easier said than done. You’d think that as seasoned campers, we would know how it’s done and have everything we need. Nope! What we hadn’t realised was that the campsites in Zion are on a rocky surface, not flat forest ground. This is probably to try and deter critters and ants from seeing the tent as a new home, however it also meant that we had no place to secure our tent pegs. This was our first obstacle, but certainly not our last. Having secured the tent as best we could (think bags and rocks weighing down the corners), two of us set off for the local shop for supplies whilst two stayed behind to work on the tent.

Arriving at the shop, we found it mostly empty. The shopkeeper (almost certainly an extra from some B movie horror) told us ominously that a storm was coming and that we should make sure that we were safely under shelter when it hit. We were a little naive at this point – the skies were still blue and not a drop of rain in sight! We meandered around the shop, picking up supplies and slowly but surely the day started to darken. By the time we left the shop, we were sprinting to the car, soaked through as the rain ran in rivers down the road, filling the storm gulley to the brim.

Meanwhile, back in the tent, the rain was battering the sides, making our temporary home even more precariously weighted down than it was to start with! These floods and high winds hit sporadically throughout the time we were there, often in the middle of the night, leaving us holding on to the tent poles to make sure that we didn’t blow away! They often lasted little more than an hour or so and were in massive contrast to the scorching sunshine we experienced throughout the day. It was actually that hot that our air beds curved with the heat!

One of our day hikes took us out to the Emerald Pools and waterfalls. You’d think that somewhere like Zion, full of rock and dust, wouldn’t be the best place for waterfalls but you’d be wrong! Upper, Middle and Lower Emerald Pools are all accessible from near the Grotto Picnic area. It was a boiling hot day and although the hike was very warm, it was well worth it for the sights – although the water wasn’t very Emerald in colour on our visit, instead it was coloured a reddish brown from the rock.

The most exciting part of the hike for me was the trail around Lower Pools which actually lets you walk underneath the waterfall. We went in late summer and so the flow wasn’t too strong, more of a light mist pouring over the ledge above us, dusting us with cool water that was refreshing against the relentless hot sun. I’d imagine that in winter this would be a very different experience! We spent quite a bit of time here, taking in the sights and snapping photos under the waterfall in an awe-filled silence. The various colours of the rock provided an stunning backdrop and there was something otherworldly about being behind the fall of the waterfall.

The pathway past the lower falls curved back on itself, winding upwards towards the Middle Pools which provided a good view of the path of the water as it fell down to the ledge below. The source of the water, Upper Falls, opened out to a huge pool, surrounded by some shady spots – a beautiful place to stop for lunch! The views looking out over the valley are amazing, made all the more picturesque by the mix of colours in the red rock, deep water pools and patches of green trees.

This was a fairly easy hike. It’s always useful to have good sturdy shoes for hiking rocky pathways (particularly with good ankle support) to avoid twists and sprains. We also saw a couple of snakes and lizards on the pathways and so the extra height on my shoes made me feel a bit more able to avoid them as I walked!

Another one of our hikes took us out to the Narrows. This is the narrowest part of Zion Canyon and offers a few different options for hikers. The start of the Narrows is accessible from a fairly smooth hiking path – the Riverside Walk. This takes you as far as the river, which more adventurous hikers might want to follow to travel further into the Narrows, although permits are needed for progressing past certain parts of the route. If you want to walk further than the paved section of the hike, you need to wade through the flow of the river – so good sturdy shoes, hiking poles and some dry socks for the way down are a must. It’s also really important to be good at navigating and reading weather conditions to make sure you are safe in the Narrows – many people have found themselves in difficulties in this area after experiencing flash floods, strong currents or getting lost.

When we arrived at this point, the water was up to our shins and fairly fast moving. Given that there was a very high risk of flash floods that day (and we’d already seen first hand how quickly a huge amount of rain could come down) and that we weren’t really prepped for hiking in water, we decided to not go much further than this, content with seeing the start of the winding caverns of the Narrows.

An Unexpected Favourite: Whistler, Canada

A quick stop in summer-time Whistler

Before we went on our most recent trip to Canada, many people told us that Whistler wasn’t as popular or beautiful as Banff and therefore we probably shouldn’t spend as long there, if we visited it at all. Seeing as we haven’t been before, we decided to build in a day’s stay at the little ski resort on our way through to our next big stop.

The journey from Vancouver was stunning, at every curve of the road there was something to see. Deep blue lakes with imposing mountings rising upwards to transform into snow-dusted peaks. If this was scenery that people thought we could miss, then they were missing the point!

Arriving at Whistler was a really nice surprise – the little complex is really well built, hiding amongst the scenery without impacting on the surrounding landscape. We were staying at Pan Pacific Whistler Mountain which was absolutely stunning – all wooden panelling and log fires!

The immediate area around the hotel was paved to create a meandering, circular complex, full of restaurants and shops. Although it was quite commercial (it’s going to be, the whole place is designed as a ski resort), it managed to be so well designed that you almost didn’t mind. A stream cut through the centre of the stone walkway, which broke up the run of shops and ensured that the natural draw of the mountain wasn’t forgotten.

We went in the summer, so there was no skiing on the mountain, however, that didn’t mean that it was quiet. In fact, the place was bustling, with biking and dirt trails replacing the snow and ski boots.

As we were only there for a short stay (just the one night), we went in search of a short trundle to see what Whistler had to offer. It was quite late in the afternoon and so we chose to head off down towards Lost Lake, a stunning lake in the middle of Lost Lake Park and only a short walk from the hotel.

Within minutes of leaving the village complex, the trees closed in, hugging the edge of the woodland trail. It was a beautiful walk, initially requiring us to cross over a roaring stream which was captivating to watch. We made sure to create noise and check our surroundings frequently as we were the only ones on the path and we didn’t want to unintentionally creep up on an unsuspecting bear! Being bitten alive by all of the mosquitoes helped to keep us shouting!

The lake itself was beautiful. The surrounding mountains created an imposing backdrop to the calm waters. What we hadn’t expected was the beach and grassy areas surrounding the lake. As it was summer, there were people playing ball games and chilling out on the sand. Its easy to imagine a very different picture in the winter when the lake freezes over and the beach is covered in snow! It would be nice to see it in winter to compare our experiences.

Leaving Vancouver, the people we shared our route with told us to expect places to get more commercial and expensive, the closer we got to Whistler, Jasper and Banff. This felt like almost counter-intuitive advice, given that we were heading away from the big cities and towards mountains and national parks. It did hold to be true, however, which was somewhat disappointing – we like our mountains and lakes to stay rural, not to be encompassed by a shopping street! That being said, Whistler integrated the shopping areas and natural beauty well. The design of the village was well thought out to ensure that the sight of the mountains towering across the skyline wasn’t lost.

Although we loved Whistler, it was still easily one of the most expensive places that we stayed on our trip. This was partly because we’d left it fairly late to book accommodation, but also because Whistler is a fairly expensive place generally. Obviously, if you are heading there in the winter to ski, some of the cost is unavoidable. If you aren’t bothered about skiing, consider visiting in the summer instead. Although it’s not classed as ‘off peak’, there are some better deals on hotels and with a great number of trails to explore, there are lots of cheap (or free!) things to do!

Did you find Whistler expensive or cheap? What are your tips for easing the costs when staying at this location? Tell us in the comments.

Fallen Leaf Lake, California

A first glimpse of the beauty of America’s National Parks

We arrived at the camp ground late. Really late. It was pitch black (that’s a recurring theme in our camping trips – we always seem to arrive in the dark!!) and we had no idea if we were in the right place. Our tent was put up by the headlights of the car. 

We were driving through from San Francisco to Yosemite. Our first time camping properly in the USA, we had stopped off to buy a tent and supplies. We ended up in Kmart, buying a ‘backyard’ tent and sleeping bags, one of which turned out to be child sized! Having only a couple of hours until we had to get up and continue the drive (not to mention being unable to see anything at all in the darkness), we crawled into our sleeping bags (those of us who could fit!) and got some much needed rest. 

As the morning broke, we discovered just how beautiful our temporary home was. As breakfast views go, the lake was stunning. Tired and bleary-eyed, we sat on the logs by the lake looking out at the vast expanse of trees lineing the shore. 

It was our first glance at the beauty hidden in America’s national parks and we were absolutely speechless.