The morning weather is as grim as the football was last night as we encounter torrential rain on our journey south.
Breakfast was nice but only a cold buffet which suits me.
Everyone is keen today and we are away by 09:20.
The drive today is spectacular all the way but I do wish the rain would stop and the clouds lift although the misty clouds hugging the mountains are very enchanting and atmospheric.
I will need fuel today so stop after about 45 minutes to fill up. I also need to top up my GO-Box. This is the Austrian toll system which we pay for much like a pay as you go mobile phone. My credit is low and needs toppin g up. The garage doesn’t offer this service which I am surprised at and now means I need another stop.
I stop at the next service area and queue in the garage shop only to be told when I reach the counter that I have to go to the restaurant to pay!
I walk across the car park to the restaurant shop to pay and as I hand over my visa card am told I can’t pay with a card and it must be cash. I didn’t have that amount of Euro’s on me so explained to the man that this is the second garage I have stopped at and I am not stopping again! He is sorry but it is the machine not him that has the problem.
After plenty of head shaking and moaning on my part he somehow takes the payment using my card!! I don’t know either!
The rain has now stopped and it is warming up as we cross the border into Slovenia and head for Lake Bled where we shall be stopping for lunch.
I had planned to arrive in Bled at midday so am not too unhappy about arriving at 12:15 after missing the turning for the coach park!
It is sunny and cloudy but extremely hot as I go for stroll by this most gorgeous of lakes.
There is something magical about lakes lying at the foot of mountains and Bled is no different. You could make a very strong argument for this being the prettiest lake of them all.
Enchanting.
We are leaving here at 14:15 and I have called the hotel in Opatija to say we shall arrive by about 17:00.
We have a clear drive through to the Croatian border where everyone is chuffed that a Croatian Policeman boards the coach and stamps their passports!
We have to use a different type of waybill for travelling to non Euro countries and I was a little apprehensive as it is not something we do very often and was concerned I had filled it in correctly.
My waybill is examined, stamped and handed back to me by a smiling customs guard. In fact all of the police and customs people were happy and seemed pleased to welcome us. Please take note London airports and Calais!!
We arrive at our hotel, the Milenij Grand Hotel 4 Opatijska Cvijela! Now that’s a mouthful! It basically means Grand hotel 4 flowers.
The area is renowned for its flora and our hotel is made up of four buildings all bearing the name of a flower. We are in the main building Clematis.
It is very tight reversing to the main entrance and is something I won’t repeat until we load cases to depart. For our excursions I will pick up in the main road.
The first person I see at reception is a young lady and she is wearing an Italian football shirt! Is she having a pop or something?!
All of the staff are wearing Euro 2012 team shirts and it is just our bad luck to be served by somebody wearing an Italian shirt and her mate in a German shirt!
Anyway they are all very efficient and we are soon unloaded and cases and people are in their rooms.
Dinner is a buffet and is open between 18:00 and 22:00 and you can eat individually at any time you wish. I like this idea but I know some of the group would prefer to all come down together at a set time. They will soon sort it out and can always arrange to eat together.
Because this is the first night I have said we shall all meet at 19:00 and take it from there.
Once I leave the hotel I follow the car park man in his little van to the coach park about 3 miles away, pay him 1200 Kuna (about £125) and then grab a lift back to the hotel.
Am very pleased to find I have been given a nice room overlooking the sea with a balcony which is great because I spend quite a lot of time in my room working and can now do it while looking at the sea and sitting outside.
I enjoy a £2.30 pint before we all have dinner.
After dinner there is a storm threatening so I have a short walk to the harbour for a beer before bed.
Am pleased to be here as this is one of my favourite places we visit.
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