Wednesday, July 30 … Today we checked out of the Delphin Hotel in Porec, and made our way towards Zagreb.  After driving for about three hours we stopped in the costal town of Opatija for a walk along the waterfront as well for a a bite to eat.

We arrived in Zagreb in the late afternoon.  After checking into the hotel everyone was anxious to go for a walk to the central square one more time.  In the evening we had a farewell dinner at the hotel restaurant.  Anita and Srdan (tour agency) presented each of the travellers with a  souvenir of Zagreb as a keepsake.  In return, Selo thanked them for their efforts and diligence in helping us plan the trip.

As a group, Selo also thanked our tour guide Martin, and as well our bus driver Josip.  Over the past couple weeks they have been with us 24/7 and have really become part of the Selo family.  Their presence on the trip, their professionalism, assistance, friendship and sense of humour really made our European trip extra special.  They definitely went above and beyond!!  We hope they will visit us in Canada one day very soon?!  Martin and Josip also expressed how much they enjoyed the last couple weeks with our Selo group, and presented each of the travellers with a souvenir.

Tomorrow we head back home to Manitoba.  Our plane departs Zagreb at 8:30AM.  This has truly been a trip with so many memorable experiences.  We have visited some very fascinating cities, learnt more about the incredible history of eastern Europe, made some life long friends and shared our love of dance at four very different performance opportunities.  

This trip will forever be apart of each of the travellers lives in a very special way.  We have been very blessed to have had this amazing experience … and to enjoy it as a group.

Having a hot chocolate in Opatija, Croatia.

Opatija ... a beautiful Mediterranean town.

Martin guides us down an amazing waterfront walkway.

What's everyone looking at .....

 ... Hannah finds a cute kitty!

Our last group picture along the Croatian coast before leaving Europe.

Tomorrow we depart from Zagreb.

Tuesday, July 29 ... this was a relaxing day.  In the morning some of the group chose to go to the town of Rovinj and visit the markets, and a few decided to stay back at the hotel and enjoy the amenities the resort had to offer.

Rovinj is a small town about 40 minutes south of our hotel.  The character of the town is a combination of Croatian hospitality along with the look and feel of Venice, Italy ... with narrow walkways and old time Mediterranean architecture.

During the afternoon everyone just relaxed by the pool, or took a dip in the sea.  In the late evening we had another unique performance opportunity.  The dancers performed on the terrace of the hotel pool along with other local entertainers.  Hundreds of hotel guests watched the show either from their candle-lit poolside tables, or from the multi-level terraces that over look the pool area, or from the balconies of their rooms that also overlook the pool.  It was a magical scene ... the pool area was beautifully lit up and in the distance the waves of the Adriatic Sea could be heard splashing up on shore.

The dancers first performed their Volyn dance which brought on a loud round of applause.  At the end of the show the dancers returned to perform Hopak.  The audience gave the dancers a very genuine, enthusiastic ovation.  Many of the comments after the show gave us the impression that a lot of the European onlookers had never seen Ukrainian dancing before.  They were authentically impressed that a folklore group had travelled all the way from Canada to perform for them.

Tomorrow we leave the beautiful coast of Croatia and head inland to Zagreb (capital city of Croatia).

A group of dancers visit the seaside town of Rovinj.

The Peper gals taking to the cobblestone streets in Rovinj.

Veronica, Bonnie & Julie taking a pic of the bells, high atop the town bell tower.

A view of Rovinj, Croatia along the Adriatic Sea from the bell tower.

Emily, Anastasia and Veronica find one more souvenir to buy at one of the shops 

along the narrow lanes.

Mediterranean splendor.

A quick rehearsal on the lawn before the show.

The stage is set! ... for our poolside performance at the resort.

The girls are ready to perform Volyn!

A very unique opportunity to perform poolside.

Don't fall in!

Proud parents with front row seats along the pool cheer on the dancers.

Also joining the parents are Martin (our guide) and Josip (our driver).

Hundreds of onlookers along the pool, watching from the multi-level terraces, and as well, from the balconies in the rooms.

The crowd went crazy during Hopak!

A double lift-spin during the encore.

Proud to be Ukrainian Canadian!!

The dancers presented Canadian pins to people in the audience after the show.

Hannah met a couple from Ukraine that were so proud to see their cherished culture on display by a group of young Canadians.

Lexie & Hannah cool off after the show by grabbing a 'window seat' in their hotel room!

Monday, July 28 …  This will be a day to remember! We loaded the bus at 6:00AM for a 40 minute drive down the coast to the town of Rovinj.  It’s a town like you see on a postcard of a Mediterranean village.  The old buildings are colourful with clay tile roofs and all the windows have shutters with floral window boxes.  As we walk down the narrow cobblestone streets to the port where we will load the boat, shop owners are emerging to set up their markets and cafes.

For our trip to Venice we go through border crossing stations in Croatia, as well as, in Italy.  The boat trip takes about 2.5 hours across the Adriatic Sea (which was very calm for our trip there and back).  Once in Venice, we become one of the over 50 million people that will visit here in a year …. that’s about 1 million people per week!  We quickly realize why this is one of the most visited cities in the world … it’s extraordinarily unique.  A city with no road ways … only walkways and canals.

Martin takes us through a labyrinth of walkways, over small bridges, passing hundreds of little shops, before we arrive at St. Marco Square.  There are thousands of people, more shops, market stands, St. Marco Basilica, and as well cafes with live musicians.  We made our way through the crowds a little farther and arrive at Realto Bridge ... the largest bridge, over the main canal.

At the base of the Realto Bridge we rent gondolas.  The boats are 11 meters long and about 1.5 meter wide, and diligently kept in immaculate condition.  The charismatic gondoliers expertly guide us through the peaceful canals around Venice.  There aren’t really words to describe it the experience.  For a moment we are in ‘the postcard’.   For many, the gondola ride will be one of the top travel experiences of their life.

The rest of the afternoon we shop, eat and try not to get lost in the maze of narrow walkways amongst the tens of thousands of people. In early evening we board our boat back to Rovinj where our bus awaits us to take us back to the hotel for a late supper.  

After dinner, a few of the dancers go for a moonlight swim in the sea.  The parents relax on the shore sipping on European blueberry wine and liqueur.  What a day!

Having a breakfast snack by the docks in Rovinj at 6:00AM..

Walking to the dock where we catch our boat to Venice ... the markets are getting ready for the day.

On the upper deck of our boat.  Emily reminds us of our exciting destination!

St. Marco Square in Venice. Thousands of people ... and pigeons!

Selo arrives in Venice, Italy!

Realto Bridge spanning the largest canal in Venice.

On a gondola cruising the canals in Venice .... are you kidding me?!!

The Peper family and Brett enjoying a tranquil float down a canal.

The Pelepiuk family, Veronica and Anastasia stepping out of an experience they will never forget!

Definitely ... the high-lite of the day was the gondola ride through the canals of Venice.

'Lady Veronica' found the perfect hat to help stay out of the scorching sun.

Danika and Lukas found some matching cranial adornment!

On the boat heading back to Rovinj ... the Pelepiuks are all smiles after a great day in Venice.

Venice makes the smiles infectious!

Sunday, July 27 … We checked out of our hotel in Vienna, loaded the bus with all our cargo and headed southwest for the country of Slovenia.  As our trip proceeds our cargo is increasing with all the personal souvenirs that are slowly accumulating!!

Slovenia is absolutely beautiful with picturesque villages, situated in lush valleys, nestled in the foothills of the Alps.  Cameras shutters were clicking on the bus as we tried to capture these images through the windows of the bus.  The winding highway takes us over mountains, down into the valleys, and through many tunnels.  After about four hours of travel we stop for lunch in the capital city of Ljubljana.  Martin gave us a brief city tour and then we had a couple hours of free time.  Like most of the cities and village we have visited, Ljubljana has many markets, shops and cafes. 

After a few more hours of driving we arrive in the Istria region of Croatia.  On one side of the road we can see the Adriatic Sea in the distance, and on the other side there are grapes hanging from vines in the vineyards, and as well, rows and rows of olive tree crops.  The Mediterranean landscape is a lot different from Manitoba!

It’s already early evening when Josep, our trusty driver, drops us off for our safe arrival at the Delphin Hotel and Resort.  We check in, have supper, and then take a walk along the shores of the Adriatic Sea to catch a Mediterranean sunset.  Tomorrow we have a very early start for a day trip, across the sea, to Venice, Italy!

An impressive Slovenian village in a valley of the Alps Mountain range.

We stop for lunch in the capital city of Slovenia ... Ljubljana.

A canal runs through the centre of the city.

Panoramic scan of Ljubljana.

A view across the Adriatic Sea from the shores of our hotel.

Saturday, July 26 .... We loaded the bus for a day trip to Bratislava, the capital city of Slovakia. Bratislava is a pretty city located along the Danube River, just inside the Slovakian international border.  Martin gave us a brief city tour and then we had free time to explore the shops and cafes.

When we arrived back at our hotel, we prepared for a visit to the only Ukrainian Catholic church in Vienna … St. Barbara.  It is the oldest Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church on the western side of the former Iron Curtain.  It was established in 1783 by the Austrian Emperor Josef II.  We were greeted by Father Sergiy who explained to us a little about the parish life, and as well, about the church building.  We then participated in a vesper service with the small congregation.  During our visit to the church we met Daniel, who was originally from Ottawa.  He was in the seminary in Ottawa, and is now living in Vienna and attending St. Barbara.

After the church service the dancers, who were already in their Volyn costumes, walked to the nearby Vienna Central Square.  Here we organized ourselves and performed our popular Volyn Dance .. in a FLASH MOB! … near St. Stephen's Cathedral!!  Hundreds of curious onlookers gathered to take in the performance.  The dancers received very encouraging rounds of applause during the dance.  Tourists from around the world … China, Australia and Ukraine (to name a few) … were anxious to have their picture taken with the dancers in their colourful Volyn costumes.  An incredible experience!

Later that evening, we spent our last night in Vienna by strolling down a street near our hotel that was full of shops and restaurants.  We enjoyed some window shopping and a late night supper.  Tomorrow we head for Slovenia and Croatia.

Arriving in Bratislava, Slovakia across a suspension bridge with a revolving restaurant atop.

Visiting the markets in Brataslava.

Emily and Scott walking to the Central Square in Brataslava.

Brataslava has very picturesque, narrow, cobblestone streets lined with historic buildings.

Lexie poses with a 'live' statue!

Emily flashes a smile as we gather in the hotel lobby for our visit to the Ukrainian church, and as well, a performance.

Selo Ukrainian Dancers visit St. Barbara Church ... the oldest Ukrainian Catholic Church west of the former Iron Curtain.

Father Sergiy greets the dance group in front of the elaborate iconostas.

Selo joined the small congregation for a vesper service.

The dancers make their way to Vienna's central square. 

The dancers, dressed in full folklore costume, walking the streets of Vienna, aroused a lot of curiosity from onlookers!

Hmmm .... this looks like a good spot to kick up our heels!

OMG! .... Selo does a FLASH MOB at Vienna's Central Square near St. Stephen's Cathedral!!

Curious onlookers start to gather by the hundreds!

Camera's are flashing! ... people are cheering! ... the enthusiasm of the dancers brings the ever growing crowd to quite an ovation!! 

A few tears of pride are seen in the eyes of the dancers' parents.

Once in a lifetime experience!

(Check back to this blog in the coming days for a link to a YouTube clip of the event.)

Capturing the moment with a pose in front of St. Stephen's Cathedral.

Just as quickly as they arrived ... the dancers slip away from the flash mob and await their bus for a ride back to the hotel.

What a way to end our last day in Vienna!

Tomorrow we head for the Istria region of Croatia, along the coast of the Adriatic Sea.