Here we go again to a part of the world that's pretty much a mystery - the Dalmatian Coast.  Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea - pretty much the area that was the former country of Yugoslavia.  Add to that a visit to Greece - which at least seems familiar - and you have another wonderful trip filled with new adventures.

We flew from Columbia via Chicago to Frankfort, Germany and then to Ljubljana, Slovenia - the northernmost of the six republics that were once Yugoslavia.  (The others were Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Bosnia & Herzegovina.)  We travelled by bus to Bled, where we stayed for several days while touring around the countryside.

From Slovenia, we headed to Croatia - first to Zagreb and then on down to the coast.  At the port city of Split, we boarded a small ship and cruised our way south with stops along the way.   Other ports in Croatia included Dubrovnik, Hvar and Korcula.

After brief but fascinating stops in Montenegro and Albania, we were in Greece, with a stop in Corfu before leaving the ship in Athens.  We visited the Parthenon and lots of other archeological sites in Athens and took a day-trip to see the Temple of Apollo at Delphi.  We wrapped up our stay in Greece with a few beautiful days on the island of Crete before heading back home again.

On this trip we visited five countries, including eight UNESCO World Heriage Sites.  UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization) designates these sites as places on Earth that are of outstanding universal value to humanity and that should be protected for future generations to appreciate and enjoy. There currently are 911 natural and cultural places on the World Heritage List - for more information on this, go to http://whc.unesco.org/.

All in all, it was quite a trip - great scenery and enough Greek, Roman and Slavic history to make our heads spin.  We were blessed with good travelling companions and great guides - and hope you'll enjoy this latest chapter in our ongoing trips and travels....