Former Yugoslavia -- Croatian Coast

Dinaric Alps rising above a Croatian coastal town and the Adriatic Seat

I think that "Croatia" ought to mean "land of rock."  I plead ignorance to most of Croatia, since I only saw a very small area, but that is my limited impression.  Much of the coast is fronted by the Dinaric Alps, where cold conditions generate the potentially strong and dangerous Bora wind blowing from the mountains to the sea. The forested eastern side, scattered with rocks, provides a precarious existence to sparse populations of humans and their herds.  The sheer faces on the western, Adriatic side, ensure a limited amount of real estate to establish towns between the mountains and the sea.  The old cities boast rock as a basic building tool for streets, walls, and buildings.  Even Croatia's famous beaches are rocky.

Fleet of Croatian ferries

Croatia has grown from the neutral zone of the Cold War to a European playground on its beaches and islands.  Since we were there in the off-season, we weren't able to take advantage of the mighty fleet of ferry boats traversing the Croatian islands and mainland and connecting the country with Italy.  In fact, many of the tourist facilities don't operate until May or even June.  Nonetheless, the plethora of signs, not only in Croatian and English, but also in German and Italian, provided a hint at the yearly onslaught of German and Italian tourists in the height of summer, making us glad of the relative peace and calm of April, when we were surrounded mainly by Croatian tourists.  

Everything in Split is decked out
in the checkered colors of the
Hajduk soccer team

Centuries of war, appeasement, and rule by big the big empires (Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman, Yugoslav) ended with Croatia's declaration of independence in 1991.  A history of fierce ethnic antagonism, incomprehensible to most Westerners, seems to have given way, under Croatia's 2013 hard-fought acceptance into the EU, to fierce football (soccer) rivalries.

Accessible bathroom exists,
but past the flight of stairs

Despite EU membership, Croatia is still difficult for wheelchair users.  However, for those able to overcome toilet, sleeping, and cobblestone obstacles, the country offers well-preserved ancient cities, stunning natural wonders, amazing fresh fruit, and a wonderland of coastal recreation and relaxation.

Picnic on the rocky shores of the Dalmatian coast

The southern coast of Croatia is the ancient region of Dalmatia (yes, namesake of the dogs).  Hilly, curvy roads along the coast lead from the Montenegrin border to famed historical city of Dubrovnik, with vistas of offshore islands.  

Dubrovnik harb

My husband was excited about visiting Dubrovnik, because it was one of the settings for HBO's "Game of Thrones."  I was excited about Dubrovnik, because I was interested in its role in history.  Like Venice, across the water, the city of Dubrovnik is itself a museum, and it's hard to believe that anyone actually lives there (they do!).  Unfortunately, also like Venice, this great city has become overrun with tourists unloading from cruise ships, tour buses, etc.  

Rain and wind storm in
Dubrovnik

It is still possible to catch the magic of the city when the crowds are not there --- early mornings, evenings, rain.  Unfortunately, the storm that kept the tourists away also shut down the boat rides in the harbor and the cable car above the city. 

Dubrovnik harbor

I have heard that the cable car takes wheelchairs, and its and end station is accessible, but there is something difficult about the access to the lower station. If I ever go again, I would try the cable car.  I would also find an accessible boat or make it happen somehow to float past the walled city on the water.  The city itself is not completely accessible (many of the side alleys are narrow and have steps, and many alleys have high profile cobblestones), but the main street is surfaced with relatively flat and smooth stone tiles, and most cafes, bars, restaurants, and shops, as well as the harbor area, are accessible. One wheelchair travel website states that the walls may be accessible at the Ploce Gate, although I was not able to verify this, due to the storm.   I used a FreeWheel, which made it feasible to traverse even significant cobblestones. The city is so beautiful that it's worth a visit, even if parts of it are off limits.  Because of the storm, we spent our time in Dubrovnik walking around and eating.  Perfect activities for this city.

The grand staircase is obviously not accessible ... or shouldn't be.  We were eyeing it, and a group of tourists from Mexico offered to help carry me in the wheelchair up the stairs.  Game for adventure, I agreed, and they did.  But then they left!  Yes, I was stuck at the top of the stairs!  We finally found a small alley that wound back down to the level of the main city.  There were some steps, but Ted played hero, and we made it back down!

Dubrovnik alley

The biggest problem for wheelchairs was common to most of our Croatian (and Montenegrin) visit: the lack of accessible bathrooms inside the city.  There is one wheelchair accessible toilet adjoining the city, outside the Ploce gate.  Unfortunately, I found out about it too late to determine whether or not it was locked. The only other accessible bathroom I know of is the bathroom at the Dubrovnik airport, south of town. (see upcoming blog post for ideas on dealing with this problem).  

La Pad accessible beach

I have heard of only one wheelchair accessible lodging option in Dubrovnik -- the Radisson Blu.  According to "Trip Advisor," there are over 10 hotels in Dubrovnik with accessible rooms, but I don't know how accessible the hotels or rooms really are.  I know only that they are expensive.  We stayed at the much, much cheaper  L'Orangerie Luxury Hotel in the La Pad neighborhood. This complex of 2-3 bedroom apartments was accessible (level entry and elevator to upper floors), but the bed was impossible to transfer from (4" wide frame running along the outside of the mattress), and the path to the bathroom was far too narrow to be accessed by a wheelchair.  We circumvented these obstacles with super-human gymnastics, but I wouldn't recommend the lodging to wheelchair users.  Still, I would recommend the apartments to non wheelchair users and the La Pad neighborhood to all.  (I saw the Park Hotel near by; maybe it has accessible rooms?)  The neighborhood was complete with cafes, a supermarket, restaurants, an amusement fairway, a bakery, a bar, and a rocky beach.  The beach was criss-crossed with wood boardwalks like a tic-tac-toe board, making it very accessible for all. The beach complex included an outdoor bar and a water slide.  



Supposedly, Croatia has several accessible beaches, one of the most accessible being the Copacabana Beach near Dubrovnik.  We searched, but were not able to find it.   However, the websites showing accessible Croatian beaches are worthwhile for wheelchair users.

Fields and orchards north of Dubrovnik

The area north of Dubrovnik seems to be an agricultural paradise, similar to California's bread-basket valley.  As far as I could see, there were fields with plants and trees, and along the highway there were small stands selling oranges, strawberries, honey, figs, and nuts. 




Farther north, the flat fields give way to the rocks and coastal mountain range of the Dinaric Alps.  Cities perch, sometimes precariously, on the precious flat land between the rocky mountains and the Adriatic Sea.  

Makarska

About a third of the way up the Croatian coast lies the city of Makarska.  When we visited in the end of April, the city was busy preparing for the season and the onslaught of yachters, beach-goers, party-goers, and tourists who descend each summer.  Since we were there pre-season, we joined the Croatians walking the oceanfront promenade: well-dressed women pushing strollers and men in track suits wrangling leashed dogs. The flat, tiled path meandered along the coast, with rocky beaches and the yacht-filled harbor or the sea on one side and a line of cafes, bars, restaurants, and stores on the other.

Full moon from our room at
 Hotel Park in Makarska

We were lucky enough to visit during the full moon.  With a hotel room overlooking the sea, we had a direct view of the moonlight, accompanied by the sound of lapping waves.

In Makarska, we stayed at the Hotel Park, which I reserved for a great deal with the help of the front desk.  The hotel was super -- modern, clean, well-equipped, right on the promenade, with rooms and glass elevators looking out to the sea, and a huge breakfast buffet.  The room was accessible, and so was the bathroom, which was large, with no threshold for the shower, and with a toilet that had attached movable grab bars on each side.

These cows would NOT move

Biokovo mountains and road

For excitement, we drove up the coastal mountains to the Biokovo Nature Park.  Driving along narrow winding mountain roads which dropped off as steep, sheer cliffs, we passed a herd of obstinate guard cows and were treated to views of the mountains, the sea below, summer shepherds' huts, and beautiful rocks.  We had to end our drive early, since the last part of the road was snowed under. 

Ruins in Split

Continuing up the coast, we spent a day in the town of Split.  The harbor is packed with yachts, tour boats, and ferries.  The harbor front promenade is lined with a series of cafes, bars, and restaurants.  The Old Town has more of the same, with the addition of many shops and residences.  We had a wonderful day of walking, sight-seeing, eating, and drinking.

Diocletian's Palace in Split

The big tourist draw is Diocletian's  Palace, built in the 4th century for the emperor's retirement.  After the Emperor's death, the palace became a sanctuary for fleeing refugees, and then a residence for city-dwellers.  It is now mainly a tourist attraction, and a movie set (the basement in the above photo housed the dragons in the HBO Game of Thrones series). 

Split Harbor Promenade

The harbor front promenade is flat and accessible, as are most of the restaurants, bars, and cafes that are connected to it.   The Old Town is mostly flat, with a level tiled main street, only a few stairs and even a few ramps.  Of course, the buildings and streets are made of stone, so the FreeWheel was handy once off the flat tiles of the main street.  The upper palace and the basement (fee) are accessible if you find the right entrance.  There is even an accessible bathroom.  The sign points, ironically, to a staircase, but the bathroom can also be reached via an unsigned winding alley.  I know that you can get to and into it, but the attendant outside would not let me go inside to look without paying, and I didn't have the cash for research.

Split Old Town (with ramps)

Split main street

Peka dinner at Anin Dvor

I don't know about accessible lodging in Split, although I've heard that there is an accessible (and expensive) Radisson Blu there, as in Dubrovnik.  We stayed at an AirBnB in Trogir, which is a small town on the water a little bit north of Split. Villa Anela, where we stayed, was not formally accessible. However, I managed to get in and out of the ground-floor apartment with assistance, and there was a ground-level bedroom and bathroom.  The villa was nice, low-key, with a big outdoor patio and table, large yard, and a friendly dog-kitty pair that entertained the girls.  The owners were friendly, helpful, and offered a traditional Croatian "peka" dinner at their family's cabin, Anin Dvor.  As the trip reports stated, the dinner evening was a highlight of our trip, and I recommend it even if not staying at the villa.  The multi-course meal featured traditional open-fire grilling and the family's harvests of wine, olive oil, carob flour, etc.

The old town of Trogir is worth a visit in its own right, but beware of cobblestones!  We walked into town and ate dinner there, but we didn't have much time, so I don't know much about the town.

Krka Falls

The most famous park in Croatia is probably Plitvice National Park in the interior of the country.  It's reputation is based on its gorgeous waterfalls.  However, visiting it requires a long journey inland, so we didn't.  We stopped instead at Krka National Park on the way up the coast.  Not having been to Plitvice, I can't compare them.  However, I can say that Krka us absolutely gorgeous.  In the beginning, the hike is completely on boardwalks over lakes, springs, rivers, streams, rapids, and waterfalls.  Our walk was accompanied by birds singing, and the infrequent appearance of snakes, dragon flies, and frogs.  When the hike continues down steps, there is an option to take a gravel road down to the bottom, where one encounters a zoo of humanity and concessions, as well as large, picturesque waterfalls.  

Boardwalk in Krka Falls Park

Starting at the Lozovac Entrance ,we travelled to the boardwalks on a large tour bus, with a wheelchair lift.  We exited the park to the Skradin Entrance via a small tour boat with a willing and experienced staff, who lifted me in the wheelchair.  Luckily, Ted ran back uphill to drive the car from our original Lozovac parking lot to pick us up at a city park near the boat dock at Skradin.  The only bad thing was the crowds.  Our hike over the boardwalks was practically bumper-to-bumper people, and the waterfall area below was swarming.  It would definitely be worth it to time this visit before or after the tour buses and their hordes.

Rovinj

Hilly street in Rovinj

Lower streets of Rovinj

Our final stop in Croatia was the seaside town of Rovinj, on the Istrian Peninsula in the north of the country.  With its history and proximity, the culture, language, and feeling on the peninsula was as much Italian as Croatian.  The city was old, with cobblestone streets leading up to a church with a view over the Adriatic Sea.  The houses on the edge of town extended down into the sea, with front steps level with the water.  

Houses coming down to the water in Rovinj

A market offered produce and tourist goods down below.  The town was filled with indoor and outdoor restaurants, cafes, and bars.  The narrow streets were lined with colorful buildings, art galleries and shops. 

Accessible toilet in Rovinj

Most of the streets were possible for wheelchairs, although some had infrequent single steps. There was one route without steps up to the church (which had a ramp to the inside, although there were steps up to the ramp). There was handicapped parking and wheelchair toilets at the top, but the toilets were locked.  Amazingly, there was actually one paid accessible bathroom near the marketplace and one in the adjacent paid parking lot.

Amarin Resort

Coastal pathway at Amarin Resort

We stayed at the nearby Amarin Resort, which had a view of Rovinj and a paved coastal trail. The Resort offered RV spaces, tent camping (tents provided) (wheelchair accessible toilets), villas, or hotel-apartments.  During the season, which starts June 1, guests could utilize a restaurant, grill, pizzeria, bakery, market, ice cream shop, numerous sports and water sports rentals, boat excursions to neighboring islands, and a water taxi to Rovinj. There were paved trails leading to ground-level accessible units, with roll-in showers, a good sink and angled mirror, and toilet bars; however the grounds and trails were on steep hills, and the toilet bar pulled down on the near side, blocking access.  

War monument, Rovinj (the only communist display I saw in the whole trip)

I left Croatia exhausted from dealing with the lack of accessibility in lodging and bathrooms.  I couldn't have made it without serious assistance, and, even then, it was exhausting. I also was extremely happy I had the chance to visit some of the Croatian coast, coastal cities, and parks. And I will always remember the oranges and strawberries!

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SeaTac Inbox x jnn.schmitz@gmail.com 1:31 PM (0 minutes ago) to me SeaTac Waited forever for female assist Then got worlds most thorough trainee and trainer Neither one knew what leg bag was, so I explained out. Neither knew what too doo with it. Eventually, with my help, they figured it out. Norwegian chose it because supposed to have wheelchair accessible lavatories Despite four calls, nobody knew where it was and nobody emailed us back as promised Even aft the airport, they didn't know which lavatory was wheelchair accessible Front desk saidps we were given seats near a lavatory, but didn't know if it was wc accessible. Seats were aisle 12, eas near lavatory. They had more leg room r than behind its But the lavatory was not accessible Ted walked around and found the accessible lavatories. Two together that the wall between them was could collapse down and makle one . Double sized. Temporary. Aisle 27 Said there was an on board aisle chair Never used it, because wheelchair lavatory was so far back. Brought a container with a lid and Ted quietly emptied muy naff and captured the container ti dump it in the lavatory several times. Didn't drink much, since I wasn't sure if it was working. Think I was actually really dehydrated. Took my wc to the plane. No aisle chair t he ere, as promised, so we had too take my wc on board and then Ted carried me two aisles back. Took my wc, the commode wc, and a bag of mobility etc parts for free Took the commode wc to oversized luggage th check in At landing, they brought my wc into the plane, but no  aisle chair. So, in reverse, Ted had to carry me up two aisles to where my wheelchair was.  Gatwick connects Best thing was getting priority security, so,i we didn't wait in line. Also, they took our big bags, so we didn't have to carry them Easy jet Even though I told them about my wheelchair and inability to climb straits on the online reservation form, they had nothing ready for me for boarding, and the plane was parked on the tarmac, so boarding required clinching about twenty steps. So I held up everyone else, but they finally got a bus that elevated the back, letting the WC or at the height of the plane. No accessible lavatory, which we expected. At the end, I took another elevator-bus to get down Split airport We were greeted by someone who whisked us past the line and straight through passport control. No accessible bathroom inside baggage claim, but an accessible family bathroom outside customs. Sixt car rental right there Makarska hotel park. Found via booking. Com and helped and confirmed and for good p price four accessible reservation via Branka at front desk. Hotel right on flat, low tile walkway, along Adriatic Sea. On non-sea side were lots of cafe-n bars, some restaurants, some souvenir carts . In the path were lots off well dressed women put pushing strollers, dogs on leash, and men in track suits. Inn the other side was beach and sea, giving way to bay.  Lots off Croatian tourists Hotel had restaurant with fairly ok food and good, Huge breakfast buffet. Fairly quiet fiirst two nights, then bus load of Germans.  Season starts may 1, so,i getting stuff ready all over. All signs in Croatian, English, German, and Italian Beautiful hotel. Clean. Glass elevators looking it too sea. Accessible room and bathroom, which was large, no threshold shooter, toilet with attached movable grab bars on each side Hung out. Walked along sea promenade. Slept. Biokovo mountain park tour drive. Didn't get to do last part, because road was snowed under. All very steep and narrow. Beautiful rocks Drive to Montenegro. Lots of curves,  Accessible bathroom at Dubrovnik airport. Dalmatian and Montenegro Catheter and bag, because no accessible bathrooms Third wheel for cobblestones Igalo spa near Adriatic Sea and paved walkway Huge... Over 1000 guests possible Former Sanitarium specially for arthritis and neurological disorders Most guest on totes from Scandinavia , Holland.. Some from Germany, Russia, Croatia, Most come for 2-3 weeks of treatments Long list of possible treatments. Must see doctor first. Doctor on site  Robes and slippers available. Many people sunbathing on roof and walking around in dining room in robes, even though signs say don't. Big coffee bar and bar and lounge on one, treatment floor Felt communist They keep your passports the whole time you're there Key cubicles beguiling reception Dekh desk sports center in basement (basketball gym and ping ping table by reservation only) and both up lots of stairs Bowling lanes in basement, o out of order Swimming pool in basement, but no water Swimming pool on roof outside, but was recently destroyed in wind storm dentist stuff on one. Floor  Excursions  Can choose tomb, tin with breakfast. Half pension, full pension. Meals are buffet. Bad. You are assigned a table, which you must use each meal Rooms are half old (stuffy, dark, narrow bathrooms with narrow doors, no grab bars, bathtub with shower inside). Half are new, (more airy, big square bathroom, no threshold for shower). Neither had grab bars and both had does you the bathroom whom were barely wide enough for a wheelchair, especially because entry was from a narrow hallway We were given an old room with a new bathroom, For the shower. But it had no grab bars or wife access anyway, we choose to move to an old room an old bath room with tub. Asst least it was more airy, had trees and birds singing outside, no carpet, small balcony. Still had bathtub etc. Hard but possible to get from hall to bathroom. Hard to get up from toilet.. Used commode chair instead of toilet. It was near Greg s apartment with af great balcony overlook bay of Kotor.  Don't know why they didn't give it's a new room and bathroom in that new wing. Maybe they were already booked. But I reserved 2-3 months early. But maybe the tour groups reserved even earlier. ????. They ere much better but still had narrow doors and no grab bars. Floors seemed original, cracked  Drive around bay of Kotor. Stop in town of Kotor, where we walked around and ate. Didn't duo walls. Ate next too sea in cold in some small town's. Took ferry back from ????. Roads were narrow. Lots of pulling over. Some backing up. One took forever since one car didn't cooperate, but usually they worked together. Neum corridor 30 km Signs of direction and distance to cities had been in Cyrillic and Roman alphabets. But here the Cyrillic was white ed out  Kotor No wc accessible bathrooms ... Steps and narrow doors and small stalls and no bars  Walk around and above city ous not possible due to steps Beautiful old town, l less crowded than Dubrovnik, streets mostly flat, all streets and buildings, made off stone Cats all over, mostly healthy looking Dubrovnik old town in some ways, not accessible but beautiful Reminded me of Venice, museum city. Used third wheel.  Ask building and streets made of rock. Main Street was smooth and no steps. Side alleys were more narrow couldn't find any wc accessible bathrooms anywhere, but read that there was one one outside the ploce gate. Don't know out it was unlocked. City walks not accessible Stairs not accessible Grand staircase not accessible. Mexican group of guys helped us carry wc up Grand staircase, but then they left, and we eye stuck. Finally found winding alley down, some steps, but Ted was a hero and it was possible Main streets, some alleys, most cafes, and harbour area are all possible Beautiful, so worth it even for partial tour. Heard that cable car and end station for hill above city takes Wc s and is accessible, but there is something difficult about the access too the lower station. Didn't have time to try it Next day was wind and rain storm, so could not doo cable car or harbor cruise, so,i don't know about them and accessibility Walked around, ate, braved wind and rain Dubrovnik La Pad neighborhood  Cafes, supermarket, bakery, beach complex right next to Park Hotel. Beach complex was wooded boardwalks like a tic tac toe board o over three stone beach. Bar near water and beach. Water slide closed  14th Trogir Near split on water Already forgot Bad sidewalks Cute old town Ate dinner Cobblestone streets Split  Harbor front promenade is completely accessible  Old Town is mostly flat,. Few stairs, some ramps Stone buildings and streets Palace upper and basement (fee) are accessible if you know how to get there Lots of cafes outside Wheelchair accessible bathroom near ??? Corner. Near stairs, but there is a winding alley way without steps, un signed. Can get into it, but don't know how it is inside. No key needed, since it's a party toilet where a person collects Mooney. First palace built by retiring emperor in 4 century. Then used by citizens from split and refugees from neighboring city of S? Who were attacked by.?? In?? Century. Rich liver upstairs in palace. Poor logged downstairs??. Or divided by ethic? Walked around palace, old town, and harbour Underground was where got filmed dragons Dinner at landlords cabin. Ancestors lived there. Now they just used it to cook for guests. Multi course Croatian meal centered on their own harvests of wine, olive oil, carob flour, and Croatian grilling, peca???. Yum!. Krka national park Waterfalls bus had ramp in muzzle and could take 2 wheelchairs Boat had ramp that seemed too steep and narrow, but somehow surly boat staff got me while in the chair in and out of the boat  below the big falls was a mass of tourism, snack bars, people, swimming hole, view point  Above was boardwalk (bumpy but no steps) through lots of lakes, cascades, smaller waterfalls. Some snakes, frogs, birds Boardwalk went down via stairs, or alternatively, straight gravel path with no steps. Best route it's too start at L? Entrance on top (which is full of tourists, buses, snack shops), and take bus to boardwalk, to gravel path, to bottom off big falls, to boat , to Skladin? Entrance. Means you need to shuttle car from L? Entrance somehow. How??? Walked through park on boardwalks past lovely pools and falls, ended up at big waterfall. Short on time 27.--think caught boat back. Slovenia At least two gas stations, and maybe all, have separate bathtoom for disabled (and for diaper changing, since they have a pull down shelf Clean Best toilet grab bars- one on each side that are high enough and come forward enough Need too get key from counter Bled  Ted Rented a rowboat at boat rental, then rowed todock to pick me up. Her somehow got me in good handholds Rowed to island and back Some got out at island to cliMB stairs and ring bell, rest paddled around May have been a way to get up too island plaza without stairs (path edge of island), and then into church. Did not go to Bled castle up on hill Ate cream cake at panorama cafe. Wheelchair WC at panorama cafe Path around lake is accessible. Read that a small part requires going on road Julian Alps Bike path along #202 from Jesenice Bike path from #202 to . Planice  Looked at Planice ski jumps . Some are for summer. Caves  Park in upper lot in front of hotel ??? With buses, otherwise long way around to avoid stairs Need collapsible frame to fit in tram (my rigid frame did fit but with effort,) Need power assist, because hills inside are long and very very steep. Perfect option would be wheelchair trailer available in Ljubljana  Paths ate smooth cement, wide enough for my chair ,(1-2 places may be trouble for woofer chair, mine is max width ???) Beautiful, huge cave Crazy Disneyland feel, crowds,. Buildings took train for km, then walked for km, then took train. All the time looking at this huge cave. Ljubljana Amazing for r wheelchairs Map of accessible Ljubljana available at tourist office in K??? Square Ljubljana by wheelchair app can be downloaded on phone. Limited places but just the fact that it exists is amazing. Wheelchair trailer, actually power assist font that attached too front, that makes manual wheelchair like battery scooter, available for a refundable deposit at tourist office in K?? Square Just got attachment in December and had only used it twice before me Took five of their staff plus us to figure out how to attach it. With the manual and Ted's tools, we finally got it. Five levels of speed. I never went higher than first. The office a set the maximum to be 50 k per hour. I think real max is 150 k l per hour. Super fast. Made inn Slovenia. Parked on hill by castle for free and took gondola down, which was free for wheelchair and one companion Walked around, ate, ice cream or cakes Went to market, bought souvenirs and strawberries Wheelchair bathrooms. Cameras or eu key or get key at office Disabled souvenir xxx ship Pedestrian zone Lots of cafes and bridges. Small pretty old town. Met guy in power chair Slovenian sare getting older Castle, wc bathroom,  funicular is accessible and free footer wheelchair user and one companion Piran Walked around old town and harbour promenade, took pictures at sunset by lighthouse, ate, spent one afternoon reading at cafe by sea Cobblestones One accessible bathroom, but it was locked. Public toilets next to it were distorting disgusting and tio small for wheelchair. Tourist office said they didn't have key and didn't know where to go. Went to hotel piran. Toilets were without steps. But there was no accessible toilet. Narrow does, small stalls, no bars. So Ted carried new. Again. Potoroz Very busy and touristy Waterfront walk and beaches... Sand even, brought in Kakau cafe for amazing cakes etc Salt pans  Northern part, Lera, was wc accessible. Walked along wide gravel path about one mile to visitor's center, looking or at Salt pans. Salt harvesting season is in the summer, so there wasn't much happening. Some birds, but not as many as I'd expected. Visitor center movie was ok but didn't answer many questions, so I asked at gift shop on way back. Salt pans are in national park, but owned/leased by private salt company. In turn, it rents one salt pan to one person for one year, and they sell their salt to the company. It's very hot in summer  Dom paraplegicov Wonderful find. Hope they make it. Long ago, it was a factory vacation place for workers asst a metal fence company, under communism. Then it was a place for paraplegics to get treatments and rehab. Then they started recently to try to make ie more off a hotel. Open all year instead of five months. Advertising to able bodied as well. Still focus on wheelchair users.  Have therapy room and provide list of therapies, PT and massage and exercise bikes etc. Starting in May (doubt know when and if it ends) Outdoor pool is beautiful. It is salt water, pumped up from sea, heated by solar panels. With a lift. But it was closed still for the season, so,i we didn't get to try it. Have a few bikes for guests. Can do bed and breakfast, half biased. Food in cafe, bar. Lots of outdoor terraces, most with view of sea, pine with a hammock Biggest problem is that it's on a steep hill in a residential neighborhood. Vann borrow electric carts to go up the hill, but i don't know what's there, except a view point. Down the hill is where the lake, sea, cafe, rentals, etc, are, but it's to steep for the electric carts. Could walk or drive down, but it's steep and narrow and bad surface. Best thing is staff's. Ursa is assistant director. Marko is director. Part of association invalid s in Slovenia. Leader, Miriam, Ursaq's aunt, is in a wheel chair. For lodging options, including this hotel, mountain lodge, hot springs apartment, and ????? Design of rooms and hotel by committee, including five wheelchair users. For rooms for tetraplegics, including ceiling rail and lift from bed to toilet or bathtub. Plus paraplegic amenities. 23 rooms for paraplegics. Include roll in shower. Wide doors and lots of room in bedroom and bathroom. Lots of bars ??? Old wing more hospital like. Didn't see. New wing more hotel lounge. Very nice. Back rooms open on too nice terrace and are a little more expensive. Asst least one famille room for four... Two twin and one bunk beds. Rest for two... Either two twin or one king bed. Lake Bohinj Bad weather, so didn't go up in gondola or did any activities. But beautiful address. Especially rocks in trees. Avsenik Slovenian polka evening Fun. Five hours. Music and food. Even vegetarian food. Most audience from Austria. Everything said and sung in Slovenian and German. Staff some German, but not so good English. Large, good wc bathroom. Get key from cloakroom attendant  Guest rooms not accessible, because on second floor with no lift. So stayed at referred to pension Torok.  Lots of dancing. Waltz and polka. Sat at table with British woman who's just moved to Slovenia and alps. And Austrian man who translated songs for me a bit, but didn't speak great English Pension Torok Lift so small that I had to take off for rests Mattress inside wooden box, so no bed rail Dorr to bathroom exactly as wide as wheelchair, so difficult No toilet grab bars Felt native or at least not English touristy Rovinj Cobblestone streets, most possible with wheelchair, some with steps One non step way up to top church Beautiful view s,. Artistic city Walked around old town and harbour, ate, drank winner at wine bar, walked up to church and back. Went down street with steps, thanks to low steps and Ted. Little artsy shops all the way down. Church had ramp up to closed deeper, but no way to get up steps to get to ramp. Toilets at top, including wc toilet, were all locked. There was handicap parking at top, so maybe there is a way to drive to the church up that narrow stone road of disabled. Maybe just for church attendees. We parked, like all non natives, in paid parking lot outside of town. There were two staffed for a few kuna pay toilets, including a wc toilet. One in the parking lot. One just after the parking lot by the market. Shopped the market for souvenirs and bad strawberries Amarind resort  Apartments with small fridge, oven, dishwasher, two burner stove, couch futon, Or villas Or camping: bring (rent?) RVs, rent big tents, villas Restaurant, grill, pizzeria, bakery, market, ice cream, Sports, water sports rentals  Coast trails Water taxi to Rovinj Excursions on boat to other islands Season starts June 1, so things were mostly closed Wheelchair units with roll in showers, good sink and mirror, and toilet bars, but steep Hills, sunken mattresses, and toilet bar on wrong, near, side opposite wall beds: Too high or too low  single mattress laid inside wooden box, so couldn't put on bed rail One bed had for inch wide frame so couldn't reach bed for sleeping  Croatia Gas stations have wheelchair bathrooms split airport hard to access  Specially assist allows to skip to front of lines at security and passport Control No car access to departures Ted dropped me off in short term parking lot (free if short time), then Ted returned the rental car, then he collected me and the luggage to go to the airport and up the ramp to inside. There is no elevator for access to upper floor, where food ism The only wc toilet is outside of security, so even though I got there early, I had already passed through security and passport Control when I needed to go one last time before getting on the o plane, so I had to wait for someone to push me outside and then go through security and passport Control again they took my wc at the front check in desk and transferred too an airport push one, so I couldn't wheel myself while waiting Easy jet Sent my wc to checked luggage and me tto airport wc, tram to baggage reclaim. Quick Trip through passport control that way Gatwick accessible bathrooms Accessible room with lots of bars and roll in shower at Hamilton Hilton hotel. Of courses, bed was high Norwegian Aisle chair no problem Sat in row before wc lavatories asked about on board aisle chair and wc labs as soon as got on. Flight attendant knew how too do all Pushed call button for flight attendant when ready, and he brought aisle chair and put down wall separating and combining two lavatories in front of row 27.  We were in row 26 then got in tiny aisle chair. Attendant wheeled me into  lavatory. Learned to put my feet up. Better going backward plenty of room with wc in combined lavatories. Even for smaller care giver Still hard to stand up. Take home Need to find out how to get EU key for wheelchair toilets Strawberries (especially Dalmatian and Montenegro) Irregularly blogging at: Wheelchairwandering.blogspot.com ReplyForward