Over the years, we had the pleasure of many bespoke European river cruises. Sailing through Europe’s picturesque riverscapes is simply dazzling. Traveling the waterways offers an enchanting way to see Europe’s charming villages and sophisticated cities, while effortlessly integrating from country to country. Water travel offers guests the unique ability to step off into the soul of these great historic destinations, with ease, grace, and anticipation. 

We arrived in Venice where it connects to the mainland by the road causeway, Ponte Della Liberta, Bridge of Freedom; traveling from Croatia, Slovenia, and the Gulf of Trieste, Italy.  It’s good to be back in Venice after a few years away. What better way to end this month of travel than spending our birthdays and wedding anniversary in this romantic city?

This extraordinary city floats in her beautiful shabbiness and embraces you with her incredible beauty; beckoning you forward to discover its hidden nuances, curlicue alleyways, and winding canals.  It’s a magical atmosphere and a perfect postcard treasure that will linger in your memory forever.

Rialto bridge was built to provide access to the Rialto market and connect the San Marco and San Polo sestieri (districts), the Rialto is the oldest bridge across the Grand Canal  image@pixabay

It was a pleasure to reorient ourselves with the most famous and touristy St. Marco Square, St. Mark’s Basilica, Doge’s Palace, and the ornate Rialto Bridge, the most photographed spot in the world. We took a quiet break to explore a few other neighborhoods in Venice. Where each sestieri has its distinct personality and allure; taking a slow walk to catch our breath and relax.  We strolled the behind-the-scenes areas to enjoy the authentic beauty of Venice, exploring the labyrinth of back streets, rambling passageways, on foot, far away from the charming chaos. Yes, there are romantic gondolas rides and vaporettos to take you around this treasured city; but exploring the off-the-beaten-path, laid-back, lived-in, neighborhoods on foot for an up-close and personal experience of everyday life in Venice is memorable.

Today the largest part of the Istrian territory belongs to Croatia, small slivers belong to Slovenia, and minuscule parts to Italy. It blends the cultures of Austria and Italy with the culture and heritage of Croatia seamlessly. Most people are bilingual, so road signs and places are shown in Italian and Croatian. Istria is a premier holiday destination in Croatia.

Istria is Croatia’s largest peninsula and has hundreds of kilometers of stunning coastline, allowing us to cross into the Gulf of Trieste, Italy easily.  Some say Trieste is Italy’s most cosmopolitan city where it reminisces of the glory days of the Habsburg influence dubbing it “the little Vienna on the Sea”.  That’s the perfect portrayal, since Trieste belonged to the Habsburg Monarchy for 400 years, and became one of the greatest powers of Europe with its international seaport in the Mediterranean. 

We arrive at magical Lake Bled and its fairy tale world in Slovenia. Lake Bled is ranked one of the most beautiful places in Slovenia and the most photogenic lake on the planet.  Bled is Slovenia’s most popular alpine resort, luring honeymooners, backpackers, hikers, mountaineers, and outdoorsmen, during all four seasons.

Slovenia has some 500 fairy tale castles sprinkled through the country; that’s one castle per 25 kilometers, all enhancing the backdrop of the folklore of this stunning and intriguing country.

In the distance, the iconic Bled Castle / Blejski Grad the oldest in Slovenia gracefully dangles over a 130m high rocky limestone cliff, overlooking the mirrored turquoise waters of Lake Bled.  This postcard-perfect place is a treasure-trove of tales, myths, and magical legends waiting to be explored.