ZAGREB - CROATIA to LJUBLJANA - SLOVENIA

ZAGREB - CROATIA

Zagreb is the capital of Croatia and was part of the former Jugoslavia. Croatia is a member of the EU and uses the Euro as its currency but it is not in the Schengen Area for free movement of persons, asylum and immigration, so we expected to be stopped at the border. As it turned out there was no delay at all.

 

It is not in the Euro Zone but is part of the EU, like Britain. So it was necessary to get through the country without spending money. Can't remember if there were any road tolls but if there were we paid using our Credit Agricole debit card.

We were puzzled why Croatian cars were carrying the badge HR and discovered that the local name for the country is Hrvatska.

Graffiti is a problem here

Top Gear is about to hit town.

We walked into a filming session. From the old cars present it could have been a local version of "Underbelly".

LJUBLIANA - SLOVENIA

I was expecting to make light of our visit to BUBBLEGUM - SLOVENIA but an incident with the the Slovenian police shortly after entering the country put paid to that. We have been noticing signs along the way during the entire trip which said VIGNETTE. To my mind that had something to do with a short play and as with many other signs which have been meaningless to us we ignored them.

We were pulled over and confronted with a collection of police who had that disconcerting look of hunters who had cornered their prey! They studied our car, took photos of us in the car and then asked for our passports and car papers. Just unsure of our red French number plates I thought - Oh no! Apparantly Slovenia along with Switzerland, Austria, Romania, Bulgaria and a couple of others require that you purchase and display what they call a vignette if you want to use their motorways. Cost 15 Euros for 7 days. It's the first we had heard of it and we had passed through several of the countries listed without incident.

The nice policeman explained that the fine for not displaying the sign is 300 Euros!!! but if we pay on the spot, it's only 165 Euros. Thats 15 Euros for the Vignette and a 150 Euro fine. "You can buy them at any Service Station" he said.

News to us (Why couldn't they sell them at a booth on the motorway as soon as you arrive?)

"I am just doing my job" said the nice policeman

"Welcome to Slovenia - Eh ?!" I said as we left.

SLOVENIA

Was the northernmost province of the former Jugoslavia, a communist regime.
It is in the Schengen Area is in the EU and uses Euros.

 

 

Plenty of graffity. They have disaffected youth here also.

 

 

 

Bled castle 55km North of Ljubliana in the foothills of the Alps.