Is there a place called Badlands?

Yes! And it is not bad to visit at all!

When I tell you where it is  you probably do not imagine it as a great place to go.

It is located in South Dakota,USA.

At least I did not expect South Dakota to be an interesting and amazing state to visit.  Now, I think different.

During my exchange year in Minnesota in 2006, my host brother and sister went on some trips with me. In March of 2006 we drove to South Dakota. The highways there are very boring and for a 100 miles or something you cannot find a fast food restaurant or a real town (which is quite dramatic if you’re starving…).

In the end though, it was worth visitng- thanks to a National Park called Badlands.

Your opinion!

Dear readers,

this time I would like you to tell me your opinion about my recent posts and Croatia. I would appreciate it if you participate in my first poll! As always, you’re welcome to leave comments. Thank you!!!

Where is the smallest cathedral in the world???

Would you have guessed that it is located in Croatia??? It was  built around 800 in Nin, in the north of Zadar (info taken from this website).

Nin cathedral

Nin is a very small town, so the cathedral and some ancient ruins are the only sights to visit.

In Zadar, there are more ruins, from Roman temples. There are in the middle of a square, next to a cathedral and a bell tower.

Visiting Winnetou…

In an UNESCO World Heritage site – the Plitvice National Park!!!!

The Park is located in Croatia near the border to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Some scnenes of Karl May’s Winnetou movies were shot there. It is a beautiful lake and waterfall location which is surrounded by many trees and walking trails.

Plitvice bridge

Beautiful waterfalls in driving distance

Krka waterfall

Where in the world do you think is this breath-taking spot??? Be honest- would you have guessed that this is in Croatia? Just 2 days of driving away from Berlin????

Personally, I expected Croatia and its national park to be boring, but what I found is a spectacular place!

To see this waterfall you have to visit the Krka National Park. It is around the Krka river, near Sibenik.

Pakostane, Croatia

Last time I told you about my highlight in Croatia, the boat tour. Since this tour was offered in Pakostane, I want to show you the place where I was staying. If you want to visit the Kornati National Park (and maybe see a dolphin there) Pakostane is a good place to stay. The Kornati islands are off the coast of Pakostane.

My parents and I stayed in an apartment which belongs to a campground -  Camping Kozarica. It is located directly by the sea and only a few minutes away (walking) from the centre of Pakostane. What I liked about it was

• the nice apartment building, comfortable, with a balcony
• the view from the balcony (the sea and pine trees)
• direct sea location and still close to town

View from our balcony

Want to see a dolphin???

I thought that there is little chance of seeing dolphins in Europe. Then I went to Croatia.

I was not excited about going to Croatia for my summer vacation, but in the end it was a great expereince… The most important advantage for me is that it is cheaper that Italy, France or Spain (concerning accomodation, food…). Also you can go there by car and there is a lot to visit.

I stayed in Pakostane, near Zadar (in the north of Croatia). From there you can go on boat trips to see the Kornati National Park (many small islands). I went on a one-day boat trip which was stating in the advertisement that you will see dolphins as well. I was skeptical about it, since I went on such a dolphin boat trip in Italy before and there were no dolphins at all. This time it was different. On our way to the Kornati islands there was one dolphin. He was swimming quite a few meters away from our boat but I was so excited to see it and I was not able to take any pictures.^^ Fortunately my dad was with me (my mum was too excited as well) and he tried to get a good picture with the dolphin.

Of course this is an experience which cannot be described in words or with a picture. Although I saw the dolphin just for a minute or so, I was feeling soo happy. Of course I still want to see more dolphins, and see them from a short distance and maybe even swim with them but for now, this has already been wonderful.

In my next post I will tell you about more things to do in Croatia (there is a lot!), but I thought that I could start with my personal highlight of this vacation. If you know any places in Europe where chances are not too bad to see dolphins, just let me know!!! Here is the best picture my dad was able to get:

Dolphin in Kornati National Park

Prerow (Baltic Sea)

You don’t have the time or the money to drive to Italy?

No problem! In this article I will tell you about my experience of the “Regenbogen Camp Prerow”. It is located between Rostock and Stralsund (at the Baltic Sea) and it only takes 3 hours to get there by car (from Berlin). In this case you can also take the train and then the bus.

I will concentrate on this campsite only, because I think it is worth to go there even if you don’t make any excursions from there. The campsite itself is outside of the town.

Last summer I spent 5 days there and it was really enjoyable but some parts were also a little bit problematic… Since I didn’t have a driver’s license I went there by train and bus. With a huge backpack including the tent, inline skates y sleeping bag etc….I thought that this wouldn’t be a problem because the bus stop was in Prerow and since the town is quite small I thought it wouldn’t take long to walk to the campsite from there.

In the end we walked about 40 minutes…

Elba

Have you ever dreamt about living on a small island with wonderful beaches?

You don’t have to leave Europe to find a place like that.

In this article I want to present you Elba- a small Italian island which belongs to the Tuscan archipelago.

I have been there two times (always for summer vacation) and therefore I will tell you about my personal experience.

If you go there by car (which is the best way, I think), you have to take a ferry from Piombino to Portoferraio (Elba).

In the summer months, the ferry leaves hourly during the day. It takes only one hour to get to Elba. The first impression is wonderful. I immediately fell in love with Elba. It was just an amazing view to look at Portoferraio from the ferry.

Portoferraio from ferry