"Gallop across Europe"... #RoadToHiveFest

We drove more than 3000 km, driving through 4 countries, visiting 12 cities... within one month!
So, what was the next sign that helped make the right decision to attend Hivefest. My son invited me to spend time together in Croatia near Rijeka. It was August 11th, so it was a good sign, I agree! I wanted my road to Split to be bright! And today I will quickly show you photos of 12 cities in four countries that we managed to visit on our way to Hivefest.
I went on a road trip in Europe for the first time, driving my own car, and we traveled more than 3000 km. If you remember - I started my driving journey in Turkey 2.5 years ago, and my dream of making a bright and unforgettable trip around Europe behind the wheel of my own car came true on the way to Hive Fest! This is really fantastic!
So, our #TheLongestTrip continues...

Kosice. We drove 263 km.

So, we start from Krakow, where we got our inspiration,
and go through Slovakia. The first city we stopped in was Košice. We spent one night here and had a wonderful walk in the old center. In the future, our goal was to visit old friends hivians Ira and Artem, who live near Hungary in the city of Legnice.
We spent the night in the city of Gyor, Hungary. And they went again to Slovakia 51 km. It is really amazing to me that there are no borders between the countries of the European Union. And we move from country to country without feeling it. Only the language changes!
@sokoloffa keeps up her great interesting blog. And I hope that on the way back we will see each other and share our impressions. Hive gives us best friends who are always happy to see us!
After meeting with our friends, we set off in the direction of Rijeka.
There we spent several wonderful days on the shores of the Atlantic Sea. And I finally relaxed after a stressful time when my health needed correction...
I realized one thing: an active trip behind the wheel, visiting new beautiful cities that I have never been to before, fills me with joy and happiness! And pleasant emotions are the best medicine.

Moschenytska Draga. Near Rijeka. We traveled 1018 km

I said goodbye to my son, and the question arose before us: where to spend time from August 20 to September 10? We were in Croatia, but the city of my dreams, Venice, was only 230 km away.
And we decided to go to Italy first, spend a few weeks there, and then return to Croatia.
Our path lay through Slovenia, and we found there another pearl on the seashore - the ancient city of Piran! I was incredibly happy to walk through the streets, which smell of history... And of course, I will write later separately post about each city, where a piece of my soul remained!

Piran, Slovenia. We drove 100 km.

After a magical walk, we left for Venice. We settled for a few days on the outskirts of the city, where there was a city parking lot for our car. We got to the famous center by bus, which runs every 10 minutes. I had heard a lot about Venice, but my impressions were even more impressive when we sailed in a gondola between old houses that stood in the water, as if telling me Venetian legends. There was a breathtaking silence, only the splashes of the gondolier's oars disturbed the peace of this unique city on the water...
It cannot be described, it must be felt!

Venice, Italy. We drove 200 km.

Next, we decided to go to the Tyrrhenian Sea. I wanted to find a warmer sea than the Adriatic and bask in the warm sun at the beginning of autumn. On our way were the famous cities of Pisa and Florence. And also Italy attracts me with its ancient villages, which are visible high in the mountains, like bright islands of ancient architecture in the green of the forest.
And we found a real masterpiece - the village of Nicola in the province of La Spezia. We settled in the heart of the village, in a two-story apartment, where every design element is retro. We wandered through the mystical narrow streets, feeling like we were in a medieval era, and at night we enjoyed the mountain wind that penetrated the windows...

Nicola village, La Spezia. Italy. We drove another 416 km.

We left our Italian village with sadness in our hearts to move on... We settled in Pisa for four days. And at that time we saw the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa, which really looks like it's falling... Unfortunately, my phone didn't convey what my eyes were seeing. But we still took a photo as if we were holding the tower :)

Pisa, Italy. We drove 78 km.

While living in Pisa, we went for a walk to Florence. Its majestic architecture is truly impressive! This city is an open air museum where works of art are everywhere...

Florence, Italy. We traveled 168 km.

After Florence, we returned to our beloved Nicola village to live a few more wonderful days and visit another pearl of Italy - the town of Manarola, which is built on a rock and catches the eye with its exclusive face! Here we were able to swim directly among the rocks, observing the colorful houses at a height.

Manarola, La Spezia. Italy. We drove 56 km.

It's time to go back to Croatia. We booked an Airbnb in the city of Trieste, where we had a negative experience: we could not find a parking space for our car. But the next day we had a good time in the pine park, where I swam in the sea. And they also found a beautiful castle on the seashore, so they left the city in a good mood.

Trieste, Italy. We drove 507 km

A few hours later, we arrived in the Croatian town of Senj, where a pleasant surprise awaited us. We caught up with @arcange, who had an interesting journey to HiveFest - 1500 km on a motorcycle!

Senj, Croatia. We drove 137 km

And at the end of our journey towards Hivefest, an interesting extreme adventure awaited us! We were walking on Plitvice Lakes in heavy pouring rain with our friend @gtg

Plitvice Lakes. Croatia. We drove 115 km

Completely wet, but very happy, we returned to the hotel.

Split, Croatia. We drove 243 km

We followed the red Tesla, and we are infinitely grateful to our friend @gtg for the good time and for being our guide on the way. It was very comfortable to follow you to Split.
That's how "Gallop across Europe" - our road to Hive Fest quickly turned out 😊
We look forward to meeting you tomorrow!