Watch out! Tsunami is coming!

I was born in Japan, lived most of my life in Los Angeles, CA, but am currently living in Poland.

As the coastal Montenegro and Kotor become more popular destinations, thanks partly to Kotor's status as a double WHS, I thought I would add my memorable experience there from back in April, 2010. 

From the castle I made a detour to the only house on the slope of the mountain (to get the free water springing out at the entrance) and headed up from there on the zigzag Old Kotor Trail all the way to the point called "Top of the Old Kotor Trail."  The altitude of the castle is 200 m, but that of the Top is 500 m, so you can perhaps imagine the even more dramatic view over the Kotor Bay from the Top.  

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My last 3 remaining WHSs in Italy were spread all over the country (Aquileia in the north-east, Barumini in Sardinia and Castel del Monte in the south) and were giving me headaches. After visiting Aquileia and upon finding out that it's only around 30 Euros each to fly from Venice Treviso to Cagliari in Sardinia and from Cagliari to Bari in the south on Ryanair, I just decided to finish them up once and for all (even though the 25 hour stay in Sardinia in winter didn't sound right). 

But this is about Castel del Monte outside Bari. 

Transportation: 

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I arrived in Altamura (which seems to mean High Wall) at about 14:30 on a Monday by bus from Gioia del Colle, as I was coming from Taranto, but Altamura can easily be visited from Bari TWHS or Matera WHS by train, as it is located on the rail line between these 2 cities. 

First, even though I only became aware of Altamura because of its TWHS status, the walled old town was quite pleasant with a marvelous cathedral, museums, and many cafes / restaurants populated by who appeared to be Italian tourists.  

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I took a bus from Logatec to Idrija, but the bus stop was not at the Logatec train station, and the closest bus stop to the train station was here: 45°55'01.8"N 14°13'26.9"E

I spent about 22 hours in Idrija, from 13:30 on Monday to 11:45 on Tuesday in February.  It was a busy 22 hours, which made the visit more fun for me. 

When I got off the bus one stop before the Idrija bus station, the driver asked me where I'm going.  I said "To the museum," and he said "The (Castle) Museum is at the next stop."  I had meant the Smelting Plant Museum, which the driver was not aware of.  

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So impressed when I visited Plitvice Lakes in spring 2010 that I went back there with my then-girlfriend in summer the following year.  Upon my first visit, I said if the US had Grand Canyon, Europe had Plitvice Lakes.  But after seeing amazing photos of the park covered in snow in Google Images, I had been seeking a chance to go back there in winter, and the chance finally came this winter.

Upon hearing that the park could be closed due to snow in winter, I decided to stay overnight at the park to increase my chance of entering the park and booked an inn about 2 km south of Entrance 2.  I thought I could easily walk for 2 km.

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