Archived:PlanN

THE PLAN, rotated for a Zagreb start (I leave below the plan, unmodified, which some of Rev and/or Phil posted (with a rant), for comparison purposes)

1. AM: Fly to Zagreb; PM: Zagreb -> Ljubljana (90 miles, 2 hrs); explore Ljubljana
2. AM: Ljubljana -> Lake Bled/Bohinj (45 miles, 1 hr); explore lakes and castles and waterfalls and majestic karst and so forth. PM: finish exploring; return to Ljubljana (45 miles, 1 hr)
3. AM: Ljubljana -> Vienna (250 miles, 5 hrs). PM: Explore Vienna (note that if we have all done enough Vienna in the past, we might consider proceeding to Brno in the evening here, to give us more time in Krakow on the next day)
4. AM: Vienna -> Brno -> Krakow (300 miles, 6 hrs). PM: Explore Krakow.
5. AM: Krakow -> (slow cruise in the Tatras) -> Miskolc (200 miles, 5 or 6 hrs (allowing for slow cruise)). PM: Explore Miskolc.
6. AM: Miskolc ( -> Tard ) -> Eger -> Budapest (150 miles, 5 or 6 hrs (allowing for exploring Eger and also for country roads)). PM: Explore Budapest.
7. AM: Budapest -> Vukovar (180 miles, 4 to 5 hrs). PM: (Explore Vukovar?); Vukovar -> Sarajevo (160 miles, 4 to 5 hrs) (note that this could easily be split into two days, to ease the load on the drivers; I'm just not sure there's much actually to see in Vukovar)
8. AM: Explore Sarajevo. PM: Sarajevo -> Pluzine -> Podgorica (170 miles, 5 hrs (inc. roman remains and also some fantastic scenery))
9. AM: Podgorica -> Dubrovnik (120 miles, 4 hrs (inc. crazy cool environs and the hairpin-filled Podgorica/Kotor road). PM: explore Dubrovnik.
10. AM: Dubrovnik -> Mostar (90 miles, 2 hrs); explore Mostar. PM: Mostar -> Split (120 miles, 3 hrs)
11. The day: Explore Split.
12. AM: Split -> Plitvice (160 miles, 4 hrs). PM: Explore Plitvice Lakes.
13. AM: Plitvice Lakes -> Trieste (170 miles, 4 hrs). PM: Explore Trieste.
14. AM: Trieste -> Skocjan Caves (20 miles, 0.5 hrs). Explore Skocjan Caves. PM: Find way out of caves. Skocjan Caves -> Ljubljana (60 miles, 1.5 hrs). (I am well aware that we will have been to Ljubljana before; this is for stopping purposes and no more)
15. AM: Ljubljana -> Zagreb (90 miles, 2 hrs). PM: Fly home.

I am additionally aware that this uses 15 days, not 16 days. This is due to it being more efficient when starting at Zagreb. I posit the following suggestions for a use of the extra day:

• To take 2 days going from Budapest to Sarajevo, spending a night in Vukovar on the way. This avoids a 350-mile drive with at least one border crossing, which is likely to take about 8 or 9 hours.
• To spend an extra day cruising the Tatras, and exploring (not in this order) Miskolc, Eger and Krakow (which does in fact have quite a lot of stuff).

(the unrotated plan follows for comparison)

1. Arrive Split; explore
2. Split to Sarajevo, via Mostar (5:00)
3. Morning in Sarajevo, then to Pluzine (2:30)
4. To Podgorica (2:00 or 3:00 via Podgorica pass) on to Kotor? (1:00)
5. Podgorica/Kotor to Split (6:00+)
6. Split to Plitvice/Trieste (3:30/5:00)
7. to Ljubljana (2:30/1:00)
8. To Bled/Bohinj and back? (1:00 * 2)
9. To Vienna or Bratislava
10. Vienna to Krakow, via Brno (6:00)
11. Krakow, to Stavebná? in the evening (4:00)
12. Day in the Tatras
13. Stavebná to Budapest/Szekesfehervar (3:00)
14. Budapest to Zagreb (4:00)
15. Zagreb to Split
16. Fly home

Desires filled, as far as I can see:

• Lmm(3): Sarajevo, Montenegro, Miskolc
• Ed(4): Podgorica, Split, Ljubljana, Bled
• Phil: (Unknown; at least Krakow and Day in the Tatras)
• Smith(3): Sarajevo, Krakow, Vienna
• Rev(5): Zagreb, Budapest, Krakow, Belgrade, Vienna
• Ben: (some; including but not limited to (based on conversation) Mostar, Miskolc and Eger (and Tard), Pluzine)