1976 Holiday

The summer of 1976 while the UK was basking in a long heat wave - my family decided to visit Opatija and Bled.

A very reasonable two centre holiday for 4 costing the huge amount of £250!! ( ah! those were the days!)

After receiving special permission from the government to holiday in what was then a communist country - we nervously set off.

Our first stop was Opatija on the Kvarner coast - stunning architecture and wonderful people who barely spoke a word of English but strangely enough when we switched to Welsh it was much easier! The hotel was beautiful and each night before dinner the chef and his staff paraded round the dining room to rousing music and huge applause before the nights culenary delights were revealed.

Looking for an interesting trip my father decided on a village picnic to experience the local culture.The coach picked us up after lunch and off we set, only to stop just outside the town for a large crate of Apricot Brandy to be dragged onboard. We were encouraged to have a very large plastic cup full as we carried on to our first 'surprise' stop a monastic church ! Cant remember much about it except for the beautiful paintings and frescoes but was facinated by the majestic italian lady who sat opposite us on the coach who after each sip of brandy removed yet another item of clothing !

Reaching the village for the picnic - we were treated to local folk dances and music and mountains of delicious food and a never ending supply of local wine - I was 15 , my brother was 12 so it was under my mothers beady eye that we restricted our intake - so much for parents !!on returning to the coach 2 people were missing - my father & an eccentric Dutch man - I being judged the most sober member of the coach party was sent up the hill to find them - the locals had the music on high and my father and his new found pal were happily teaching them to jive and do the twist.....we arrived back in time for dinner and chose bed instead, most of us too drunk to face any food - the dutchman continued singing on the beach into the early hours - obviously a stronger constitution....

Our second week, after a hair raising drive ( a wasp was in the minbus and the driver kept trying to swat it rather than watching the road )we arrived in one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen - Lake Bled - it was like something from a fairy tale. The scenery was breathtaking and the walks so enjoyable even though we took the wrong path on to Tito's estate and were surrounded by machine guns within minutes - oops!

But the weather was dreadful - sunshine each morning and by 12.00 the clouds would gather and it would rain non-stop afternoons were usually spent on our parents bed with all of us under the blankets trying to keep warm and my father threatening to get an early flight home!

Excersions were made across the alps to Austria for calorie defying cream cakes, bemused by the cows with their little bells making their own way home for milking - each one turning off the road at their owners house, and a totally manic wine tasting evening when I turned up 40 minutes late and they insisted I had to catch up - an alcohol fuelled bravado ensued as I lit up one of my secret cigarettes in front of my family - too polite to mention it in company - I was read the riot act next day....

Enjoying a boiled egg each morning - so typically British - we were surprised to get a bill for them - apparently eggs were 'extra' With the language difficulty no one knew,and our lovely representative Ivana had to sort it all out and my mother was so embarrased at all the fuss. The next day we were leaving and as we waited for the coach a large black car drew up and 'The Jones Family' were ordered to get in - chaos ensued, overactive imaginations sprung into life with people shouting that they would contact the embassy - that we were being kidnapped by the secret police ! Happily, the driver spoke a little English and we soon discovered that it was an apology for the boiled egg fiasco and we were being given a luxury trip to the airport to make up for all the fuss. A fitting and exciting end to one of the best family holidays ever.....