DUBROVNIK & BEYOND:
FROM THE ADRIATIC TO THE ALPSMARCH 26-APRIL 9, 2004
ADDED FACTUAL INFORMATION FROM GOOGLE
Grand Circle Travel : Trip was $1495 with MSP air add on of $200 . There was no single supplement charge (saved $245) = $1695, This was better than Vantage Travel which was $2199 w/MSP air $100 plus Single Supplement $250 = $2549 Plus change hotels 6 times with Vantage (too often). I stayed at 3 hotels with Grand Circle so that here was less unpacking/packing.
Day 1, March 26, Friday
I departed Minneapolis 1:00 pm, on United; Left Chicago 4:05 and flew Lufthansa to Frankfort; Then departed 10:30 am. Arrived in Ljubljana, Slovenia 11:45 a.m.
Day 2, March 27, Saturday
We landed in the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana today and transferred to Lake Bled by private motor coach (half hour trip). A Grand Circle representative met us at the airport and assisted us to our hotel in the resort village of Lake Bled. After settling into our hotel we enjoyed an orientation, and then met our fellow travelers over drinks at a Welcome Dinner.
Accommodations: Park Hotel
The Park Hotel is situated in the town center, on the shore of picturesque Lake Bled. It is easily accessible, has its own parking and offers a wonderful view of the lake, the castle and the Julian Alps. The wellness area of the Hotel featured a thermal swimming pool, a whirlpool, two Finnish saunas, a solarium, a fitness center and a massage parlor.
First a note about Slovenia:
The amazing diversity of Slovenia, the green heart of Europe tucked away between mountainous Austria and Italy, the plains of Hungary, and the warm Adriatic Sea, always astonishes first-time visitors. The snow capped peaks of the Alps and Triglav National Park with its numerous glacial valleys, gorges, waterfalls, lakes, and clear wild rivers attract hikers seeking the tranquility of mountains as well as climbers, skiers, canoeists, para-gliders, and all those whose thrills come through the pursuit of more extreme sports.
There are more than one hundred subterranean caves open to the public in Slovenia, ranging from the world-renowned Postojna and Sˇkocjan caves with their picturesque stalactites, stalagmites, and translucent curtains to less accessible caves one can explore in the company of experienced local guides.
A mere two-hour drive separates the rugged mountain peaks from the alluring waters of the sunny Adriatic and the excellent cuisine and wines of Slovenia's coastal region. Along with the wines produced under the influence of the Mediterranean climate, Slovenia is also renowned for its wines from the hills of the Brda, Posavje, and Podravje wine growing regions.
Slovenia's many thermal and mineral springs are the foundation of world-renowned natural health resorts where families, businessmen, patients, and those who enjoy active holidays can recuperate and regain their strength and energy.
The history and identity of the Slovene people is closely linked to the Slovene language. Spoken by only two million people, it has preserved numerous peculiarities and fosters a lively cultural life that is reflected in the architecture of cities, towns, and villages and in the many cultural events that always enchant first-time visitors.
Day 3, March 28, Sunday
After breakfast: Orientation Session going over details of escorted tours and time to book optional tours.
Accommodations: Park Hotel
Day 4, March 29, Monday
Late afternoon Discover series: understanding present-day Slovenia, Current events were placed in their historical context. They had been ruled by Austrian Hapsburg dynasty for more than 300 years. Today the country is a candidate for membership in NATO and UE.
Accommodations: Park Hotel
Day 5, March 30, Tuesday
Breakfast and lunch included
At a national referendum held on December 23, 1990, the people of Slovenia voted for independence and sovereignty and on June 25, 1991, the Republic of Slovenia proclaimed its independence. With this, Ljubljana became the capital of the new state, the heart of the political, economic, cultural and scientific life of the Slovene nation. Ljubljana, with only some 275.000 inhabitants, combines the compactness of a small city with the facilities of a metropolis and, compared with other European capitals, remains a "city on a human scale"
This stone arch bridge is the central part of the modern bridge. It was extended into the Triple Bridge by the 1929 design of the Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik (1872-1957), who added pedestrian bridges on either side, effectively widening the bridge and preventing it from being a bottleneck.
Day 6, March 31, Wednesday
Today we checked out of our hotel and left Bled, riding through the karst lands, whose unusual appearance is the result of the underground caves and limestone deposits that underlie the Slovenian countryside. En route to Opatija, a fashionable Riviera town, we stopped at Postojna Caves. Here we rode a miniature electric train into the caves themselves, (1 1/4 hour) where we could gaze at their stalagmites and stalactites, as well as their subterranean waters (w/ blind salamanders in pools near the exit) and mysteriously lit halls. The caves were an ideal hiding spot for WW II partisans.
Lunch was included. After Postojna we continued on to the Istrian peninsula and arrived at our seaside home, Opatija, followed by an orientation walk.
It is a popular summer and winter resort, with average temperatures of 10°C in winter, and 25°C in summer. Opatija is surrounded by beautiful woods of bay laurel. The whole sea-coast to the north and south of Opatija is rocky and picturesque, and contains several smaller winter resorts. Opatija was so attractive that, at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, it was visited by the then most prominent personalities of the noble rank - Princess Luise von Sachsen Coburg, the Romanian king Charles I, the Swedish-Norwegian king Oscar, etc.
Day 7, April 1, Thursday
The Story of Opatija is closely related to the St.Jacob’s Church and its property, which will later become - the city of Opatija ("opatija" is croatian word for "abbey"). St. Jacob is the patron saint of pilgrims and travellers, druggists, tanners, peasants, fruit-growers and...Opatija. St. Jacob’s Day – July 25th, is celebrated as the Day of the City of Opatija (according to the decision of Opatija’s CC from March 27th 2008).
Out tour of Opatija was followed by a visit to the port town of Rijeka. Rijeka, Croatia (Lonely Planet, p. 248) RIJEKA, a city and port in the Rijeka Bay, on the northern coast of the Kvarner Gulf, cutting deep into the mainland; population 167,964. Good connections with the hinterland, modern port facilities and strong naval and commercial tradition helped Rijeka to develop into Croatia's biggest port.
INTERESTING HISTORY: Habsburg-ruled Austria-Hungary's disintegration in the closing weeks of World War I in the fall of 1918 led to the establishment of rival Croatian and Italian administrations in the city; both Italy and the founders of the new Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later the Kingdom of Yugoslavia) claimed sovereignty based on their "irredentist" ("unredeemed") ethnic populations. After a brief Serbian occupation, an international force of Italian, French, British and American troops occupied the city (November 1918) while its future was discussed at the Paris Peace Conference during the course of 1919.
Italy based its claim on the fact that Italians were the largest single nationality within the city, 88% of total. (See map above) Croats made up most of the remainder and were also a majority in the surrounding area, including the neighbouring town of Sušak. Andrea Ossoinack, who had been the last delegate from Fiume to the Hungarian Parliament, was admitted to the conference as a representative of Fiume, and essentially supported the Italian claims.
On 10 September 1919, the Treaty of Saint-Germain was signed declaring the Austro-Hungarian monarchy dissolved. Negotiations over the future of the city were interrupted two days later when a force of Italian nationalist irregulars led by the poet Gabriele d'Annunzio seized control of the city by force; d'Annunzio eventually established a state, the Italian Regency of Carnaro.
The resumption of Italy's premiership by the liberal Giovanni Giolitti in June 1920 signalled a hardening of official attitudes to d'Annunzio's coup. On 12 November, Italy and Yugoslavia concluded the Treaty of Rapallo, under which Rijeka was to be an independent state, the Free State of Rijeka/Fiume, under a regime acceptable to both.[5] D'Annunzio's response was characteristically flamboyant and of doubtful judgment: his declaration of war against Italy invited the bombardment by Italian royal forces which led to his surrender of the city at the end of the year, after a five days resistance. Italian troops took over in January 1921. The election of an autonomist-led constituent assembly for the territory did not put an end to strife: a brief Italian nationalist seizure of power was ended by the intervention of an Italian royal commissioner, and a short-lived local Fascist takeover in March 1922 ended in a third Italian military occupation. Seven months later Italy herself fell under Fascist rule.
A period of diplomatic acrimony closed with the Treaty of Rome (27 January 1924), which assigned Rijeka to Italy and Sušak to Yugoslavia, with joint port administration.[6] Formal Italian annexation (16 March 1924) inaugurated twenty years of Italian government, followed by twenty months of German military occupation in World War II. The city was heavily damaged during the war by a number of Anglo-American air attacks,[citation needed] including a January 12, 1944 Oil Campaign attack on the oil refinery.[2] The harbour area was destroyed by retreating German troops. Yugoslav troops entered the city on May 3, 1945.
The aftermath of the war saw the city's fate again resolved by a combination of force and diplomacy. This time, Yugoslav troops advanced (early May 1945) as far west as Trieste in their campaign against the German occupiers of both countries. The city of Rijeka thus became Croatian (i.e., Yugoslav), a situation formalized by the Paris peace treaty between Italy and the wartime Allies on 10 February 1947. Once the change in sovereignty was formalized, 58,000 of the 66,000 Italian speakers left in advance of the Yugoslav army, choosing exile (known in Italian as esuli or the exiled ones). The discrimination and persecution many of them experienced at the hands of the Croatian populace and officials in the last days of World War II and the first weeks of peace remain painful memories. Summary executions of alleged fascists, Italian public servants, military officials and even normal civilians, forced most ethnic Italians to abandon Rijeka in order to avoid this class and ethnic cleansing.
As we returned to Opatija, we enjoyed a ride through several miles of Riviera resorts.
Exclusive Discovery Series Event
We learned a few valuable Croatian phrases during an informative language lesson. During our stay in Opatija, we received a taste of local life at our choice of one of several Dine-Around restaurants (included).
Accommodations: St. Jacob Hotel in Opatija
Meals: B, D
Day 8, April 2, Friday
Frommer's Review:
The baroque church dedicated to Rovinj's co-patron saint is the third iteration of the shrine built in her honor. When the saint and her sarcophagus appeared in Rovinj early in the 9th century, they were housed in a chapel near the Church of St. George.
A century and a half later, a larger church dedicated to both saints was built to accommodate pilgrims who steadily streamed into Rovinj to pray to Euphemia. Finally, the present church was built on the same site atop Rovinj's highest hill in the early 18th century.
topped with a copper statue of St. Euphemia that includes a palm and a wheel, symbols of her martyrdom.
When she was fifteen years old, she was arrested by Diocletian's soldiers, and when she refused to give up Christianity, she was tortured with cruelty (on a wheel). She still remained loyal to Christ, and was thrown to the lions who eventually killed her but did not devour her body.
The people of Rovinj made St. Euphemia a patron saint of the city along with St. George after the stone sarcophagus containing her body mysteriously showed up on their shores following its disappearance from Constantinople in A.D. 800.
Accommodations: St. Jacob Hotel
Meals: B
Day 9, April 3, Saturday
Krk came under the Romans once they had defeated the Liburnians. The Town of Krk (Curicum) became a town with Italic law whose status evolved to give it the rights of a municipality. Nothing is known about the internal organisations of the town of Krk from this time. Near the present day Franciscan monastery the remains of thermal baths have been found. The defensive walls of Roman Curicum were among the most secure of all the towns on the Eastern Adriatic fortified by the Romans. Work began on their construction during the Civil War in Rome (50 BC) and they were further strengthened in the 60s of the 2nd century AD, to enable them to withstand attacks by the Quadi and the Marcamanni who were at that time threatening the Adriatic.
Not far from Krk in 49 BC there was a decisive sea battle between Caesar and Pompey, which was described impressively by the Roman writer Lucan (AD 39-65) in his work Pharsalia.[1] When the Empire was divided, Krk came under the Eastern Roman Empire.
Accommodations: St. Jacob Hotel
Day 10, April 4, Palm Sunday
Accommodations: Split Hotel
Meals: B, L, and D
Day 11, Monday. April 5
We took an included morning tour of Split, an active port that is home to the ancient Roman Palace of Diocletian.
Split is not only an urban, cultural and traffic center of Dalmatia with road and sea connections to Dalmatia's numerous summer resorts, but it is itself often a tourist and excursionists destination. This is city with a 1700-year old tradition, a variety of archaeological, historical and cultural monuments, among which the well-known Palace of Diocletian, inscribed into the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Wikipedia: Diocletian's Palace (Croatian: Dioklecijanova palača) is a building in Split, Croatia that was built by the Roman emperor Diocletian at the turn of the fourth century AD.Diocletian built the massive palace in preparation for his retirement on 1 May 305 AD. It lies in a bay on the south side of a short peninsula running out from the Dalmatian coast, four miles from Salona, the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia. After the Romans abandoned the site, the Palace remained empty for several centuries. In the 7th century nearby residents fled to the walled palace to escape invading barbarians. Since then the palace has been occupied, with residents making their homes and businesses within the palace basement and directly in its walls.
Cathedral of St. Duje
Accommodations: Excelsior Hotel. Expedia lists single at $175 per night (Great Rate) or $225 per night (Standard).
I especially liked the location. One could see the historic old city from the terrace. The hotel was walking distance to historic sites.
Day 12, April 6, Tuesday
The city, known as the Pearl of the Adriatic, casts its spell first during an included city tour, featuring the Stari Grad (Old City) founded in the 13th century (by refugees from Epidaurus, Greece) and its five bastions. Free time here allowed us to stroll its grid-like streets (autos are not allowed, so it truly is a walker’s delight)!, taking in its fanciful architecture, and pausing to relish its public market.
George Bernard Shaw: “Those who seek an earthly paradise should visit Dubrovnik.” See for yourselves the wild iris-covered hills that plunge toward a shoreline of coves, golden boulders and stately cypresses.
While we were here, our guide pointed out how Serbia pummeled the city from the higher grounds inland. We had noticed areas of destruction en route to the city. Communities were devastated -- not just military installations. One could easily come to the conclusion that the goal had been ethnic cleansing.
According to National Catholic Reporter, Nov 2, 2001 by Margot Patterson:
Twenty-six grenades fell on the Dominican monastery during the war. The 13th-century monastery was one of hundreds of buildings damaged by the siege of Dubrovnik. During the siege, the Yugoslav Army bombarded Dubrovnik by air, land and sea. Two thousand shells fell on the city. Seventy percent of Dubrovnik's buildings suffered direct hits, and many of Dubrovnik's most precious monuments and churches were bombed despite -- or, some say, because of -- UNESCO flags marking them. Little in Dubrovnik was left untouched by the war, neither the city walls, nor the city's fortresses, streets, churches, public buildings or homes. "In every house you'll find traces of the shrapnel on the walls," said Dubravka Zvrko, director of publicity for the Institute for the Restoration of Dubrovnik. Today, few signs of the destruction wrought by the siege are visible. "You walk around the inner city, and there's nothing that reminds you of the war," marveled Bert Tiemes, a Dutch NATO official visiting Dubrovnik for the first time.
That night Grand Circle Travel took us out to the country side for a home hosted dinner. Much destruction was still evident where we visited. Just across the street was a bombed out school. Our host explained that their children still attended a different school because this one had not been rebuilt. They added that reconstruction priorities did provide for a new soccer stadium.
We then had two days at leisure to uncover Dubrovnik’s many attributes. Spend time in the Rector’s Palace. For some local flavor, we relaxed amid the bustling cafes of the Prijeko district, and investigated the many shops of the Stradun (Placa), the city’s main thoroughfare.
Accommodations: Excelsior Hotel
Day 13, April 7, Wednesday
Accommodations: Palace Hotel
I took the optional tour to the republic of Montenegro, featuring Kotor Bay, southern Europe’s only natural fjord; Cetinje, its former capital city; and Budva, a coastal town dating back 2,500 years ($55 per person, included lunch). According to Lonely Planet: “Do not miss this tour!,” pp. 884....
On the way we passed through a segment of Serbia (see tip on land that gave an outlet to the Adriatic Sea). We stopped and purchased wine here.
Gulf of Kotor, Montenegro
The old town of Kotor is one of the best preserved medieval towns in this part of the Mediterranean. It was succeeded in preserving its original form, so typical of towns between the XII and the XIV century. The asymmetric structure of the narrow streets and squares, combined with the numerous valuable monuments of medieval architecture, contributed to Kotor being placed on UNESCO’s “The world natural and cultural inheritance” list. The unique architectural styles and the ambient atmosphere enrich the cultural inheritance of this town.
The fortification system of Kotor, which protects it from the sea, is actually a wall 4.5 km long, 20 m high and 15 m wide, and is preserved as one of the world’s historic values. The fortifications of Kotor (Italian: Cattaro) are an integrated historical fortification system that protected the medieval town of Kotor containing ramparts, towers, citadels, gates, bastions, forts, cisterns, a castle, and ancillary buildings and structures. They incorporate military architecture of Illyricum, Byzantium, Venice, and Austria.
Church of Our Lady of Remedy (right).
The construction of the ramparts was initiated in the Illyrian age and they were built and rebuilt up to the XVIII century.
The oldest town gate, of the three existing in the town, is the “South” gate, which was partially constructed in the IX century. The “North” and the “Main” gates were built in the renaissance style by the first half of the XVI century.
The Orthodox Church of St. Nicolas was built by the beginning of the XX century with a valuable collection of icons.
The most representative monument of Roman architecture in the Adriatic is the magnificent Cathedral of St. Tiphun, constructed in 1166 and built on the remains of the former temple from the IX century. There are the remains of the frescos from the XIV century and the valuable treasury with domestic and Venetian golden works dating from the XIV to the XX century.
Back of St. Tiphun Cathedral
We also visited DuCetinje, Montenegro. “This is a beautiful heavenly valley”, said one English princess, at the beginning of this century, which was excited by the panorama of Cetinje. The most beautiful view of this old Montenegrin town is probably at Orlov Krs (Eagle’s rock). Cetinje does not have ramparts, like many other ancient royal towns, since nature has encircled it with stone hills as powerful guardians.
Cetinje is a town of immense historical heritage, founded in the 15th century. It became the center of Montenegrin life and both a cradle of Montenegrin and an Eastern Orthodox religious center. It is because of its heritage as a long-term Montenegrin capital that it is today the honorary capital of Montenegro.
The Monastery of Saint Peter of Cetinje (Sveti Petar Cetinjski) was built in 1701 by Vladika Danilo Petrovic, the founder of the Petrovic dynasty. The monastery was built on the site of the former court
of Ivan Crnojevic, a ruler from the third Montenegrin dynasty.
The Monastery served as the seat of the Montenegrin Metropolitan (Archbishop). It was also the focal point of education and culture. The first elementary and high school in Montenegro operated in the monastery.
But it was also the center of power of the Montenegrin state. Here, the Bishop-Prince and poet Petar Petrovic Njegos (1813-1851) operated a printing press and a workshop for producing zinc cannon balls. The Cetinje monastery also served as a family mausoleum for the Petrovic dynasty.
Lovcen National Park encompasses the central and the highest part of Lovćen mountain massif and covers an area of 62.20 km². It was proclaimed a national park in 1952. Besides Lovćen's natural
beauties, national park was established to protect rich historical, cultural and architectural heritage of the area
Budva, Montenegro
Budva is considered one of the oldest settlements in the Balkans. The legend, confirmed by Greek mythology, says that Cadmo, the son of the Phoenician king Agenon, established Budva. He was expelled from Thebes and arrived by ox-drawn car in this area where he started Budva.
The old town of Budva lies on a little island that was linked to the land by a sandbar and in time turned
into a peninsula. Ramparts originating from the 15th century including a medieval fortification system
with city gates, defense walls and towers surround it. Inside the walls the town is a combination of narrow streets and little squares with valuable monuments of different Mediterranean cultures that marked its development. Picture on right: Old Town in 1615
Old Town today (below)
Meals: B, D
Day 14, April 8, Maundy Thursday
Free day.
Included farewell dinner at a local restaurant.
Accommodations: Excelsior Hotel, Dubrovnik
Meals: B, D
Day 15 April 9th, Good Friday
After breakfast this morning, we were assisted to the Dubrovnik airport for our return flight home. Departed 7:30 am via Frankfort and Chicago. Arrived MSP 7:19 pm.
Day 12, April 6, Tuesday
The city, known as the Pearl of the Adriatic, casts its spell first during an included city tour, featuring the Stari Grad (Old City) founded in the 13th century (by refugees from Epidaurus, Greece) and its five bastions. Free time here allowed us to stroll its grid-like streets (autos are not allowed, so it truly is a walker’s delight)!, taking in its fanciful architecture, and pausing to relish its public market.
George Bernard Shaw: “Those who seek an earthly paradise should visit Dubrovnik.” See for yourselves the wild iris-covered hills that plunge toward a shoreline of coves, golden boulders and stately cypresses.
While we were here, our guide pointed out how Serbia pummeled the city from the higher grounds inland. We had noticed areas of destruction en route to the city. Communities were devastated -- not just military installations. One could easily come to the conclusion that the goal had been ethnic cleansing.
According to National Catholic Reporter, Nov 2, 2001 by Margot Patterson:
Twenty-six grenades fell on the Dominican monastery during the war. The 13th-century monastery was one of hundreds of buildings damaged by the siege of Dubrovnik. During the siege, the Yugoslav Army bombarded Dubrovnik by air, land and sea. Two thousand shells fell on the city. Seventy percent of Dubrovnik's buildings suffered direct hits, and many of Dubrovnik's most precious monuments and churches were bombed despite -- or, some say, because of -- UNESCO flags marking them. Little in Dubrovnik was left untouched by the war, neither the city walls, nor the city's fortresses, streets, churches, public buildings or homes. "In every house you'll find traces of the shrapnel on the walls," said Dubravka Zvrko, director of publicity for the Institute for the Restoration of Dubrovnik. Today, few signs of the destruction wrought by the siege are visible. "You walk around the inner city, and there's nothing that reminds you of the war," marveled Bert Tiemes, a Dutch NATO official visiting Dubrovnik for the first time.
That night Grand Circle Travel took us out to the country side for a home hosted dinner. Much destruction was still evident where we visited. Just across the street was a bombed out school. Our host explained that their children still attended a different school because this one had not been rebuilt. They added that reconstruction priorities did provide for a new soccer stadium.
We then had two days at leisure to uncover Dubrovnik’s many attributes. Spend time in the Rector’s Palace. For some local flavor, we relaxed amid the bustling cafes of the Prijeko district, and investigated the many shops of the Stradun (Placa), the city’s main thoroughfare.
Accommodations: Excelsior Hotel
Day 13, April 7, Wednesday
Accommodations: Palace Hotel
Church of Our Lady of Remedy (right).
The oldest town gate, of the three existing in the town, is the “South” gate, which was partially constructed in the IX century. The “North” and the “Main” gates were built in the renaissance style by the first half of the XVI century.
We also visited DuCetinje, Montenegro. “This is a beautiful heavenly valley”, said one English princess, at the beginning of this century, which was excited by the panorama of Cetinje. The most beautiful view of this old Montenegrin town is probably at Orlov Krs (Eagle’s rock). Cetinje does not have ramparts, like many other ancient royal towns, since nature has encircled it with stone hills as powerful guardians.
Cetinje is a town of immense historical heritage, founded in the 15th century. It became the center of Montenegrin life and both a cradle of Montenegrin and an Eastern Orthodox religious center. It is because of its heritage as a long-term Montenegrin capital that it is today the honorary capital of Montenegro.
of Ivan Crnojevic, a ruler from the third Montenegrin dynasty.
The Monastery served as the seat of the Montenegrin Metropolitan (Archbishop). It was also the focal point of education and culture. The first elementary and high school in Montenegro operated in the monastery.
But it was also the center of power of the Montenegrin state. Here, the Bishop-Prince and poet Petar Petrovic Njegos (1813-1851) operated a printing press and a workshop for producing zinc cannon balls. The Cetinje monastery also served as a family mausoleum for the Petrovic dynasty.
beauties, national park was established to protect rich historical, cultural and architectural heritage of the area
Budva, Montenegro
Budva is considered one of the oldest settlements in the Balkans. The legend, confirmed by Greek mythology, says that Cadmo, the son of the Phoenician king Agenon, established Budva. He was expelled from Thebes and arrived by ox-drawn car in this area where he started Budva.
into a peninsula. Ramparts originating from the 15th century including a medieval fortification system
with city gates, defense walls and towers surround it. Inside the walls the town is a combination of narrow streets and little squares with valuable monuments of different Mediterranean cultures that marked its development. Picture on right: Old Town in 1615
Old Town today (below)
Meals: B, D
Day 14, April 8, Maundy Thursday
Free day.
Included farewell dinner at a local restaurant.
Accommodations: Excelsior Hotel, Dubrovnik
Meals: B, D
Day 15 April 9th, Good Friday
After breakfast this morning, we were assisted to the Dubrovnik airport for our return flight home. Departed 7:30 am via Frankfort and Chicago. Arrived MSP 7:19 pm.
