Day 9 – Plitvice National Park

Today continued cool and cloudy, threatening rain later in the day so we headed out around 10:00 to find the entrance to the Plitvice National Park and do some hiking around to see the sites, the lakes and waterfalls, more closely.

We found the parking lot which was already close to overflowing but tucked ourselves in under some trees and walked back to the kiosk to pay our rather steep entrance fee. It was €40, $60 or £34, per person. We arrived at about 10:40 and were told we could not access the park until 11:40. We weren’t overly pleased but considering the many tour groups we were observing, it was making sense that they were controlling access. Everywhere we hiked was on narrow paths; either boardwalk, stepping stones or gravel. We had to, at times, contend with two-way traffic!

We had a number of choices in the paths we could choose to see primarily the big waterfall and the chains of lakes. The trails began with a two-hour circuit extending to 4-hour, 6-hour or even 8-hour depending on which paths were chosen. We opted for the two-hour circuit which we completed in just under two hours despite the large group of people we contended with. It was definitely worth the experience. It is a beautiful environment of lush dense forest, resembling a large crater, with cascading waterfalls of varying heights at many turns. The water rushes from around the plants down the sides of the slopes to cascade into a lower pool or lake. The water is clear and a rich blue of varying shades.

After our hike, we felt we had earned lunch, so we headed along the highway to locate a place to rest and eat and finally send yesterday’s Blog! It was perfect timing as it was just starting to drizzle again. This certainly isn’t the weather we were anticipating but we seem to be able to make the most of it and take in the sites we had anticipated seeing.

One thing we’re noticing are the white dolomite rocks that jut out randomly on the surface of the forest floor. They are stark white in comparison to the foliage at the foot of the trees or in the fields.

Another observation is that all bottle caps have the lids permanently attached. When they are unscrewed to open them, they keep attached so they are not discarded and found on the ground as might so often be the case at home. They are closed back up and remain with the bottle, such a clever idea!  

After a rest from the 2 hour strenuous hike, we kinda kicked back for the rest of the afternoon before going out for dinner at Mario’s Bistro.  We had called by there earlier and made a reservation since it was just a couple of kms up the road and this area has many apartment rentals where renters are likely eating out.  It was fully booked.  We had an excellent meal which consisted of a shared platter, 'Gormanska Platter’.  Translated this means Gourmet Platter which it definitely was.

So ends our stay here in Plitvice National Park, A World Heritage Site.  Tomorrow we descend the mountains heading once more to the coast and hopefully warmer weather.

Map of where we were staying relative to the Park and our destination Sunday.

Pictures taken during the trek through the lakes.

The red indicates the route we took.

Mini-falls flowing through the flora.

A view of just 2 of the lakes

More picturesque falls

Yet more falls

Falling into clear lake water

Yes, there are fish in the lakes.  At least this one.

Enjoying the trek despite the inclement weather

The 'Big Falls' with smaller falls near it. 

This white dolomite rock is prolific throughout the gorge. 

Day 8 – Zadar to Plitvice National Park

 Today started in the middle of the night with the continued downpour refusing to abate. Eloise talked to Laurie a while since she was awake, so decided to catch up taking advantage of the 8 hour time difference.

In the morning, the skies had cleared and the sun was shining for the short term at least. We beat a hasty retreat and headed to our next destination before the threatening rains midafternoon.

We headed away from the coast we had followed sine our arrival in Croatia and headed across country towards the east and the mountainous area. We followed secondary roads and twisted and turned our way along through mostly quiet rural areas devoid of any real agricultural land or animals. There were occasional homes, isolated in desolate settings, but little else. As we proceeded, the road twisted and turned and climbed until we came to serious mountains that were rocky and elevated compared to the usual hills we had seen until today. We climbed ever higher, looking down into the deep valleys, being careful as the roads were narrow, allowing cars to pass freely.

It seemed when we had crossed the mountains, we were seeing more arable land and flatter terrain.  This, however, was short lived.  We did, however, see many signs for cheese and honey being sold from small roadside covered stands.  We took the opportunity to purchase both cheese (a block) and a jar of honey  which together with fresh bread rolls would make a perfect lunch. They did!

As we progressed, the skies darkened but we did not experience any severe rain. At one point, we arrived at a very impressive high bridge over a deep canyon requiring us to stop for a photo opp. Here, there were zig-zag stone steps to the bottom of the canyon. These we did not attempt but did see someone below! Though our journey was suggested to be, by Mr. Google, about 1 ½ hours, we arrived at our accommodation at about 2:00 which was 4 ½ hours later. Granted we did stop for breakfast!

Our accommodation is located along a narrow one-lane lane, seemingly in a very isolated area but upon looking around, there are many other apartments nearby most of which remind us of Swiss Alps chalets. We are on the second level in a spacious 2-bedroom suite.

After settling in, we quickly took advantage of a dry spell and headed to an area featuring waterfalls. With a relatively short walk from the road, we arrived at a stunning lookout with a view of many waterfalls feeding into a beautiful, rich blue lake. It was breathtaking. We moved across to another view of the falls which showed the tallest of them from a different angle.

Though it was still early, we headed for dinner to avoid the crowds and hopefully make it home before the rains. We almost made it!

We hope to see more of this beautiful Plitvice Park tomorrow.

Along the route

We stop to buy cheese and honey

Heading into the mountains and much cooler temperatures

An impressive bridge over this deep ravine

Note the pathway down

We visit the Big Waterfall (Veliki Slap) at Plitvice National Park

Above views are from outside the park

Around our accommodation 

From the balcony - we're really in the country

The narrow roads approaching our destination

Day 7 - Split to Zadar

We have finished one of two weeks of our Croatia holiday! Time flies when you’re having fun!

Today we left Split first thing this morning by catching a previously booked van to the airport to finally travel using a rental car the rest of our trip. The van took us well north of Split, so we were soon on our way northward towards our next destination.

We chose to follow the coastal road since we didn’t have a long way to go and were interested in seeing the scenery. We wove in and out of the beautiful bays and watched the Dalmatian coast change as the weather intensified with its deep clouds though we received little rain. The waters at times had many whitecaps but there continued to be many sailboats and watercraft toing and froing on the water. We drove through many villages which changed little from one to the other though one thing we noticed that was definitely in common was the rocky terrain throughout, as well as much dense forest, despite little fertile soil.

Scenes from the car along the Dalmatian Coast ( Eloise & Kathy)

Threatening skies followed us north along the coast. Contrasting beautiful water

Threatening skies and deep blue sea.

One of many marinas we drove by today

More boats, more marinas.

So many beautiful coastal scenes along the route today but so few pull-offs.

We eventually stopped for lunch along the highway where a roast pig was being prepared on a spit. Unfortunately, it wasn’t ready to enjoy. It was an interesting restaurant frequented by many biker groups.  There was even a sticker from a biker group in Wales.  The owner was an interesting young man.  He had 3 hunting dogs in a large run on the property.  These were specifically a Croatian breed.  He was a hunter of primarily wild boar of which there are large numbers hereabouts.  On occasion he had also hunted wolf and frequently rabbits.

We were just a little too early for the roast  pork😒

Hunting dogs. A specific Croatian breed, we think Posavac Hounds.  Such beautiful dogs.

We finally arrived at our destination in Zadar. After a short break to recoup, we headed into Old Town to see what might be of interest. Despite what may have been a problem parking, we quickly found a vacant spot opposite the sites we’d come to see.

The first item on the agenda was the Roman Forum which had been established by Emperor Augustus at the turn of the first century. It was damaged by bombing during the Second World War. All that remains are fragments of  the foundations, colonnades and pillories.

St Donatus Church- built in 800 AD

St. Mary's Church- a Benedictine monastery- founded in 1066

Roman Forum remains

Church of St. Anastasia

We viewed St Donatus Church from outside, built in the 800’s. It is in near perfect state of preservation.

We then wandered back outside the walls to the waterfront to hear the sea organ. It is located at the tip of the peninsula. It was devised in 2005 by Nikola Basic. It takes the form of a series of large marble steps leading down to the water. Beneath each platform is a tube that creates a musical note generated by the power of the waves that break underneath. The outcome is random but very effective ranging from soft to louder tones.

Thanks to Google we can see the apertures where the sea enters to create the organ sounds 

Holes which provide sounds/notes from the Sea Organ

After having experienced this phenomenon, we headed for dinner before the rains hit as the skies once again were threatening rain.   The restaurant specialized in fish dishes as well as sushi and sashimi.   A note here,  30% of the Tuna caught here is exported to Japan.

Our delicious dinner

PS

This evening in Zadar, after our return to the accommodation there was the most severe lightening storm with torrential rain.  The lightening was constant across the sky and heavy continuous thunder.

Day 6 – Split

Split, population 178,000 seems to have an equal number of tourists.  A slight exaggeration, however, it seems that way.

Although the ‘Old Town’ is not what we experienced in Dubrovnik and Korčula, it was worth a visit.  The harbour and the marina(s) here are spectacular, and it must be a boating mecca with the number of yachts, motor yachts and catamarans we see moored here.

The one thing that continues to be very obvious to us is that the Croatians are tall and have to be second to the Dutch for the tallest race in Europe.

While Pat and Des took it easy this morning, Eloise and Kathy took in the St. Dominius Catholique Cathedral.  It was difficult to view because of the many tours but they managed to work their way around the crowds to take reasonable photos of the interior.  The layout is quite different to most churches with the altar in the centre.  They then went below to view the crypt of St. Lucia, now converted to a chapel.  It comprises several arches which remain empty.  There is one lonely arch which holds a small statue of St. Lucia.  They then moved to the Baptistery, known as the Temple of Jupiter, dedicated to the ancient roman god Jupiter.  This is a small enclosure with a statue of Jupiter and a baptismal font.

Cathedral Pictures

Crypt Pictures

Baptistery Pictures

We then all proceeded out of the Diocletian Palace and located a marketplace filled with stalls selling clothing, vegetables, fruits, nuts, herbs, etc.  It was very extensive and busy.  We found it was then time to have lunch so we chose a restaurant with a view of the harbour.

After lunch we parted company with Pat and Kathy as D & E headed to the Mestrovic Gallery which was Mestrovic’s private residence converted to a museum displaying his many sculptures in bronze, marble and wood.  Some are displayed within the museum while others are outside in the extensive garden.  To arrive at this gallery we walked the length of the harbour and marina plus about another kilometer, about an hour.  It was quite the workout in 27°C heat but worth it.

Mestrovic Gallery Pictures 

We returned to Old Town and met up with Kathy in time to enjoy a cool beer, in the shade, overlooking the harbour.

Scenes around Split

Old Town marble pavement

Diocletian Palace ruins

Along the Riva Promenade

Flowers, shrubs and greenery everywhere

Harbour and marina

Bronze plaques honouring Croatian Olympian medalists from all Olympic Games embedded in the sidewalk along the harbour walk.

 This was a fitting end to our Split visit which we thoroughly enjoyed.  It’s appropriately a case of “Split Ends!”