Skipping Through the Balkans: #4 Croatia – Plitvice

Croatia was high on my list of Balkan countries to explore, and I spent more than a a week there (including my idyllic stay in Motovun hunting for truffles).  I’d originally planned to jam all my pics and notes into a second Croatia post here (incl. Plitvice, Zadar, Split and Dubrovnik), but… of course I ended up with far too many pics for just one post, so…

Suffice this one shall highlight only the rushing waters of Plitvice Lakes National Park.

Much like other global icons (like Machu Picchu), the spectacular collection of cascades at Plitvice is a huge tourist draw.  Thus I opted to spend the night at a nearby(ish) hotel (the few inside the park are understandably uber-expensive) so I could get an early start the next morning before the day trippers from Zadar and Zagreb descended en masse.

The hotel I chose (House Milka) was cozy enough, but turned out to be a goodly walk (more than a mile from the park entrance) and even that was a bit of a splurge at $50 single.  Still, I managed to navigate a full day of assorted transport from Motovun (effectively the middle of nowhere if you don’t happen to have a car), and by late afternoon I finally dragged my little rollie down a charming country roads to this:

The next morning dawned seriously chilly, so I prudently donned my thin wool long-johns (which I travel NO.WHERE. without – not even in the tropics), and trudged back (w/ just my rucksack) to the park entrance to be the first to buy my 180 kuna (~$25) entry ticket.

Next stop, the small (only) restaurant at the entrance for a bit of breakfast (streaming hot espresso and a delish pastry), where I perused my map of the park, and chose a hiking route (among several) that seemed doable (est. 4-6 hours “moderate” that included both the lower and the upper lakes – with a handy ferry that connected the two).

The trails proved a mix of dirt and sprawling wooden boardwalks, twisting and turning through forest and across sparkling aquamarine lakes.  And always, always – for the next 6 hours I was surrounded by the soothing whoosh and gurgle of waterfalls.  Big waterfalls, small waterfalls, waterfalls chattering directly under my feet.  The soft trickle of cascading water at every turn.  The sights and the sounds, utterly intoxicating.

As you can see, Plitvice was purely enchanting (and this, coming from a lass who hails from the glorious U.S. Pacific Northwest – not exactly a slouch in the waterfall department). 🙂   And by late afternoon, I was on a bus to Zadar on the Adriatic Sea – poised to rendezvous with a French lad.

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