calling from some city...

Today was one of the days I had been looking forward too. During the winter, when I was planning our trip, a classmate gave me the web site of a friend who is a photographer. She explained he took some amazing pictures of Croatia that I should take a look at since it was one of the stops on our trip. When I looked at the pictures, I noticed several were of the Plitvice Lakes National Park. The photos were stunning, and I immediately emailed Scott to suggest we put Plitvice on the Croatia itinerary, and he immediately agreed. The Plitvice Lakes National Park consists of 16 lakes surrounded by 3 mountains and numerous large waterfalls. It is also well known for the brilliantly clear color of its lakes, and is home to many species of plants and animals. The Plitvice Lakes are also historically important because the first shots of the Yugoslavian War were fired there; in fact, a park ranger was the first casualty of the war. The Serbian Army occupied the park for many years before the Croatian Army was able to take it over. Starting in 2000, however, the park began to attract tourists once again as it was rebuilt. It’s a very popular tourist destination for European travelers, but relatively few Americans know about the park. Luckily, Scott and I were “in the know” because it was going to be an amazing day.

We woke up at 9 am because we had to pack our bags and check out of the hostel in Zagreb by 10. Our roommates for the night, we were asleep when we got back from Osijek, were still sleeping when we woke up so we had to take our stuff out in the hall to pack. It took about 40 minutes for us to get everything together and to get dressed for the day, but then we were off shortly before 10. We had about a 2 hr drive to Plitvice, and one again there were no problems. Today, when we were going through the tolls, there were police out directing traffic. It went much more efficiently and quickly than it did the previous night.

We arrived at the park shortly before noon and we found the villa we were staying in for the night. It was a cozy little room but had plenty of room for the two of us- though Scott and I would once again be sharing a bed. The owner’s wife brought us each a welcome shot. Scott and I received different shots, however- mine was cherry flavored and very weak (I could barely taste any alcohol) whereas Scott’s was very strong (though both shots were very small anyways). After we had our shots, we headed to the supermarket to buy bread, lunch meat, and apples for lunch. We ate in the car and drove to the park.

We were told we could park for free at one of the hotels at the park, but that proved to be false information. Luckily, the parking at the park was very reasonable, and even though the lot was technically full, because we had the Smartcar we were able to find a spot to squeeze into. We had to wait in line for about 20 minutes, but we got our tickets and had the entire afternoon ahead of us to explore the park.

The park has about 10 trails that you can hike to explore the lakes and waterfalls; there are also shuttle buses and boats that connect different parts of the lakes together. The park can be divided into two main sections- the Upper Lakes, and the Lower Lakes. Scott and I decided to follow the advice of Danielle and Amber, the Canadian sisters we met in Zagreb. They told us to follow paths F and C and that would allow us to get a good taste of each section of the park. We started off by following path F, and took two boats across the lake and started to hike back the way we came. After, we would take path C to see the opposite side of the park, and then take the shuttle bus back to the entrance and parking lot. Satisfied with our plan, Scott and I set off.

The park is absolutely incredible. Everywhere you looked there was lush, green vegetation and mountains looming in the background. The day had started off overcast and cool, and some raindrops threatened to make it a very wet day. By the time we arrived at the park, however, the sun was shining, making everything bright and vivacious. It’s hard to describe the specifics of what we saw, because I can’t really put my feelings and thoughts into words that would accurately describe what I saw. I took 250 pictures, however, so I will be able to remember and relive those memories. There are three really cool things about the park, however, that I want to share. 

First, the water was the clearest blue I have ever seen in my life. In fact, I commented to Scott, the water was so blue it was green. You could see right through the water to the bottom of the lakes in most places. There were also lots of fish swimming around, and we saw ducks as well. There is no swimming allowed in the lakes, which was disappointing, especially for Scott. It seemed like it would be pretty easy just to jump in the lakes because there did not seem to be any park rangers that I noticed, and most of the hiking trail did not have hand rails (even in places that it would be dangerous if someone tripped or slipped, because they would be falling down a small cliff or into a waterfall). Nevertheless, we were unable to swim. I think they do not allow swimming so that they could maintain the purity of the water; a lot of people would contaminate it, especially wearing all different lotions and oils. While it would have been absolutely amazing to swim in the lakes, it was worth just looking at the brilliant blue-green expanse of water in front of me. 

Second, the hiking trails added to the experience. While in many stops they were just regular hiking trails, in others wooden planks had been hastily thrown together and built over streams, lakes, and waterfalls. It was incredible to hear the rushing water and realize it was rushing downstream directly under your feet. In many spots, the water was spilling over slightly onto the walking trail. This was very cool, once I was certain the walking path wasn’t going to fall apart on me.

Third, the waterfalls are amazing. You see several waterfalls that are spliced out over the park that all lead to the Big Waterfall (that is literally the name of the waterfall. Either than, or the name just doesn’t translate to English). Anyways, it was really amazing to be so up close to the waterfalls- they are amazing. I have a lot of pictures that I will share because those do the waterfalls more justice than I can do explaining them. The sun was at an awkward angle at this time of day, however, so those washed some of my photos out and made it difficult to see. Nevertheless, it was truly awesome to see. I had seen pictures of The Big Waterfall online, but it’s wonderful to see them in person. 

Those were just my three favorite aspects about the park; the whole experience was amazing. I would definitely go back one day and hike other trails. At about 7 pm, Scott and I were hungry and ready to leave the park. We paid for our parking and then went to a bistro near our villa that the owner recommended. The food was reasonably priced as expected and it was very good. Scott and I decided to get chocolate pancakes for desert, and those reminded him of the pancakes his grandmother makes. 

After dinner we returned to the villa, tired but very happy. The past two days of the trip could not have been more different from each other, but both were wonderful in their own unique ways. We each took showers and did some blogging, and then continued our ritual of giving each other backrubs. At 12:30, it was time to go to bed. We were off to the island of Hvar in the morning!