When Steve and I were in Berlin, way back at the beginning of our trip to Europe, outside of the Hauptbahnhof there was an exhibit featuring the natural wonders of Europe: animals, plants, lakes, rivers, glaciers, and waterfalls. Steve saw a picture from Plitvice Lakes and mentioned that it would be a beautiful place to see in real life. So when we were trying to decide between saving money and going back to Ukraine to work on a buffalo farm or kick back in Croatia for some R&R, that comment came to mind and it was one of the deciding factors on our decision to come to Croatia.
And boy, am I glad we did.
We took a bus from Split to Plitvicka Jezera and checked in to a quaint little lodge nestled back behind the bus stop. One of the two entrances to Plitvice Lakes National Park was half a mile away and there was a trail through a lovely wooded area to get there. We bought a two-day pass to Plitvice Lake NP and the only thing I can really say is that if I received $10 for every waterfall I saw, we could probably stay in Europe for another two months.
On our first day, we walked partway around some of the lakes before breaking off onto a small, lesser-travelled path through a part of the park away from the lakes. The trail we chose was about 9km, or almost six miles, and we only saw three people once we left the lakes. We walked through the only beech forest in Croatia and revelled in silence so complete that we could hear the flutter of the wings of little birds, and the calls of hawks rang through the whole area crystal-clear. We meandered through juniper meadows and stood at the top of the highest waterfall in the park. It was well worth the physical effort we put into it.
On the second day we wandered through caves and took a rowboat out on to one of the lakes. We saw the big waterfall from a different point of view and watched the fish lazily swim around. And more than once, I wished my dad was there to see it all in person (and because his camera would do a much better job of capturing what our little camera couldn't :P).
We sat atop a little ridge for a while and just admired everything around us. Billy was thrilled because he has a new outfit to wear.
We've taken a boat out twice before this, but I am still just no good at rowing straight. So naturally, Steve does all the work while I sit back and take pictures.
I wish I could take everyone I know here. It is such a beautiful place and the people are so friendly. I would love to come back in the winter sometime - the family who owns the lodge we stayed at told us the waterfalls all turn to ice in the winter. How beautiful would that be to see?!
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