Plitvice Lakes National Park.

Croatia has seven major national parks, and Plitvice Lakes, our last stop in Croatia, is the third we have visited.

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?!

Squid Ink, Pilgrimages, and Waterfalls.

We left the hostel on Korcula at 6am to take a ferry back to Split, where we were staying for three days before moving on with our travels. Both of us slept through the entire journey on the ferry and we spent the rest of the day wandering around Split and eating squid ink risotto.

On Wednesday, we went on a day trip with a group out to Mostar, a city in Bosnia-Herzegovina. It was a beautiful little town described to us as "west meets east meets north meets west". It is a city of many cultures, with influences from western/central Europe as well as Turkey from when the Ottoman Empire controlled the region. There are huge populations of many major religion - Christian Orthodox, Catholics, Muslims, Jews - and the city was one of the first cities in the former Yugoslavia that had a large population of interreligious marriages. Our local guide did apologize for the haze - apparently they had just had a bunch of fires in the surrounding hills, which happens often in the summer, but get this: they can't send firefighters into the hills to put out the fires because there are still LANDMINES!!! Landmines had been planted there when the countries of the former Yugoslavia were warring with each other, and they haven't all been found. Rachelle, I'm glad that Matt doesn't have to go through that kind of danger - no need to make firefighting any more dangerous than it already is.

After a lunch of food very similar to Croatian food and a rushed shopping trip in the Turkish-style bazaar, we all hopped back on the bus and headed to Medugorje. We weren't entirely sure what the importance of Medugorje was, other than it had some sort of religious importance, so we asked our guide.

He told us that at the end of the war, twenty years ago, the Madonna (aka, Mary, mother of Jesus) appeared to some of the children of what was then a small village. Word spread, a statue was built on the hillside, and now Catholics flock to Medgorje to pay tribute in a way similar to how the Muslims go on a pilgrimage to Mecca. Indeed, it was a steep, rocky climb to see the statue, but we encountered hundred of people, some even barefoot. The church at the bottom of the hill has confessionals and masses in half a dozen languages, and Medugorje, which was once a small village of a few hundred people, now gets around 3 million visitors a year.

On our way back to Croatia, our guide took us to Kravica waterfalls. It was a beautiful little place with waterfalls and a small lake, and a nice way to end our trip to Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The next day, we went on yet another day trip out to Krka National Park in Croatia to see MORE waterfalls!

One of the waterfalls had a lake in front of it where we could go swimming! There were also tons of fish in all the little streams and lakes.

Included in our day tour was a visit to a local restaurant for a lunch of all-you-can-eat Dalmatian prosciutto (Dalmatian is the region in Croatia; it is not prosciutto made from dogs), cheese, and bread, all of which is made at the restaurant. I think Steve and I ate our weight in prosciutto - it was easily the best I've ever had. The restaurant brought out a platter each of cheese, prosciutto, bread, tomatoes, and olives for every two people, basically. Plus a jug of white wine and a jug of red wine for every four. It was eat, eat, eat for an hour and a half. An hour and a half of pure deliciousness.

After we had eaten our fill, we headed off to the cultural city of Sibenik for a little while to walk around before heading back to Split in the evening.

And now on to Plitvice Lakes Natioal Park for the weekend!!!

National Park Mljet.

For our last full day on Korčula, we took another day off so that we could go on a day trip out to yet another island, Mljet. This island is a bit smaller than Korčula and farther south, and the western part of the island is home to a national park that houses two saltwater lakes (in the middle of an island!), one of which has an islet with an old church. We took a speedboat (kind of the cross between a raft and a motorboat?) to Mljet, which only took half an hour.

The ride was a strange experience. Despite the roar of noise in my ears, I felt like the world for once was completely silent. I felt removed from everything; even though the wind was whipping at my face and the boat was jostling around, the world was silent and completely still. We glided over rolling sheets of glittering blue glass and the early morning sunlight muted all other colors except blue and grey. The haze hid any other islands from view, and we were alone in a world that was unmoving. It was so surreal to know that everything was loud and everything was moving, because it felt like the only thing that existed, the only sense that I had, was sight. We were just observing the world, not partaking, and it was tranquil, surreal, and beautiful.

At some point I did start paying attention to the two women sitting in front of us. They were shrieking in terror every time the front of the boat lifted a little bit off the water when going over a wave and laughing at their own anxiety. They were gripping the backs of the seats in front of them so hard that their knuckles turned white, just in case the next little wave threatened to send them over the side of the little speedboat. It was easy to tell that these women had never done anything like this before, and even easier to see that they cared for each other a lot. It was one of the most beautiful examples of friendship I think I've ever seen - these women were probably in their seventies, best friends, terrified, and having the time of their lives.

The experience was interrupted by the green, green outline of the island of Mljet. We docked and were told to be back by 5pm for the journey back. And so off we went.

After walking around Mali Jezera (Little Lake), Steve and I rented bikes so we could bike along one side of Veliki Jezera (Big Lake) and maybe see where the sea came in to keep the big lake full (which, thanks to a small canal, in turn keeps the small lake full). The ride along the lakes was beautiful, and I wish I'd had the camera out (not that I would've been brave enough to use it while biking...) because at some point the road curved around the trees in almost a full circle, and the sight of my handsome husband smiling as he felt the wind on his face, sunlight making its way through the shadows of the trees to make his golden hair shine... It was a sight that made my heart sing.

We made it past the lakes to the end of the road on our side, and saw a little path on a gravel road that we decided to take.

I remember saying something to Steve while I was walking my bike along, looking up, and having the words die in my throat.

I think I finally understand the meaning of breath-taking.

We were greeted with the most beautiful view. Every color stood out with a vibrancy that pictures cannot capture and words cannot adequately describe. The greenest green led to rocky cliffs(? Not sure what they should be called) of light gray turned white in the sunlight, and the bluest sea crashed in waves against the rocks in a different shade of white. It was beautiful, peaceful, and breathtaking.

After we returned our bikes, we took a short walk to the other side of the big lake and found a small, secluded area where we could walk down and go swimming. The water was a little warmer than the sea and such a pretty color. All we wanted to do (and pretty much all we did) was float around.

We took a boat out to the tiny island in the big lake that was once home to a monastery. Steve saw a guy sitting at one of the outside tables of a restaurant eating a HUGE bowl of mussels and decided he had to have some too. They were delicious.

Rather than take the boat back, Steve wanted to swim ashore so we could walk around on that particular end of the lake. I disagreed, because how were we going to get our clothes, our towels, our water bottle, the camera, our wallets, our keys, and Billy across the approximately 100 meters of lake between the island and the shore. Not to mention we had just eaten. But Steve was insistent. He had done something in Boy Scouts that involved carrying a heavy backpack over his head while crossing a river and was confident he would be able to do it again, now that he was no longer a wee lad. Still not too thrilled with the idea, I gave in on the condition that he would at least let me wrap our bags in my poncho just in case. Steve rolled his eyes at me and haphazardly wrapped our bags up before jumping in the water.

It must have been quite a sight for all the people on the island watching. Steve was about halfway across before I even got into the water, but he was moving so slowly that I caught up right away. Once I did, he asked me to hold the bags so he could catch his breath. It was all I could do to not drown - our bags were heavy and I was basically trying to tread water without using my hands. It's a good thing we wrapped the bags in my poncho because they definitely hit the water a few times. But eventually we made it across without drowning and Steve received a nod of congratulations from a guy who had been on the other side watching us. SO to any Boy Scouts out there: the skills you learn, even the weird ones like how to carry your things across water without them getting wet, DO come in handy sometimes. :P

We took a little side path that went up one of the hills surrounding the lakes and stood on top of the little world of Mljet to gaze upon the blue sea before heading back to the small lake for another swim. Again we found a secluded little area to float around in before it was time to leave.

Between the big lake and the small lake is a little canal; the sea pushes into the big lake, which fills up the small lake, which rushes back out to the sea. Steve and I decided to try swimming against the current up the canal - impossible. It was like salmon swimming up a ladder. But it was a lot of fun to float from the big lake to the little lake. I love how much easier it is to float on your back in saltwater - almost effortless.

On our way back to Korcula, Steve and I sat in the front of the speedboat to catch the full effect of the waves. We, like those other ladies, spent the whole ride laughing.

It was a wonderful day.

Up In The Air.

Literally.

After "work", we went to Lumbarda to go parasailing! I've never done it before, but Steve has (when he was a wee little lad), and what better time to go than while on an island in Croatia?!

The view was beautiful and the ride was a lot calmer than I expected. Once we got all the way up, it felt like we were just floating.

Yay for parasailing!