Trekking through the land of turquoise lakes and omnipresent waterfalls

This is where we spent the afternoon ... Plitvicka Jezera National Park (Plitvice Lakes National Park)

For the first time since we arrived in Europe, we heard something that has been missing: the sound of birds chirping ... and no horns honking!

Chris and I escaped the busy life of the city today and caught an early-morning bus to central Croatia in the mountain region near the border of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was about a 2.5 hour bus ride and the scenery was beautiful as we got out of Zagreb and into the mountains. Exploring the cities has been a lot of fun, but nothing beats getting off the well-worn track to explore a more tranquil and isolated place.

Little did I know, however, just how idyllic of a spot we were about to see.

We arrived around 10:30 a.m. and first bought bus tickets to Split, Croatia, for tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. It is about a four hour trip and from here and we will then take another bus to Dubrovnik, a city in southern Croatia located on the Adriatic Sea two hours or so south of Split.

Once we had our tickets, we walked about 10 minutes to find our hostel. Actually, it is a B & B located right outside the park entrance. There are no cars around and is so quiet right now as a little rain is falling outside. Chris first noticed the sounds of birds as we approached the B & B. Here is where we are staying. The setting is amazing: a national park on one side and green rolling hills on the other. The owner greeted us this morning and let us leave our bags, as we arrived a few hours before check in.

The Krizmanic Family B and B.

After dropping off our bags and packing a day bag with water and some Trailmix I picked up at Target a few days before we left Fort Wayne, we walked back to the national park to begin exploring. We had to wait in line for about 20 minutes to get tickets, as it was busy. I read somewhere that up to 10,000 people a day visit the park. That figure seems pretty accurate based off the crowd we saw today.

As soon as we purchased our tickets, we were off on the trails. We saw the most incredible turquoise lakes. We walked by more waterfalls that I could count. We saw hundreds of rock walls that I know Jason Crampton would try to climb if he had been with us. We saw a few caves and even walked in to them to explore a little. We saw fish swimming so close to the surface that you could have reached in to grab them. The water was so clear in most every spot that you could see down to the bottom ... and the depth was deep. My words can't do the park justice ... but check out some of these pictures from today.

One of the first waterfalls we saw from up close

The same waterfall but only from far away

Turquoise water is everywhere around the park ... but no swimming is allowed

Another lookout point a little off the trail...

Looking toward one of the lakes from a cave

More waterfalls emptying into the cool turquoise lake

The water really is this clear ... I took this from about 6 feet above the lake

One final shot of Plitvice Lakes National Park

It was a great day outdoors, much like the day we spent exploring Salzburg. We are both looking forward to reaching Dubrovnik tomorrow to see this costal city and try some good food.

Speaking if food, we did a little cooking tonight. Since we are staying so close to the national park entrance, there are no restaurants around. Well, there was one, but I read it burned down several months ago. The next closest one is 7 km from here, about  4-mile walk. So, we found a little market at the park entrance and bought some pasta, sauce, a half-loaf of fresh-baked bread, salami, butter and ice cream bars for dinner. 

We have a small kitchenette in our room and came back to cook dinner tonight ... the first time we have cooked since arriving in Europe. We both thought we were going to have to eat some granola bars and Nutri-Grain bars and drink from our bottles of water (which we mixed with some Propel mix from Target); however, seeing the pasta and sauce in the market tonight changed those plans for the better! To say we were excited is the understatement of the day. And, for dessert: ice cream bars from the market. It doesn't get much better than that. 

Well, maybe it does. We listened to a mix of top Latin hits tonight while cooking and eating followed by some Guster.

Cooking dinner with master chief Chris Ray

And afterward ...

Spanish music ... pasta ... mountains ... lakes ... waterfalls ... Croatia is a pretty cool place!

Thanks again for following us as we make our way around Europe! We are back on the road tomorrow ... look for an update from southern Croatia tomorrow evening!

¡Chau!

Justin