Plitvice Lakes National Park

You can take a virtual tour of the park at the website. Obviously not as a good as being their in person but certainly worth a look.  http://www.np-plitvicka-jezera.hr/en/

Plitvice Lakes National Park is only 100 kilometres south of Zagreb. We have a crammed rush hour tram-ride to the car rental office, toting our luggage with us. But the people on board are very polite and squeeze up to give us space and even help locate our stop. After we pick up our rental car, a spunky red Skoda that thinks it's a Porsche, we take a fairly direct route, travelling on the highway so that we will have time to see some of the park today. All my guide books highly recommend visiting the park early in the morning or in the later afternoon, to avoid the tour groups that arrive by the busload mid-morning. Excellent advice.
After much searching online, we have booked a B & B that is within easy walking distance of one of the park gates.

The Krizmanic Family B & B which has a very high rating on Booking.com and TripAdvisor is a pretty place all decked out in cascading flower baskets. We check into our room on the second floor, drop our bags and head straight out to the park. It's a pleasant 10 minute walk to the entrance which is very busy. We buy a two day ticket and straggle our way in steady pedestrian traffic along the narrow boardwalks. The first part of the trail is jammed with people; everyone intent on getting the best views and vying for the strategic photo and selfie ops. I am beginning to think this might be an exercise in frustration - but it's not long before the crowds dissipate and the majesty of the park begins to unfold.

We join the crowd posing for photos in front of the high waterfall, but then choose the high road, literally, and now we are on our own, except for a handful of more serious hikers, above the crowds with magnificent views of turquoise lakes and rushing water.

 

This is a not-to-be -missed experience. Water, water everywhere - tranquil lakes, shaded ponds, rushing rivers - under the board walks, around rocks, disappearing into holes and cascading down fern covered rocks. Like everyone else, we can't stop taking photos, but we also make sure to enjoy the beauty around us with our naked eyes. 

The park,the largest in Croatia, covers a vast area and is riddled with paths, rough trails, steps and boardwalks. 

The signage is good but it's still worth picking up a map specially if you venture onto the high trails. The one on the back of the ticket is only a general outline.

There are upper and lower lakes and electric boats offer a short cut, as well as a "train" which can get you back to various entrance gates. 

It's been a long day and when the park closes we head straight to a restaurant near the entrance gate which I had scoped online before we left home. Restaurant Lika looks rather upscale for a bunch of people, hungry and tired from hiking the park trails. They find a table for us close to the open kitchen where we can watch our meals being prepared on the grill. It's hearty food, but nicely balanced with excellent salads. A solo performer plays mellow tunes in the background. Ahh, this is pretty nice!

Luckily we have flashlights in our phones - they come in useful to find our way back through the wooded paths to our nicely appointed apartment. Time to get some rest; we want to make an early start to see the rest of the park in the morning.

Zagreb - Day 2

Something I learned a long time ago; you had better like the clothes you're travelling in, because you don't know how long you might be wearing them. So, with our luggage still in limbo, there is no point in being upset that we don't have a change of clothes today. Our carry-on backpacks have all the essentials to get along with.
Adapting quickly to the Zagreb style of people-watching coffee-culture, we have a relaxed start to the day. Breakfast in a cafe is only a very vague notion. Most locals eat something at home and then wander to a cafe for their coffee and social interaction. But home-made chocolate cake, freshly baked and still warm, fills the gap nicely along with cappuccino.

Stairs lead the way through sturdy stone walls, up the hill to Kaptol where the Cathedral dominates the landscape. This is another one of the old towns that could take days to explore.

Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

We take a wander around the ornately carved stone edifice and visit the even more ornate tomb of a much revered Cardinal which is the centre piece of the sacristy. 

Sightseeing is tiring business!

Continuing on our way, we find a street lined with artists stalls which leads us to the Dolac market. The market is a riot of colour and is captivating with its sights and smells and interesting characters. At a lower level, the meat market is tucked beneath the open air market which sells mostly fruit, vegetables and flowers. Clearly this is were the locals shop and there are plenty of customers.

Dolac Market

For lunch we choose some sandwiches from a local vendor and take them to the closest cafe/bar where we order the tasty local beer and sit in comfort to watch the market scene. The vendors are packing up now and we are amazed at the huge loads that they carry, men and women alike. And for some, when is time to go, they simply drag their boxes of produce behind them.

We have no particular destination for the rest of the day except to wander and enjoy this friendly city and at some point we have to find the ice cream store that Doroteja has strongly recommended to us.

Funicular to the Lower Town

 From the heights of the Old Town, there are good views of the Lower Town which is more open and contemporary with multiple tram routes crossing the town. Stately museum buildings are set in parks that form a horse shoe of green space, offering places to relax and smell the roses - or geraniums or whatever. Squares and side walk cafe/bars abound.

Our luggage is waiting for us when we get back to the apartment. Yay! And yet I wonder, what do we need with all this STUFF?

Time to say good bye to our new friend Doroteya. She has been a wonderful host. We'll stay in touch on FaceBook.

Zagreb: in the Heart of Croatia

Despite a delayed Air Canada departure from Toronto we manage to scurry through Copenhagen airport just in time to board our connecting Croatian Airlines flight to Zagreb. Our luggage isn't as lucky. Another couple from Toronto is in the same predicament and since they speak Croatian, we tag along with them in search of the baggage claim department.Our claims dutifully filed and optimistic that the luggage will be delivered to us, we catch the express bus into the city. It is definitely a cheap (30 kuna for the bus and  6 kuna for the tram), efficient alternative to a taxi. At the bus station, the local Tourist Information office provides us with maps and clear directions about how to navigate the tram system and find our way through the pedestrian streets to our accommodation.

It's a nice introduction to the city, walking from the main square and navigating through the popular cafe-lined Tkalcicva Street to the Apartment Akademia. Check-in is very casually done in the cafe at the entrance to the building. Our host,  Doroteja is delightful, friendly and helpful, After showing us to our comfy apartment she goes out of her way, with a map, to point out places we might want to visit, She promises to keep her eyes open for our luggage, which won't arrive till the next day. Luckily we have two nights in Zagreb. We have chosen to stay mostly in apartments, which in Croatia is a great option to more formal hotels. Everything we might want to see is within easy walking distance. First it's time to join the cafe crowd and find something to eat.

Coffee culture is a way of life in Zagreb. We learn very quickly that most cafes only serve beverages. People sit under the umbrellas and canopies to enjoy the other main occupation; people watching. It's an art form here, on both sides of the activity. People dress up, parade and eventually settle on seats that face towards the street, where they become the audience for a while. We choose the History Cafe as it is one of the few places on this part of the street that serves food, and settle in to enjoy the passing parade. Then the rain comes. Heavy, pelting rain. The parade barely slows down. Umbrellas pop up and the servers rush to take cushions out of the downpour. The crowds thin, but only a bit. We have prime seats and stay dry under a large overhanging canopy, so we relax and wait. It seems that the kitchen is in another restaurant across the street. We watch as servers dash through the rain to cross the street where they pick up the orders, balancing food and umbrellas. 

The rain has settled into a gentle drizzle, but we have umbrellas and only a short time to see whatever sites Zagreb has to offer. The pedestrian street we're on was once a river which divided two towns. We take some steep stairs and enter the Old Town through the Stone Gate. It has a well visited shrine where people have left offerings and candles. There are plenty of interesting places in the Old City, but it's already getting dark and the only museum open is the very quirky Museum of Broken Relationships. Developed around the idea of giving closure to those who have suffered trauma through broken relationships, it is a mixture of odd, very personal stories and exhibits. We find it strangely fascinating. By the time we have read our way slowly through the exhibits, Peter's back is suffering from a severe case of "Museum fatigue." St Marks Church, dating from the 14th Century is the Parish Church of the Old City. With its eye catching, much-photographed tiled roof, it takes central place in St Marks Square. The tiles depict the coat of arms of Zagreb and the Kingdom of Croatia.

Heading back through the city, lively with people congregating in outdoor cafes and watching soccer and baseball on outdoor screens, the Bulldog Pub beckons. We are ushered to the restaurant downstairs in an old wine cellar where we have a delicious dinner. A good way to end our first day of our vacation. We go home to our cosy apartment, happily agreeing that Zagreb is our kind of town. 

Croatia revisited

After our motorcycle tour that took us briefly to a small part of Croatia, I lamented that we missed the two towns in Croatia that are on my bucket list - Dubrovnik and Split. So that provided the challenge to create a trip that would include them and give us some other touring options. In the end we chose to do another G Adventures tour, but this time by sailboat. Their eight day, Dubrovnik to Split itinerary seemed perfectly paired with a driving holiday starting in Zagreb.
https://www.gadventures.com/trips/sailing-croatia-dubrovnik-to-split/2340/

We designed the first part of the trip to start in Zagreb, rent a car and make our way through different terrain,, a National Park and small towns, with a short detour into Bosnia & Herzegovina before meeting our fellow G Adventurer/Sailors in Dubrovnik. 

Zagreb market

Enroute to Plitvitce Lakes

Plitvitce Lakes National Park

Zadar, Salute to the Sun

Trogir waterfront

Mostar, Bosnia 

Dubrovnik

Split