Plitvice National Park
Plitvice National Park is series of steps of lakes and waterfalls, set in travertine limestone. The lakes are naturally formed and continually change shape over the course of years. Throughout the day the lake color changes from a grey to a deep blue to a bright teal or emerald green, depending on the lighting. Trails and wooden pathways wind through the park revealing pools and waterfalls as you make your way upstream.
We spent two days wandering along the trails and bridges to see the lakes and waterfalls. We took at least 100 photos. Here are a few (ok, quite a few) to give you a sense of the magic of the place. Definitely a place to visit and reason to come to the area. Click on some of the images below to see each photo a bit larger. One day we ate dinner at Plitvice Lakes Petar, a great restaurant with a wood fired grill/oven. We also enjoyed “Kiki” our landlords 20-year-old friendly but decrepit dog.
Zadar
As we came close to Zadar by car, we passed through a 3 1/2 mile long tunnel under a mountain and emerged above the town, simultaneously transitioning to a Mediterranean climate. The old town of Zadar sits on a short, narrow peninsula in the Adriatic Sea, creating a natural port on the mainland side, and beautiful views of the nearby islands on the Adriatic side. People have lived and built here for thousands of years. There are the remnants of a Roman colosseum and still-in-use roman stone roads, a 9th century church, 11th century cathedral and more recent tower. Stones first laid by the Romans pave the streets. The stones are polished to a slippery sheen from eons of traffic. A main street runs the most of the length of the peninsula with a myriad of narrow side streets and occasional open squares. Shops and residences line the streets.
The Sea Organ and nearby Salutation to the Sun light show are recent additions well worth a visit to the tip of the peninsula at night. We walked through the city for some sights and shopping and dinner The next day we came back for shopping and sights, and good food (including a great chicken curry sandwich at Svabos Soul Food) and and did some swimming in the Adriadic, something that you can do along most of the western side of the city. The water was a bit chilly but it was great to be back in the water again. We came back in the evening for views from the tower to see the light show and listen again to the Sea Organ.
Next up: A vacation from our travels in the island town of Stari Grad, then some time in Split!
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