Q: What did we know about Croatia before arriving there via train at 10pm? A: That it’s located along the Adriatic, and it’s supposed to be an up-and-coming vacation hotspot. We weren’t exactly sure what all the buzz was about, so we decided to find out for ourselves.
Like I mentioned, our train from Germany brought us into Zagreb around 10pm. We’re just glad we were on the correct half of the train because partway into our journey, maybe in Austria or Slovenia, it spilt in two then hooked up with a different locomotive. After arriving in Zagreb, we managed to buy a couple of tickets for the tram and made our way to our hostel. So the first thing we learned is that Croatia, or at least Zagreb, has good public transportation.
The next morning we bought a “Zagreb Card,” which entitled us to free public transportation as well as discounts to several local attractions, and made our way to the main square to see what we could see. We wandered through a cathedral, the central market district, and up several pedestrian streets before settling down on a bench for a picnic lunch. We had read that the thing to do while in Zagreb is to find a café at which to sit and enjoy a coffee while people watching. So we made sure to do just that – and there were plenty of cafés from which to choose (Katie was in heaven). We then made our way back to our hostel to do a bit more trip planning. We chatted for a while with the gal working the reception and she gave us some local advice as to what we needed to see/where to go and also shared some of her family’s homemade rakija. It was pretty good for Croatian moonshine! It was also after talking with her that we decided to alter our itinerary to include a visit to a Croatian island.
Later in the evening we went out for dinner at a restaurant we had read about in Lonely Planet. We had a couple glasses of wine and Katie had some wonderful risotto while I had a trio of mini burgers. Afterwards we wandered back to the main square to catch a tram ride back to our hostel. Along the way we went by a gazebo filled with tango dancers. Not something either of us thought that we’d see but it fit perfectly into the night with the music filling the air and the dim street-lights illuminating their moves. We continued meandering through some narrow streets and up a hillside to another square overlooking the town. Supposedly there is nightly music in this area and it’s generally a nice place to hang out, but on this night it was transformed into an open air movie theater showing local favorites. Neither of us understood a single word but it was still fun to watch.
Our second day consisted of much of the same as the first; tram into town, wander the streets and squares, and a coffee at a café. However, we changed it up to include lunch at a small local establishment next to the fish market and made our own dinner at the hostel. For lunch we had some fish soup and fried sardines (literally from next door), and for dinner we whipped up a potato/pepper/curry dish using market fresh veggies.
Our time in Zagreb came to a close so we made our way to the bus station to catch a ride to Plitvice. We asked the bus driver to drop us off at a bus stop just outside of Plitvice because it was closer to our guesthouse. When the stop came we got out and grabbed our bags and looked around and thought, “This had better be correct because we’re in the middle of nowhere.” We crossed the road and wandered into a camping area to get a bit more information before eating a quick lunch. We then walked the one kilometer, with all of our gear, to our guesthouse/sobe.
The blue sobe sign in front of a house indicates a private residence that rents rooms to travelers – we found out that they are everywhere in Croatia. The walk was a bit frightening at times, as there was no shoulder on which to walk, but we made it to our place unscathed. Just after checking in the owner was generous and offered to drive us to a market. There wasn’t much to choose from but we managed to load up on food and beverages for the next couple of days. After that it was time for dinner and bedtime so we could catch the 7am shuttle to the park.
We were joined on the roadside by a man going to the park just after 7am so we were confident that we were in the right place at the right time. Nope. The 7:15am shuttle was only for employees and we would have to wait until the 9am shuttle. This we learned after waiting for over an hour for a second shuttle, that never came, and then finally walking to the nearby campsite. But we eventually made it.
We bought a two-day pass to Plitvice National Park and proceeded to walk down a path and wait for a water shuttle so we could start our hike. It was here that we got our first glimpse at how incredibly clear and blue the water was. The only place with waters comparable to these are in the Caribbean. We walked out onto the dock and boarded the shuttle all the while seeing the water get deeper and deeper and yet you could still see the bottom! Plitvice National Park consists of a series of lakes all connected by waterfalls. What is really strange though is that instead of eroding, the waterfalls are actually growing because of the mineral content in the water. I’d go into details but I’d only be plagiarizing Wikipedia so here’s the link instead. Once off the shuttle our walk literally started over some waterfalls – the paths were wooden bridges that followed some waterfalls up!
These paths were about four feet wide, no hand rails, and bordering some lakes that were deceptively deep. We progressed for over an hour around a couple of lakes and several cascades and eventually up a hill on the far side before making our way back. The sights were simply amazing. We walked back up to the entrance and treated ourselves to some ice-cream followed by an ice-cold Coca-Cola for Katie and crisp refreshing local beer for me. It was before the ice-cream that I will personally take credit for saving Plitvice National Park from a potentially devastating wildfire during record-breaking heat by extinguishing a garbage can fire with my drinking water. Yes, I refilled my water only 50 feet away but I’m still the one who did it. We finished the day having the shuttle drop us off right by our hotel and dining on a packet of pasta, a can of peas, and a couple glasses of really cheap white wine.
Knowing that there is only a 9am shuttle allowed us to sleep in a bit more for our second day. We hopped on the same shuttle with the same driver and he dropped us off at the same bus stop. It was kind of nice not having to worry about where we were going. We walked down to the water shuttle and started our walk around the lower lakes. The path followed the edge of the lake and wound in and out around its multitude of inlets. We eventually made it to the far end where we hiked up and away from the lake to catch spectacular overlooks and eventually views of the big waterfall.
Near the big waterfall we zigzagged down the winding path to its base where we managed to find a bench on which to rest while having lunch. From there we followed along the shore all the way back to our starting point. It was here where we indulged ourselves yet again with some ice-cream followed by an ice-cold Coca-Cola for Katie and crisp refreshing local beer for me.
Our next morning’s bus was supposed to pick us up in Plitvice but after talking with the locals we hedged our bets that we would be able to flag it down at the bus stop nearest our hotel. This time we were correct and boarded it for Split. However, to read about Split you’ll have to wait for our next post.
Make sure to click on the collage below to view more pictures, in full-screen!
No comments:
Post a Comment