Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
On Tuesday 9th Clare and myself and a couple of American guys we met in Hvar got a mid day bus to go and check out the Plitvice Lakes National Park. We had heard good things and were told that it was the bigger, better version of what we had seen the day before at Krka National Park. We were blown away by the beauty of that place.
We arrived at the gates of the national park at 7pm, 2 and half hours later than expected and only a short while before it got dark. We've gotten used to this kind of thing but it never gets less irritating. Being typically disorganised (perhaps more typical of me than some of the others but then they should have worked these things out for themselves) we didn't have any accomodation oganised. Everyone i have ever spoken to gets fed up with unit owners touting for would be renters as soon as they step foot off bus, ferry or train. For once we were not only hoping to see numerous touts offering accomodation but we were actually counting on it. Oops. There was only one and not knowing what to expect we dug our heels in when he offered rooms for 20 Euro per person about 10kms further away than where the bus had just dropped us. Unfortunately for us he was the only one. Whilst he drove off into the dusk and we lamented not taking him up on what turned out to be a pretty good deal we were reminded in no uncertain terms that hindsight is 20/20.
At the gates to the National Park is a hotel so we went and tried our luck at there. Turns out they were far more expensive and all rooms were full anyway. Fortunately for us the receptionist at the hotel was a sweet old lady, spoke english because she works in tourism and was kind enough to ring around and find us a homestay. The man that came to pick us up knew only one word that we could recognise. That was 'Schumacher'. It seems that when he got behind the wheel that's how he thought of himself. This was inspite of the fact that to the rest of us he seemed more of a rally driver than a track driver. That ride alone has left Clare with permanent white knuckles and me with claw marks all up my forearm. The next morning we got back in the vehicle with schumacher. The joke being that if he drove any faster we might go so far into the future that we'd miss our day in the national park despite all the effort we'd made to get there. Luckily he didn't fail us. Or kill us.
Plitvice Lakes National Park is an absolute wonder to me. I promise the photos can't do it justice. We walked the entire route around the national park (about 18kms) to take in as much as possible. Imagine one lake above another lake above another lake above another lake. Endless waterfalls and cascades. It seemed everywhere you looked, everywhere you stepped water was falling, moving, running past you to the next level. It was extraordinary. A good portion of the day was spent walking barefoot as all the waterlevel trails around the lakes were flooded too deep to wear shoes in. Plitvice Lakes National Park was and is absolutely brilliant and should be put on any to see list for anyone coming to visit Croatia. The only downside after that was another hair raising ride with the man self proclaimed as Schumacher to get back to the homestay that evening followed by another one to the bus stop again in the morning.
Plitvice Lakes National Park! Write that down.
- comments