Linda and Andy Benjamin: Waterfall hunters
We both like to hike and walk. Among our first dates, in addition to the wine tasting, were hiking trips to Yosemite and then Mammoth Mountain. Our goal for any given day; to see the waterfall, any waterfall. Starting with Yosemite Falls https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/waterfalls.htm, we went on to locate and admire Bridalveil and Vernal falls, in addition to others within Yosemite park. At Mammoth we have hiked to Rainbow Falls and Minaret Falls and have taken the long way back via the Devils Postpile. https://www.visitmammoth.com/blogs/waterfall-hikes-mammoth-lakes. We have continued this habit most of our married life, visiting waterfalls in most places we have lived and traveled. So, when Art and Annmarie (see Blog #4) recommended that we include Croatia in our travel plans, they added: “you’ll want to see the waterfalls.” Yes, yes we did. https://www.visit-croatia.co.uk/
Plitvice Lakes became our must-see Croatian destination. (Dubrovnik is also highly recommended, but sometimes hard choices have to be made) https://www.visit-croatia.co.uk/croatia-destinations/plitvice-lakes/ Depending how you count, there are 16 or 18 waterfalls. It is simply unbelievable. We laughed at walkways that were built over moving water that would have been a feature in many other national or state parks – here, they must be mostly covered up to provide walking paths for the millions of visitors each year. The falls are one thing, the color of the water is another. I had read before we went that the water color is indescribable; I agree. Not turquoise, not blue, not green; just beautiful. All set in a park of stone, trees, and wildflowers.
The lakes are not near a major city or airport. Many visitors fly into Zagreb (the capital), Zadar (on the Adriatic coast) or Split (further south on the coast and home of Diocletian’s Palace). We chose to fly into Split because the scheduled flights from London fit our schedule best. For the first time since we have been in London, we chose also to rent a car. There are buses that go from the major cities to Plitvice but depending on the busses would put too many limitations on where we could go and when, and for our Croatia trip we wanted to be more flexible. Note: I was not sure about driving in a foreign country – it was fine. They drive on the right and the roads are in excellent condition; way better than Pennsylvania.
Diocletian’s Palace was built in the third century. I suspect that the building we stayed in was built not long after. It was right outside the East Gate and had the most beautiful, worn, marble steps; three floors of them. The room itself though, had been recently renovated and was quite comfortable. A large bed, a large shower, and a large TV with multiple channels in Croatian. The service was welcoming and the location perfect. We dumped our stuff and headed straight for the palace. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diocletian%27s_Palace We have seen a lot of palaces, especially in the last ten months, but this is different; only part of it is a museum. The rest of the rooms and spaces have been taken over by shops, restaurants, and folks dressed as Roman Centurions in the open areas. It is palace and old town all in one space. Going out the front, Southern or Bronze, gate we entered the harbor the palace is set against. Between the palace and the water are wide sidewalks with benches and palm trees. The harbor is filled with boats of all sizes. We had been told one of the places to go in Split, in addition to the Palace, is Marjan Park. It is close to town and offers wonderful views of the city and hills. After some missteps, literally, we took a taxi to the viewpoint on the hill. This is the place to watch the sunset. And, there is a restaurant there. Sunset, wine, and food – what more could we ask? https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g295370-d8355724-r491285656-Teraca_Vidilica-Split_Split_Dalmatia_County_Dalmatia.html After dinner we went back to the Palace to peruse the shops and take pictures at night. The next morning, our included breakfast was at a Palace restaurant, The Luxor. After that we visited the Palace museum. We would have liked more interpretation in the museum; who lived there and when, those types of things; but it was still quite interesting to walk in steps that have been used for 1500 years. We bought our souvenirs and then it was off to Plitvice Lakes and our Bed and Breakfast near the park.
We took the toll road; very easy driving, no potholes, not too much traffic, but it did have multiple tunnels. (I do not like tunnels) At Zadar, we left the toll road to go into and up the mountains to the lakes. This is a two-lane road, but again, very good condition. Passing both entrances to the Park and turning on progressively smaller roads, we found our BnB. I was disappointed by the location as it looked like we would have to drive to a park entrance a few miles back to begin our visit. But then we found our host, Miro, and he helped us make a hiking plan. Turns out, there are more than two entrances to the park. There is a third about a mile from Miro’s house. It is almost hidden, there is no parking lot, but there is a gate, a gatehouse, and a gatekeeper. No worries. The gatekeeper asked if we had tickets, I said “yes”, and we walked right in. According to my FitBit, we walked seven miles that first afternoon/evening and thirteen the next day. We saw it all; from up high, to down low right next to the water, to the boat that traverses the largest lake. All we said all day was: “wow”, “unbelievable”, “beautiful”. And it is.
On Sunday, we had to leave. Back to London. Not taking the toll road this time; avoiding those tunnels. We had planned to go back to Split for the balance of the day as it is close to the airport (great airport), but Miro suggested we stop at Trogir instead. Trogir is on a peninsula between Split and the airport. Another excellent recommendation. Very much a vacation vibe and centered on the old Fortress and the old town next to it. The afternoon gave us plenty of time to go through the little shops and climb the tower of the Fortress. https://www.visit-croatia.co.uk/croatia-destinations/north-dalmatia/trogir/ It took us a little bit of time to find a gas station to fill up the rental car, once that was completed, we dropped off the car, went into the airport, dropped off the bag, and went through security, all within thirty minutes. Ready to go back to London in record time. Another trip completed.
So, here we are; the end of the update on Croatia, and there has been no reference to the title: “Make Lying Wrong Again”. I used this as a title as we were both very struck by this sentiment when we saw it written on a hat worn by a fellow American traveler. A party of three (husband, wife, sister) stayed at our same BnB. The husband and wife live in Dallas, having moved there from Pennsylvania to follow their daughter; their son lives in Towson. We had gone halfway around the world to meet folks we could have met at Trader Joes in either city. We chatted over breakfast and then went our separate ways at the park. Love that hat. https://www.amazon.com/Make-Lying-Wrong-Again-Embroidered/dp/B07N8MQBWV All the folks we met on this trip were friendly, kind, and helpful. Every Croatian, every American. It was a wonderful adventure and we cannot wait to go back. Next time we will add time for Zadar and Dubrovnik and of course, back to Miro’s BnB and back to the waterfalls one more time.