Day 12 of 35: Plitvice Lakes
Today we visited the Plitvice Lakes, which was a bucket list item for me ever since I first saw photos of them. My photos don’t do it justice; stunning! Plitvice Lakes National Park includes a string of 16 turquoise lakes linked by 92 waterfalls and cascades, surrounded by a lush rain forest. It’s the oldest & largest national park in Croatia & is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Our tour of the national park ended with a boat ride across the largest of the lower lakes. We then walked back to our hotel & met Blaž, our tour director. He took us to a local cafeteria-style restaurant for lunch. Lots of workers, cops, & locals were there. A sure sign it’s inexpensive, hearty, & good!
After lunch we descended once again to the seashore. Along the way we saw lots of small towns that have still not recovered from the war – deserted homes, buildings with bullet holes, monuments to the dead. The wars here have taken a huge toll & still color the local attitudes. Our national park guide, Antonella, told us how her dad had to fight in the war, her mom moved away, & they were luckily reunited after. Seeing & hearing the impact was very sobering.
We ended the day with a walking tour of the beautiful seaside resort town of Opatija.
