August 7
We awoke in the Milan Guest House to a new experience, making our own breakfast. Since we had arrived the night before we had not done any food shopping. Even though he spoke no English, and I no Croatian, the owner managed to understand my need for food and directed me to the local market. He also made suggestions about where to park for free (I disregarded that, because I anticipated walking a lot and did not want to add to that), where to enter the park and how to tour it.
Plitvice is located on the old Zagreb-Split highway and is only a few miles from the Bosnian border. I think this area was the scene of much fighting during the 1991 war when the Serbs captured the area, and again in 1995 when the Croats recaptured the region as part of Operation Lightning. The first shots and casualty in the 1991 war occurred in the Park and Serbian forces occupied the Park from 1991-95. It seems to be a relatively poor region that has not recovered from the wartime fighting and whose main business now is the Park. It attracts over a million tourists a year, but we encountered only one other US tourist, a family from NYC.
After purchasing breakfast and some lunch supplies at the market we headed for Plitvice Lakes National Park. We arrived about 9 am and there were already lots of cars parked on roads in a forested area. No real parking lot. Even at that early hour there was a 20 minute wait to purchase an entrance ticket. Only two ticket booths, although I later realized that there was a third booth at the park entrance. At $25 a ticket they could afford to staff more booths. They have dynamic pricing. If we had gone in May it would have been half the price and in the winter it is only a third of the price.
My knowledge of Plitvice was limited to the tour book and I did not know what to expect. By the end of the day I was of the opinion that Plitvice is one of Europe's most spectacular natural wonders. It is as if someone had diced up Niagara Falls and sprinkled it into a forested Kings Canyon. It is a lush valley of 16 terraced lakes joined together by many waterfalls and boat rides, and laced with walking trails and wooden boardwalks.
You move through the park by electric-powered boats, shuttle buses or walking/hiking. I decided to try to take the motorized transportation uphill and to walk downhill. After we entered we took a short boat ride across a narrow lake. Then we got on another boat for a very nice 20-minute ride to the lower lakes area ("Donja Jezera"). No waiting or crowds at that time. We then hiked up to the cliffs overlooking the canyon of the lower lakes. We then went down a steep path with lots of switchbacks that eventually took us to the Big Waterfall. ("Veliki Slap") It is about 250 feet high and had a pretty good water flow. We then started walking the boardwalks across the water and some of the smaller waterfalls. It got a bit crowded here and so we pulled off onto a big rock and ate lunch. Then we walked up to the Supljara "Bottomless" cave. Rather than going back up we went down and walked along the shoreline of Gavanovac Lake and ultimately back to the boat station. Again, not many crowds.
We took the boats back to the entrance area and hopped on a shuttle bus. There was a bit of a wait for it to leave, but the drive through the park was terrific. At the end we were at the far end of the upper lakes, Gornja Jezera. We took lots of time strolling through forests and under and around the many waterfalls here. Walked on both trails and boardwalks. You first hear the waterfalls, then see them and finally feel the spray.
The lakes and pools of water throughout the park are incredibly clear and a beautiful teal color most of the time. It is so clear that you can see the outlines of sunken boats. As the sun fell in the ski the color got darker. As explained to me, the geology here is pretty interesting. The magic ingredient is calcium carbonate (CaCO3 for those of you who recall your high school chemistry) When the water flows over the limestone formations it dissolves the rock and becomes saturated with calcium carbonate. When the water is still it holds onto the mineral and creates the beautiful water colors. When the water flows faster it releases carbon dioxide gas which causes the water to release the calcium carbonate on the lake beds and edges of the lakes and pools. This then causes the buildup of travertine which causes the formation of new waterfalls. The moss and grass form a foundation for the newly formed rock and it appears as if the rock is hanging down from the foliage.
We didn't leave the Park until about 6, but then we had to get in line to buy a parking ticket to exit. Another line.
Back to the market to purchase dinner supplies, chicken, pasta and vegetables, and ice cream, as well as some breakfast. We ended up walking over 10 miles, but a nice tiring day.
We awoke in the Milan Guest House to a new experience, making our own breakfast. Since we had arrived the night before we had not done any food shopping. Even though he spoke no English, and I no Croatian, the owner managed to understand my need for food and directed me to the local market. He also made suggestions about where to park for free (I disregarded that, because I anticipated walking a lot and did not want to add to that), where to enter the park and how to tour it.
Plitvice is located on the old Zagreb-Split highway and is only a few miles from the Bosnian border. I think this area was the scene of much fighting during the 1991 war when the Serbs captured the area, and again in 1995 when the Croats recaptured the region as part of Operation Lightning. The first shots and casualty in the 1991 war occurred in the Park and Serbian forces occupied the Park from 1991-95. It seems to be a relatively poor region that has not recovered from the wartime fighting and whose main business now is the Park. It attracts over a million tourists a year, but we encountered only one other US tourist, a family from NYC.
After purchasing breakfast and some lunch supplies at the market we headed for Plitvice Lakes National Park. We arrived about 9 am and there were already lots of cars parked on roads in a forested area. No real parking lot. Even at that early hour there was a 20 minute wait to purchase an entrance ticket. Only two ticket booths, although I later realized that there was a third booth at the park entrance. At $25 a ticket they could afford to staff more booths. They have dynamic pricing. If we had gone in May it would have been half the price and in the winter it is only a third of the price.
My knowledge of Plitvice was limited to the tour book and I did not know what to expect. By the end of the day I was of the opinion that Plitvice is one of Europe's most spectacular natural wonders. It is as if someone had diced up Niagara Falls and sprinkled it into a forested Kings Canyon. It is a lush valley of 16 terraced lakes joined together by many waterfalls and boat rides, and laced with walking trails and wooden boardwalks.
You move through the park by electric-powered boats, shuttle buses or walking/hiking. I decided to try to take the motorized transportation uphill and to walk downhill. After we entered we took a short boat ride across a narrow lake. Then we got on another boat for a very nice 20-minute ride to the lower lakes area ("Donja Jezera"). No waiting or crowds at that time. We then hiked up to the cliffs overlooking the canyon of the lower lakes. We then went down a steep path with lots of switchbacks that eventually took us to the Big Waterfall. ("Veliki Slap") It is about 250 feet high and had a pretty good water flow. We then started walking the boardwalks across the water and some of the smaller waterfalls. It got a bit crowded here and so we pulled off onto a big rock and ate lunch. Then we walked up to the Supljara "Bottomless" cave. Rather than going back up we went down and walked along the shoreline of Gavanovac Lake and ultimately back to the boat station. Again, not many crowds.
We took the boats back to the entrance area and hopped on a shuttle bus. There was a bit of a wait for it to leave, but the drive through the park was terrific. At the end we were at the far end of the upper lakes, Gornja Jezera. We took lots of time strolling through forests and under and around the many waterfalls here. Walked on both trails and boardwalks. You first hear the waterfalls, then see them and finally feel the spray.
The lakes and pools of water throughout the park are incredibly clear and a beautiful teal color most of the time. It is so clear that you can see the outlines of sunken boats. As the sun fell in the ski the color got darker. As explained to me, the geology here is pretty interesting. The magic ingredient is calcium carbonate (CaCO3 for those of you who recall your high school chemistry) When the water flows over the limestone formations it dissolves the rock and becomes saturated with calcium carbonate. When the water is still it holds onto the mineral and creates the beautiful water colors. When the water flows faster it releases carbon dioxide gas which causes the water to release the calcium carbonate on the lake beds and edges of the lakes and pools. This then causes the buildup of travertine which causes the formation of new waterfalls. The moss and grass form a foundation for the newly formed rock and it appears as if the rock is hanging down from the foliage.
We didn't leave the Park until about 6, but then we had to get in line to buy a parking ticket to exit. Another line.
Back to the market to purchase dinner supplies, chicken, pasta and vegetables, and ice cream, as well as some breakfast. We ended up walking over 10 miles, but a nice tiring day.
No comments:
Post a Comment