Blogs from Plitvice Lakes National Park, Central Croatia, Croatia, Europe

Nous avons quitté le bord de la mer ensoleillé pour nous diriger dans les montagnes vers les lacs de Plitvice. Pour ce faire, nous avons emprunté l'autoroute-à-130 et puisque la route montait... montait... alors ils ont bien pensé à ça les croates : ils ont construit plein de tunnels! Il y en avait un qui était de 5km! C'est long 5km dans un tube noir (eille on ne roulait pas à 130 là-dedans!) À notre sortie du tunnel, une mauvaise surprise nous attendait : la température avait complètement changé! On était rendu dans les nuages gris et il pleuvait! Malheureusement pour nous, il aura plus au cours des 2 jours où on aura voulu aller voir les lacs :( Ils se trouvent dans un parc immense qui peut se visiter en 2 jours, même plus, et ... read more

When we left Zagreb, we went out the western side of the city which is newer and a growing area. The buildings were much nicer with less graffiti; there were also lots of new shopping centres. Zagreb has 800,000 residents and is the biggest city and capital of Croatia. It also has the biggest and most respected university in the country with 40,000 students flocking to the city to study, many stay on afterwards and contribute to the population growth. There is no one major campus but a series of facilities spread around the city. TITO’S HOME AND LUNCH IN RURAL CROATIA From Zagreb we headed to the rural town of Kumrovec the birthplace of the great Yugoslavian dictator Tito (Croatia was part of Yugoslavia). A section of the village (including his childhood home) has been ... read more

Very cold last night, we had our own sleeping bags and I was still cold! Today we had the optional extra to go to Plitvice National Park (it was highly recommended because there was not anything else to do at the campsite). We all arrived and choose the path we wanted to do, we chose the 4-6 hour walk which ended up only taking us 4 hours with stops included. Another group did a longer walk which was meant to take 6-8 hours (it was 21 km) and they came back 30 minutes after us saying they managed to walk 21 km as well as having 2 half hour stops... I don't think anyone believed that they actually managed to complete 21 km in such a short time... CHEATERS!!!!!! We were picked up again at 5pm ... read more

Today we have spent time in one of the most picturesque natural landscapes we have ever seen. In this National Park a series of lakes on different levels is linked by spectacular waterfalls. Paths and boardwalks are supplemented by electric boats and buses to help visitors get around the large area. Great efforts are made to preserve the lakes and surrounds, and many visitors from different countries come to enjoy the experience. Registration plates from all over Europe were evident in the car park today. We were pleased to have manageable temperatures today after all the recent heat and welcomed the breeze and even the occasional cloud cover. We decided to take the bus to the highest lake, where we fuelled up with a large slice of apple strudel and began to walk back down, following ... read more

Days 18-20 7th, 8th & 9th June Murano-Palmanova-Plitvice (Croatia via Slovenia) Day 18 7th June - Murano It was raining. Not just outside but, sad to report, inside too. The skylight in the living area had developed an ominous leak, not a waterfall but a continuous drip drip onto the seating area. Immediate action was required as the forecast was for thunderstorms & intermittent rain for the next 3 days. Il P instantly became Mr DIYer and scrambled onto the roof. After mobile phone (on loudspeaker) consultation with the lorry builders there was nothing for it but to gaffer tape the skylight. We set up weather proofing arrangements in the living and left…. Murano was a vap ride of 45 minutes from Punta Sabbioni. The lagoon was grey, misty & uninviting and spirits were somewhat low ... read more