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Published: July 12th 2009
Plitvice Lakes National Parks
The most beautiful place we have ever seen!When you last heard from us we were about to board (yet another) night train to Zagreb, Croatia. Everytime we take a night train we're always hoping that it'll be better than the previous and, that by chance, we might actually get some sleep. But being the cheap backpackers we are, we refuse to pay for a couchette. This leaves us two options: 1. Sitting in our assigned seats crammed in a small cabin with four other strangers or 2. Searching throughout the train for an empty unreserved cabin. And since there is no way of knowing if the seats are reserved, you risk getting woken up in the middle of the night by the people actually supposed to be in the cabin. To say the least, this night train was no exception and we got virtually no sleep.
After a long night of switching cabins (about 4 or 5 times) we finally arrived in Zagreb at 4:30 in the morning. With our heads in a haze, we then made our way to the bus station, where we would be catching a bus at 7:30am to Plitvice Lake National Park. Since we had a few hours to wait before our
Waterfalls
They were scattered across the park. bus we attempted to sleep on the benches in the station. Rob managed to get a little bit of sleep, but I. . . none. Of course there happened to be a man three rooms away snoring so loud I thought he might be dying (if only...).
A few long hours later we finally caught our bus to Plitvice. We decided to book a decent room (which was still the cheapest place in the park) in a hotel so that we could stay inside the park, rather than in a small town 6km outside. We walked up to the reception, Rob wearing his bandana, me with dreads, both of us looking slightly dirty, and told him that we had a reservation. The man behind the counter responded with a confused, "uh. . . here?" Wow, we didn't realize we looked THAT poor and scrubby.
After checking in and taking a couple minutes to rest up we decided that sleep can wait and we should hit the trails first. Since day one of planning this trip, Plitvice Lakes has been one of our most anticipated destinations. You can see why from the pictures.
Once inside the park we
The Perfect Place
The best place we found for the greatest pictures of the park had to take two boats to get to the beginning of the trails. About 5 minutes into the second boat ride it started to rain. . . and about 2 minutes later it poured! The skies all went grey, there were strong winds, and the thunder was roaring. Great. Perfect weather for a good day of hiking. We were both completely discouraged as we now couldn't stay an extra day. (We changed our plans about an hour earlier and now only have one full day in Croatia.) After about 10 minutes of pouring rain the weather suddenly changed. There were blue skies once again and it looked like we could continue our hike as planned. We were both a little confused with what was going on with the weather, but as long as the sun was shinning we were happy.
Plitvice Lakes absolutely lived up to our expectations. It's hard to put into words just how beautiful this place is, and even though the pictures look amazing, you can't fully appreciate it unless you see it with your own eyes. The water is crystal clear, and no matter how deep it is you can see straight to the bottom.
Hanging Out
Just relaxing in the park There are hundreds of waterfalls scattered throughout the park and everywhere you look is another wonderful photo opportunity. It took us a long time to choose just a few pictures to show you, so you'll just have to wait to see the rest once we get home! We both truly feel as if this is the most beautiful place either of us have ever seen.
After the wonderful hike we decided to refuel our bodies with a hearty backpackers meal: two bags of chips and beer. We had intentions of getting "real food" later on that day, but due to a horrible night train, a strenuous day of hiking, and a few beer we didn't manage to stay awake long enough for supper. After a few beers on our balcony we passed out no later 10:30.
The next day we headed out to the bus stop to hopefully flag down a bus to take us back to Zagreb. Catching a bus here is a little different than anywhere else in Europe. You actually have to flag the driver down, and hope that the bus isn't full, otherwise you're waiting for the next bus. Fortunately he saw us and
we were on our way.
We arrived at the bus station at around 1pm and quickly made our way to the train station so we could catch a train to Ljubljana, Slovenia. We're not going to tell you how to pronounce the name, but we'll test you on it when we get back. We say that because for a long time we were saying it wrong. We got to the train station a few minutes later to find out that the train to Ljubljana was scheduled to leave at 1pm, but was thankfully 30 minutes late. Finally, we catch a lucky break and are early for a train!
We arrvied in Ljubljana a few hours later and, again, were without any directions. This time we didn't even know the name of the hostel. We always like to come prepared. All the internet cafes were closed because it was Saturday, but fortunately for us the man at the tourist office let us use his computer to find the booking information. Once we told him where we were going, he told us how to get there.
While walking to the hostel we passed a young man with an incredible
Checking Out the View
Trying to get a better look . . . (Rob's choice of word) beard. Rob turned to me and said, "did you see that guy's beard?! It was amazing!! I feel so inadequate." Rob cried the whole rest of the way to the hostel. After consoling him for a few minutes, I finally convinced him that he had a nice beard and we went out to explore the city.
We were immediately very impressed by Ljubljana. The city is not much larger than Saskatoon, but has a night life to prove otherwise. Much of the city is pedestrian only, and many of the streets are lined with cafes, shops and pubs. Most people speak English, as well, despite not yet having been spoiled by the tourist industry.
Back at the hostel, while I was lounging in our dorm, Rob came bursting in saying, "guess who's here?! The guy with the perfect beard!" Rob clutched on to me, begging me not to leave him for another beard. Once again I consoled him, and told him he was beautiful. Later that night, while on the computer, Perfect Beard (as he was now known), offered us a glass of wine. With a sparkle in his eye, Rob accepted, wanting to
Testing the Waters
Rob checking the tempurature . . .
(looking like the Karate Kid) know more about this "perfect beard".
After a few moments of small talk, it was time for introductions. Rob introduced himself first, and the man responded with, "oh, I'm Bob." Rob and Bob had a moment that only men with beards, and the same name, can understand. I then realized that it was me that had to be worried about Rob leaving me for a perfect beard. A few minutes later after budding myself back into the conversation, I finally introduced myself. Rob quickly cut me off to learn more about Bob. *Some of this blog may, or may not, have been slightly exaggerated*
Rob finally came forth and told Bob about his own beard insecurities, to which Bob responded with some wise words, "every man's beard is his beard." Rob stroked his beard for a moment, looked to the sky, and nodded. Rob and Bob had another moment. It was awkward. We then learned that Bob is a very talented folk musician (go figure, wearing a plaid shirt, long hair, and a bushy beard) and that he is a huge fan of Canadian singer/song writer, Hayden, who we are both big fans of. After a few more
More (Smaller) Waterfalls
It's what the park was made of heterosexual bearded moments we all said our goodbyes, and went to bed.
In case anyone wants to check out Bob's music - http://www.myspace.com/smallsur
In the morning we went to the bus station to make our way to Lake Bled, Slovenia. After a few minor setbacks that morning (the ticket desk being closed, our bus not running because it was Sunday, and I sat in gum) we finally caught a bus.
Shortly after arriving in Bled, Rob realized that he had made a mistake. It turns out our flight to Athens was now a day earlier than he had thought and we were now losing a full day in Bled. Way to go, Rob! I even asked him if he had doubled checked it a few times, to which he always responded "Yes yes. . . I double checked!" We would only have one day now to explore the lake.
Bled is a tiny mountain town built around the edge of an emerald green lake. In the middle of the lake is a tiny island with nothing more than a cute little chuch on it. There is also a castle perched on top of a rocky cliff
Taking a Moment
Enjoying our last moments at the park.
(also, Rob would like to add that Vintage Flooring ROCKS!) that overlooks the lake. Lake Bled almost seems like it was taken right out of a fairy tale.
That evening we decided to take a walk around the lake, since it's actually small enough to do so. We reached the very opposite side of the water, where we took a moment to relax on some docks. As luck would have it, a few minutes later, it started to rain. We would like to note now that we sent our rain jackets home with Lyndsay, and that it had rained almost every day since she left. We went running back to our hostel, where we were stuck for the rest of the night.
The next morning we picked up our usual breakfast, bread and Nutella, and walked down to the lake to eat. We ended up spending the morning feeding our breakfast to the ducks, trying to figure out what to do that day. We couldn't do many of the activities we had planned on doing there, due to the grey skies forming. Eventually, we decided to head back to Ljubljana, where we would be catching a night train to Munich.
We were greeted in Ljubljana by more
The End of a Perfect Day
Our last picture at the Plitvice park. grey skies and ended up having to hide in the train station for a portion of the afternoon because of heavy rain. The rest of the day was spent exploring the city, followed by drinks in an outdoor pub with a couple fellow travelers from Denmark (one who is originally from Canada). It was this second trip to Ljubljana that really made it one of our favorite cities.
Somehow, despite having over seven hours of time to kill, we still ended up running to catch our train. As always we made it just in time and had another sleepless night on the train.
Our train arrived in Munich at 6:30am. After a quick rest in the lobby of the hostel, we decided to make the most of the day and headed back out into the city. Our first stop was the outdoor market we fell in love with last time we were in Munich. We decided to get our usual staples of fresh bread and cheese. After searching around for the perfect cheese, we finally decided on one with some herbs and garlic. As soon as we made our purchase, we excitedly opened the package and I ripped
It's a Tough Life
Relaxing after a hard day of hiking through paradise off a small piece to try. My exact words were, "mmmm. . . it's pretty good. . . but it sort of tastes like butter. . ." Rob broke off a piece and judging by how it tasted, and how it melted in his hands, confirmed that it was, in fact, butter. Rob had a good laugh. Yes, I may have eaten a SMALL piece of butter.
Moving on.
Later that day we decided to do what we didn't get a chance to do the last time we were in Munich: go to the famous beer gardens. The only difference between these and the beer halls is that they are outside. We were lucky enough to arrive moments before another downpour and found a spot that was under shelter. There we polished off another 1L stein and made our way back to the hostel.
The next day, Canada Day, we caught a flight to Athens, Greece, where we celebrated with a Heineken on the plane.
That's all for now! It's time for us to hit the beach! Take care!
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Lisa Tannahill
non-member comment
haha, i lived off of bread, nutella, and bananas in costa rica! great pictures. looking forward to your Greece blog. take care.