Anthem of the Angels

---

Geo: 45.8069, 15.9614

Four years ago, I had plans to visit Plitvice National Parks, plans that never materialized largely due a lack of funds. That trip involved 99 days of travel and over a dozen countries, so there simply wasn't the money to spend a night in one of the park's hotels. The only alternative affordable accommodations were in a nearby town, and when I tried to book one of them on-line, the person I dealt with wasn't able to confirm if it was a place within walking distance of the park. That was the end of that idea!

Also during that trip, I never made it to Hvar island, something I also wanted to rectify this time around. I ended up cutting two days off this summer's voyage to Europe, so a choice needed to be made - Plitvice or Hvar? That was easy, since I had previously visited some of Croatia's islands and there would be plenty of opportunities to swim in the Adriatic without visiting Hvar, so Plitvice it was.



So was it worth the four-year wait? Without a doubt!!! Despite the clouds, rain, and cold, the place is incredible, with some of the most beautifully-coloured water you could imagine, and waterfall after waterfall. I can only imagine how this place looks when the sun is out, enhancing the colours. Perhaps in the future, I'll write a blog entry about how I had returned to Plitvice on a sunny day, and how it was also four years in the making?

Though it's been a popular tourist destination for decades, Plitvice does have some dubious history - on Easter Sunday 1991, it was where the first fighting between Croatia and Yugoslavia took place, and also claimed the war's first casualty, Josip Jovic, a park policeman. There actually was one benefit to the park because of the war - too many visitors over the decades had damaged the ecosystem, and the occupation of Plitvice by Serb forces until 1995 allowed the park to recuperate.

Plitvice is a very unique place in that its waterfalls and lakes are constantly changing - as the water flows, it picks up calcium carbonate from limestone in the lakes, and deposits it elsewhere, in the form of a rock called travertine. As more travertine is formed on moss and grass in the lakes, new dams and subsequently new waterfalls are also formed.



The calcium carbonate also creates the deep-blue colour of the pools, and the water is so crystal-clear because it's high mountain runoff, and because the calcification process also means there is no mud at the bottom of lakes, over years it has turned completely to rock. The additional presence of magnesium carbonate also contributes to the colour of the water, which they say changes based on the direction of the sunshine, something I couldn't confirm on a rainy day like today. It also inhibits plant growth by turning the water basic, so there is no algae present to cloud the water. Who knew something so beautiful could be explained in scientific terms? I wonder what the scientific reasoning is behind the beauty of Balkan women? Is there any university out there would fund a master's degree for me to find out?



It only takes about four hours to see the highlights of the park, so I was able to finish in time to catch the 12:50 bus to Zagreb. There was an older Australian couple waiting at Plitvice's little bus stop, and we started worrying after the bus was over an hour late - we weren't really sure if it was coming, since one tourist office showed a 12:50 bus, but the other one didn't. Hmmm ... luckily, the tardiness was chalked up to the laid-back Croatian ways, so I arrived in Zagreb only a little bit late.

\Why Zagreb again, after visiting here four years ago and finding it pretty boring? Flying from here to Barcelona made the most sense for the itinerary, without being too expensive. I would have preferred spending the night in Zadar as it's another great Croatian spot I would like to re-visit, but it was pricier and also involved connecting flights that would drag out the journey to seven hours instead of the direct two hours from Zagreb.

Arrival in Zagreb was ... cold!!! 12 C!!! What happened to the beautifully sunny Balkan days I've had? It's days like today that always make me regret packing so light - to me, an extra pair of jeans or sneakers is simply unnecessary weight, and I never deem this to be worth bringing for the one or two days per month of travel that I would use them. But ... on those days, I always tell myself "You know, next time I really need to bring that extra stuff so I won't be stuck shivering like this ..." This has happened so many times now, that it makes this fact inescapable - I never learn from my mistakes!



The lack of warm clothing was really no big deal, as I had planned on doing absolutely nothing in Zagreb today - had the bus picked us up at 12:50 as scheduled, I might have run into the city centre for a quick walk or a coffee but really, today was just supposed to be a lazy day of doing laundry at the hostel, and reading and blogging while waiting for that finish. Of course, maybe I should one day give Zagreb another chance - the beautiful Marija from the Fresh Sheets hostel in Dubrovnik is from here, so if there are any other women like that here, I really should come back. The interesting thing is that Marija told me Zagreb is dead in the summer since everybody heads on vacation to the coast, but is quite busy during the winter. Perhaps it could be part of my master's degree in the science behind the beauty of Balkan women. Again, is there any university out there would provide funding for me to find out?

The evening consisted of dinner at Zlatni Medo, a brewpub/restaurant recommended by one of the hostel workers. The food was pretty good, but I would have to say the highlight of the meal was how there was a ribbon of bacon haphazardly strewn atop the mixed grill - I love it! the next time I stay at a nice hotel, I'd like to see a strip of bacon on my pillow instead of a piece of chocolate. Or even better, a strip of bacon AND a piece of chocolate.

The lowlight was the salad - my fault entirely because wanting something light at the salad bar, I avoided the creamy dressings and poured on some olive oil and vinegar. Too much oil came out, so it was like eating a salad made by British Petroleum - in other words, like eating an oil slick.

It was a bit of an anti-social night, sitting in the kitchen by myself, even though there was a big group of people in the reception area drinking and chatting. It's been a tiring few weeks of travel with too many late nights and too many early mornings, so I needed to unplug and recuperate for the Spanish segment of the trip.

Weird things you see in a hostel: I was reading my book in bed, and there was a girl lying in a top bunk, trying to get her friend's attention, who was sleeping in a lower bunk in a bed no more than five six feet away. At first, she tried calling to get her attention but with no luck, so she pulled some plastic spoons and forks from her bag and starting throwing them at her friend. That didn't work, so she finally resorted to texting, and then finally calling her friend, which finally worked. This whole thing dragged out for five to ten minutes ... I estimate that she could have climbed down and gotten her friend's attention in about fifteen seconds. Things that make you go hmmm ....

Late Night You-Tubing Moment: Anthem of the Angels by Breaking Benjamin - today's bus ride was completely under dreary grey skies, through segments of hard rain, quite a depressing couple of hours. A song like this is perfect for that depressing mood, and I ended sticking it on repeat several times. I also found a cool piano version of the song - who would've thought a metal song would translate so well? It just goes to show you that a good song is a good song, and that can remain true even it is remade into a different genre. The one exception is country music, there have been dozens of horrific remakes that should never have been done. YEEHAW!!!

---

Photos

b
View from up top, not far from the trail head.

d
Veliki Slap, the big waterfall - the Croatian name makes me laugh! It's supposed to be quite the sight during the spring thaw or after a heavy rain, but was just a trickle today.

e
Crystal clear.

g
The foliage eventually becomes travertine, as the water flows and deposits minerals along it.

w
I loved how the wooden boardwalks added a whole new element to the photos.

zk
My reward after the hike - crappy ham & cheese sandwich and a pretty good apple streudel.

a
Mr. Bean lookalike, visiting Plitvice.

n
Cold ... so ... cold ... brrrrr ... I wish I was as smart as ...

o
... this guy! Turtleneck under a hoodie, jeans, and shoes. Why am I so dumb and never dress appropriately???

zl
This guy in the bunk beneath me was a jackass! I threw some scrap papers on the bottom bunk, thinking it was enough to say "This is mine." but he ended up taking it over while I was out for dinner. And then he hangs his clothes on the ladder - that could be dangerous if somebody was up top and didn't realize this, possibly stepping on them and slipping as they got down.

zm
The beer was a bit too wheaty-tasting for my liking, but the food was pretty good, and the service gruff. The waiter asked me what side I wanted, but I didn't see the need since I knew the portion size of my mixed grill would be large. I asked for only a salad, but not knowing how to explain that to him I just caved and got some mashed potatoes.
Once again, the star of the meal was the cevapcici, so juicy and yummy. I can't believe I never ate any of this stuff the first time I was in Croatia. The merguez-type sausage had a bit of an odd liver-like flavour to it, the chicken breast was surprisingly juicy, and the chop was also yummy. I wonder if the Balkans use wood or charcoal, because whatever it is, there's always an excellent grilled flavour to their meats. And that wonderful tomato/pepper relish they serve with grilled meats is always an excellent accompaniment. The mashed potatoes had a nice flavour, but its consistency was terrible - nice and creamy in some spots, and absolute sticky goo in others.