Another note to readers: this post was intended for Thursday evening, August 7th, but internet connection in the Croatian mountains was patchy -- so we headed to the coast!...
Let's start at the end: glass of really earthy Croatian Cabernet on the patio of our "small house" in the middle of the country, cool damp mountain air, clear sky, bright moon, kids watching the only show available (and appropriate) in English, and Beth wrapped snugly in a heavy blanket (Levi's and my Genentech hoodie just perfect to balance the night chill against the warmth of my wine).
Months ago, while planning this trek, my friend, Melanie, suggested I talk to another Genentech colleague who'd grown up in Croatia. After a quick lunch with Ive, our simple drive to meet up with an all-inclusive bike touring package had taken a 90-degree turn. I had originally planned to dart directly from Zagreb to Split (the coastal town where we will head tomorrow to meet our biking tour group). But my Croatian colleague wouldn't have it: "you'll drive right past the best part... go to Plitvice Lakes National Park" he said. To this he added statements like "you'll be in the middle of no where ... It's where all the Italians and Northern Europeans will be headed in August ... and... They have no banks at all near there but it's beautiful and you'll get real home-cooked Croatian food... in the yard they'll pick vegetables and kill a chicken for dinner!"
So, I rolled the dice (worried as always about the unknown and unfamiliar) and we darted out of Zagreb in our rental car. Quick word to the wise: dart out of Zagreb in your rental car - these folks are seriously crazy city drivers. We paid one toll for traveling a few kilometers along the smooth, new highway and then exited onto the "old road for Split" which leads through Plitvička Jezera.
This part of the trip called upon my teenage-years' driving skills from the Kentucky country roads: manual transmission (but, wow, how they've improved that technology from the '78 Mustang!) and white-knuckle passes along windy two-lane roads. But here in Croatia we add little old men and women about every five hundred meters seated on boxes selling mushrooms! I did not see one potential customer for two and a half hours.
Arrived at "Etno Gardens" 6pm yesterday, one of many little patches of cottages dotting the hillsides just outside the boundaries of Nacional park Plitvička Jezera. The handwritten sign read "cash only." But that was the only primitive thing here -- well, I'm not counting the whole pig turning on a spit over a wood fire in the front yard of this six-house complex. Our house is fully equipped with modern comforts and we're a stone's throw to the "park" entrance.
Today the day began with a jog along the upper rim of this stunning basin full of water -- see pictures!! And turned into a 10k hike through a series of lakes and waterfalls a description of which surpasses my writing -- SEE pictures. Just the highlights would be the following: literally hundreds of waterfalls ranging from a few feet to a few hundred feet high (and wide): water so green and clear that schools of trout swim by as if there's no barrier between their watery home and your walk on wood-planked pathways spanning miles around ten lakes each at a different altitude spilling from one to the next; cliffs of a hundred feet of sheer vertical wall; and the clamor of rushing water having run for centuries (more??) and with the seeming potential to continue to infinity. Rushing water on and on and on....
I told the family this day ranked as my favorite of the trip so far (and it's been a great trip). Why? Together for a relaxing day of hiking (no subways to catch or tour times to abide by); lunch from the day packs along the trail (kudos to Beth for bringing the giant plastic bottle of beer along 'cause when in Croatia...); low cost park fees where they actually did take a Visa; all surrounded by cool temps and scenery unlike any I've seen before; and a surprisingly few of our typical spats (we had 'em, but it just seemed like there were less).
We ended back at the Etno Gardens, served our second exquisite meal complete with hot soup, grilled meats (no pork tonight but that was really delicious last night once I suppressed thoughts of its journey to my plate earlier that day); and wine -- always a brandy at the very end, which we really should do more of back at home. After the sunset faded and the boys finished their game of badminton, we retreated to the patio.
This day I hope to remember forever (even that poor pig).
No comments:
Post a Comment