The power of water...

"It is life, I think, to watch the water.  A man can learn so many things."

- Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook

On the third day I was in Croatia, I went on a day trip to Plitvice Lakes National Park, which is about a 4 hour drive from Split.  Plitvice Lakes became a national park in 1949.  The park covers an area of over 73,000 Acres.  Each year 1,200,000 people visit the park.  The main feature of the park is the 16 lakes that are connected by a series of waterfalls.  The landscape however never stays that same.  Everyday the landscape is changed.  The barriers of the waterfalls are continuously changing.  The barriers are formed when a type of chalk sediment, called tufa, forms on fallen trees and other vegetation.   

But before we got to the waterfalls we had 4 hours to drive.  Diocletian, the former Roman Emperor who built his palace in Split, also built a series of aqueducts and other infrastructure in the area.  

 Even though it was a 4 hour drive the scenery was beautiful.  For the first half of the drive we drove through mountains that have the rocky arid Mediterranean climate.  It was however super cool to see shepherds all over the mountains with their sheep.

 I guess this would be another one of those "Erin" photos.  Apparently the red sign was not enough so they added a hand.

 After about two hours we entered a tunnel through a mountain and when we came out the other side we could have been in another world.  Suddenly there was lush green forest covering the mountains.

 And then we were on to waterfalls!

 The highlight of the park however is not just the waterfalls but also the vibrant blue hues of the lakes.

 Safety standards are not exactly the same in this part of the world as they are in the U.S.  There were not any barriers or safety railings of any kind and in some places the water was coming up through the path.

 Here is an example of what the Tufa does.  Here you can see where the tufa had been deposited on a tree trunk and hardened.  Then when the tree rots away a stone tube is left.

 Besides the water being a stunning blue color the water is also perfectly clear.

 There is a ferry boat that takes visitors across the largest of the lakes.

 Here you can again see examples of tubes made when tree trunks were covered in Tufa.

 There were scary large bugs in the park this was one of the grossest.  

I have found that I actually really like group tours.  It is an excellent way to meet people while traveling alone.  On this day-trip I met two guys from Brazil, a girl from New Zealand, and a couple from South Africa.  The couple from South Africa were the first people I have ever met from there.  It was also super cool because they spoke Afrikaans to each other, which was the first time I have heard anyone speak Afrikaans.

 Here is the beginning of a new barrier being formed by the Tufa.  If I was to come back to the park in a year or two there will probably be a new set of waterfalls here.

 We walked up the right side of the lakes, took a ferry across the largest lake, and then took a tram (read tank looking thing) down the left side.

 Tank looking tram thing: 

 Finally the sun came out right at the end, but it was definitely worth the wait. 

 On the way back to Split we stopped for dinner at a traditional Croatian restaurant.  On the coast the food is mostly from the sea, but inland the restaurants specialties are pork and lamb cooked on the spit.

I decided to try the pork.  I especially like the sides of one piece of pepper, on piece of zucchini, one onion ring, and one mushroom.

 After we ate, we stopped a random backyard zoo. Apparently the man who owns it found two brown bear cubs after their mother had been shot by a hunter.  He decided to raise the cubs and has since added deer, boar, ponies, and weird looking chickens.

 The deer were itty-bitty and super cute.  Why can't the deer in Wisconsin look like these?

 Croatia and Bosnia have had an over abundance of rain this year.  This is not in fact a lake, usually it is a field.

The previous two nights in Split, I had eaten with the girls that I met in the hostel.  However on Friday night I was all alone.  I also really wanted to try the regional specialty of black risotto.  I found this adorable looking restaurant that was in what I thought was a deserted alley.  There was one table outside so I decided to sit there.  Turns out that the alley is actually a busy place where a lot of people walk by.  I also have realized that while traveling alone isn't horrible eating dinner alone is the worst part.     

 See, super cute! Too bad I didn't meet some attractive man to have dinner with.

 The black risotto is black because of the squid in the risotto.  The squid is cooked without removing the ink so the ink dyes the risotto black.

 I absolutely loved Split.  Many people do not even go to Split since Dubrovnik is only about 6 hours away and is much more well-known.  I  however prefer Split.  It is much smaller and less full of old couples who are on cruises.  But this was only the beginning of my trip! After Split I joined a 7 day Balkan Road Trip to Bosnia-Herzegovina!


Random Croatia Facts:
- Nikola Tesla is from the village of Smiljan, Croatia.
- Dalmatian dogs (as in 101 Dalmatians) are named after the Southern region of Croatia called Dalmatia.
- The explorer, Marco Polo, is from the island of Korcula off the coast of Croatia.
- Croatia's currency, kuna, was named after the marten, a small furry creature, because marten pelts used to be used as a unit of value in medieval trading.
- Stone from the Croatian island of Brac has been used to build the US capitol, the Parliament buildings in Vienna and Budapest and the New Palace in Vienna.
- The neck tie first originated in Croatia.