Day 18 - Plitvice Jezera Lakes Sighseeing Day

 After learning the bistro up the road doesn't do brekkie, our plan changed slightly. It's a fair walk to the lakes from the B&B so we left plenty of time. Tickets are timed. If you don't arrive in your slot, No Entry. On the way I detoured to the market and stocked us up on pastries, to have when we got to the lakes entrance.

Grizzly made pretty easy going of the downhill trek and we were there just before 9am. We grabbed a picnic table and got stuck in to brekkie, whilst watching the crowds filter by. Our slot was 10am. It was a bit overcast but the temperature was gradually rising. It would turn out another very warm and sunny day, just what you want for sightseeing. Berlin, take note!

There are a number of different routes around the park, of differing lenghts, each given a letter. We had opted for a short route to start with, Route B, which meant we boarded a bus, to take us to the lower part of the park and the Great Waterfall. From the first lake to the last, is about 9km and an elevation change of 133 metres. At first you can see nothing but trees. It's a very heavily wooded area. As you get off the bus though, you are able to see a beautiful turquoise lake with small waterfalls cascading down from an upper edge. 

First Contact

 

Stunning colours and crystal clear

We followed the signs for route B, along gravel paths, then on wooden boardwalks, made from Chestnut trees. Water runs alongside your feet and under them, as you wend your way to the furthest point, where you are presented with a view of  the Veliki Slap, the name of the great waterfall. It is the tallest waterfall in Croatia, at 67 metres. We've seen bigger, in Norway, but still it cuts an impressive figure. 

Veliki Slap, right hand side

Veliki Slap, close up

Route B takes you down one side of the lakes, then back along the other, until you arrive at a picnic area, with toilets, souvenir shop, food cabins, and a dock, for the boat back towards where we had our brekkie. The queue was long but they had 3 boats working, so it wasn't too long a wait. The journey across was longer! Well, it is the biggest of the lakes. It was deadly slow, made worse, as there really isn't anything of interest to look at, no waterfoul, nothing. Getting off we immediately transferred to another boat to get us back on the mainland, so to speak. That was a short hop of about 150 metres, so over in a flash.

We talked about some lunch but back at our original bus station, found the restaurant closed, so we took the bus going the other way, to the higher part of the lakes. The restaurant there was closed also but there was a food kiosk, so we got a cheese sandwich and sat at a picnic table, in the sunshine.

Grizzly had been nodding off on the boat, so I wasn't surprised when he said I could go off and see some more of the lakes, whilst he sat quietly and maybe had a nap. Off I went. Here, another Route, H maybe, took me by the first lake in the chain. It flows down a channel that disappears into the woods. I I walked over a boardwalk, to the other side. There it also flows out into another lake. A little further on, that second lake flows out under the boardwalk and into the undergrowth, where you can here it cascading over a rock edge. Following a winding path down, I came to lake 3, where you can clearly see the waterfall from lake 2 but also, one that eminates from the channel, from lake 1. That make sense? So, Lake 1, feeds 2 separate lakes. At that point, I decided to walk back.

Grizzly wasn't asleep, he'd been on the phone but we were both ready to head back by now.

A quick visit to the loo and we made a dash for a bus that had just pulled in, maybe jumping the queue, as we took a shortcut around a building to the back doors. It's a 3 part bus, so quite big and nobody got left behind, so no guilt.

Back at at morning brekkie point once more, we started the long uphill trek back to the B&B. We took it slow and the old boy stopped frequently for a rest but as I said to him, "I rather it take half hour, than I have to call an ambulance or carry out CPR". If he was relying on mouth to mouth, then RIP Grizzly! 😉

I took another detour to the market for some water for tomorrow and caught Grizzly up within 50 metres of the property.

Dinner was had, once again, at the only place in the village. They have a limited menu, with pizza their main seller, so that's what we went for tonight, pizza salami and more Croatian beer. Did I mention we rode through the town where it is brewed on our way here yesterday?

Today's Wildlife Watch, not surprisingly is mainly fish. Aside from one dead one, all the rest were healthy specimens, enjoying the crystal clear waters. There were several different types, Roach/Rudd, Carp but also Pike. Apart from fish, there were a few ducks and a Chaffinch at brekkie but nowt else. One thing that they seem surprisngly devoid of in this dense woodland, is squirrels. You would think the pine trees would be an ideal habitat but thinking back, I think the only one we've seen was in Berlin, a red , in the rain.

The day was really good. It's easy to see why this place is such a massive tourist attraction. So much natural beauty deserves a large audience.

Tomorrow we head for Slovenia, the 11th country of the 14 on our route.

Doviđenja