Skradinski buk hike/Trogir

We arrived in Skradin, checked in at our hotel, named for the local waterfall, Skradinski buk, and promptly took a nap. Our day on the water with sun and fresh air had left us too sleepy to really explore the town. We managed to rouse ourselves enough to join our colleagues at a local pizzeria, then hit the sack promising an early start to explore the city in the morning. 

We both grumbled a bit when the alarm went off at 6 but got out of bed and by the time we finished our push ups, the sun was casting a lovely glow over the city. In true hiker tradition,  we headed straight for the highest point, the small fortress above the town. From there we had a clear view of the marina and could see over the rooftops of the town as well. We wandered along a trail through a few trees that eventually led to a road back to town. On it we saw a sign with various hiking and biking routes listed. Couldn't resist the selfie with Croatian cartoon hikers in the background.  The morning continued to bring us more stimulation for all the senses. The light on the Cathedral highlighted the stone beautifully while the scent of freshly baked bread filled the air in front of a small bakery. Wish I could make the photo below "scratch & sniff", it smelled delicious! 

We returned in time for a quick breakfast then off to the marina to catch a boat up river to the next national park on the adgenda, Krka. Like Plitvicka Jezera, Krka is home to many waterfalls including Roski slap (slap is Croatian for waterfall) and Skradinski buk. Buk means loud and we got to hear it first hand.  We took advantage of this opportunity for photos before the crowds of visitors arrived. We meandered around the trails, viewing the various falls on the river and learning some Croatian history and tradition.  The Croatian's are justly proud of their native son Nikola Tesla who was born not far from Skradinski buk and whose ideas were used to design the world's second (by two days) hydroelectric power plant there. We also saw other earlier examples of hydro power being used to mill grain and soften wool for weaving. Our ramble through the park extended into a walk back to town. Apparently, you can only take the boat one way. We all had a good time trading jokes as we walked. Robbie was best at Chuck Norris jokes and jokes involving two things walking together. Mike's favorite was " two toothpicks are walking down the street when they see a needle. One says to the other 'Terminator!'" I guess you had to be there.

After our hike it was, you guessed it, time to eat lunch. We ate al fresco at our hotel then loaded up into the vans for our last road trip. We were off to the upper part of Krka National Park on our way to Trogir for the evening.  Our visit to the park was modified by the filming of a remake of a famous German movie about American Indians, filmed in Croatia.  It sounds crazy, Robbie had mentioned it when we were hiking in Paklenica, part of the original was filmed there. The main characters Winnetou and Old Shatterhand were well known to the German tourists. One person in our group whose father was Hungarian recognized the films. The rest of us were more dumbfounded than starstruck as we passed by a shoot with actors dressed in loincloths spearing fish in the river. This area was closed to hiking to avoid any "extra" extras in the shot. We adapted our plan and headed up the road to another storybook scene, Visovac, a monastery in the middle of the river Krka. Our boat ride to the tiny island was brief but refreshing as the wind whipped up some white caps on the water. We toured the monastery and saw their collection of incunabula, books from the 15th century, including a copy of Aesop's Fables from 1487, as well as other religious treasures. 

As we began our descent into Trogir the sun was low in the sky. Once at the hotel, we again opted for a pre dinner nap. This was our last dinner as a group.  It was bittersweet to share this meal with our new friends. Of course there was plenty of laughter as we watched the slide show of photos Robbie had taken all week with his "GoPro" camera. The meal was traditional food of the region, including "Split cake" made with figs and raisins and frosted with an egg based frosting.  After a round of hugs and exchange of emails, we headed off to bed with full bellies and loads of wonderful memories of Croatia.

Skradin

Yum! 

Swan on the river

water powered corn grinding wheel

Visovac

Split on our own

Our trip fromTrogir to Split was easy as Goran volunteered to drive us in the van.  He was heading back to Dubrovnik and could drop us on his way. The narrow, windy streets required some navigation skills but we managed to find our apartment relatively quickly. It was an adorable little flat just outside the walls of old town and the Dioclesian palace. We took a little break to settle in and get the lay of the land.
Eventually,  we got motivated to head back out for more culture and history. As we walked through the farmer's market on our way into the old town, we stopped to try the figs on offer and ended up with figs, hazelnuts and candy coated almonds from the local woman who despite her lack of English, was well versed in the "upsell". Newly fortified, we entered the town at the "iron gate" and headed over to the belltower to climb to the top and photograph the view. The view was amazing with terracotta tile roofs galore. We were not as excited about the cruise ship brigade who were also trying to enjoy the area. We made a quick trip to the cathedral, Jupiter's temple and listened to the a capella group in the dome before making our way out the gate on the opposite side of the city. We stopped in a grocery store on the way back to our flat. This was really the first time we had been on our own for food.  It's always entertaining to see what the locals like. We found the kikiriki (peanut) flavored corn curls interesting.
That evening after the crowds had thinned we decided to take a walk through the city,  up to the park on a hill that overlooks the city. We arrived at the top in time for sunset. The colors were even more incredible than the photos can express. The lights of the city glowed as the sun dimmed. We had survived our first full day on our own.
The next morning, we bid a slightly sad farewell to our apartment and made our way to the ferry for our trip to Dubrovnik for a bright an early ride at 7:45am.

Sea kayak around Vrgada

We were extremely grateful the skies were clearing this morning since our plan for the day was kayaking. We packed up early and headed for the town of Pakistane where we caught a boat for the island of Vrgada.
There we outfitted ourselves with life jackets and paddles and headed out to circumnavigate the island. The sea varied from dark green to brilliant turquoise depending on the light and depth of the water. We had another opportunity to practice our Croation as we paddled,  lijevo, desno (left, right) trying to stay in sync. 
About half way around the island we stopped at a cove for a swim and the requisite snack. I was happy I brought my swim goggles as they came in handy to watch the sea life.  There were only a few fish, but there were urchin and sea cucumbers. The best sight by far was a small octopus who was completely camouflaged in the sandy bottom until I scared him by swimming too close. He zipped away quickly but did not feel frightened enough to shoot his ink, so I had a good view.  The water was a nice temperature but it wasn't particularly warm out as the clouds had returned. I was happy I had kept my shirt and shorts dry while I swam. However, this comfort was short lived. A few minutes later I capsized us while adjusting my seat! I was laughing harder than Mike, who was completely dry up to that point. We easily righted the boat and jumped back in, paddling quickly to catch up with the others. We were all happy to see the little harbor where we had started, come into view. This meant LUNCH!! Robbie had been raving about the Croatian tuna and this was the day it was being specially prepared for us. We were offered the traditional aperitif combo of figs and rakija. I stuck with the figs which were delicious! These were followed by salad, bread and  "black risotto" made with squid ink. The risotto was rich and flavorful, the challenge was not to eat too much before the tuna arrived. The tuna steaks were cut thin, simply grilled with olive oil and served over a cold vinagrette style potato salad. It was incredibly delicious and we thrilled and complimented our host by making an extremely generous amount of food quickly disappear. With full bellies we walked back to the boat to head for the mainland. On board with us was a older woman who claimed to be the granddaughter of the Duke who had once owned the island. She was speaking with some older men in Croatian and Robbie started quietly laughing. Later, he explained one of the men had told the woman her face "reminds me of my dead aunt." We all chuckled over this slightly creepy comparison.  Ever the comedian, I expect this story to be incorporated into Robbie's repitoire. Speaking of creepy, we found this life sized gelato cone a little disturbing.  It was a prelude to the somewhat disturbing image of a girl on the cone dispenser at the gelato shop in our destination for the evening, Skradin. 

Hiking Paklenica, evening in Zadar

We were awakened early by the sound of thunder and brilliant flashes of lightening. The mountains where we were soon to be hiking were enrobed in storm clouds.  We were not scheduled to leave for a couple of hours so we went back to bed hoping it would blow over. The thunder and lightening did pass but the rain continued. True to our Northwest heritage, we grabbed our rain gear and headed to breakfast. The peaks of Paklenica were still hiding when we began our hike and the rain was falling steadily. The temperature was mild and the hike was still very pleasant. We experienced the unique architecture of dry stone building including building the restroom along the trail right into the rock.  The rain kept the crowds away and we had the trail nearly all to ourselves. It was a steady incline to the top. We traveled at a casual pace and stopped in the middle for snacks (of course!). The last little climb to the top brought us to the home of Mario, our host for the afternoon. He greeted us in typical Croatian style with his homemade rakija. After tasting this traditional spirit in various venues, we all agreed that Mario's was superior.  The walnut variety, orahovica (orah means walnut) was particularly smooth and helped clear the chill from our muscles. The original plan had been to eat outside but the weather being what it was, we all crowded around the table inside Mario's little cabin.  Ultimately this only served to enhance the experience as we shared cabbage salad, cheese in olive oil (another Croatian tradition) and eventually the main course, a giant pot of meat and veggies, or just veggies for the non carnivores, that had been cooked in the traditional way ispod peke "under the bell". The food and a fair amount of liquid is added to a large pan and a metal or terracotta dome is topped with coals from the fire and placed over it. Similar to cooking in a Dutch oven, you have to know your stuff because you can't really check the food without losing either heat, moisture or both. Lucky for us, Mario's family has been living on the mountain and cooking this way for about 250 years so he's an expert. Everyone agreed this meal was outstanding. It was further enriched by the musical accompaniment of Mario on the accordion.  Robbie recruited Zack, the youngest member of the group, to join in the song and they belted out Croatian lyrics with enthusiasm. It was evident our hosts are fiercely proud of their country. Warmed both inside and out, we began our return trip down the trail. The rain actually let up and we made our way back to the vans with Goran teaching me a little more Croatian.  Of course I wanted to know the translation for dog (pas or kucak? Still not really sure how to spell that.) and cat (macka). We saw a  little Jack Russell-ish kind of dog at Mario's and Goran taught me the words for small and white, mali and bijele so I had a new tongue twister to work on, mali, bijele, kucak (maa-lee bee-A-lee koo-chuck) little, white, dog.
Back at the hotel, we quickly showered and changed clothes then loaded back into the vans for our evening in Zadar. This was a quick walking tour of a town with an amazing history. The influence of both the Romans and the Venetians, who occupied the region for centuries, was visible throughout the town. From the winged lion on the city gate to the narrow streets and tall stucco and stone buildings with shuttered windows. The influence of the church is also clear with the obligate cathedral in the center of the old town. This one sounded interesting, the Cathedral of St. Donatus. Robbie called it the doughnut cathedral! We didn't go inside but shared the spirit ordering cones from a gelato shop of the same name. As darkness fell, we made our way to the waterfront to enjoy the refurbished seawall promenade. It's a unique experience for the senses. As you reach the far end of the wall you can hear the soft low tones of musical notes.  This is the "Sea Organ" an auditory art experience created by a series of pipes built into and venting out the top of the pier. They create different notes as the water pushes air into openings along the seawall. Just a few feet away, the ground glows green, blue, red and orange as the lights of "Sun Salutation" flash in rhythm to the music of the organ. This was a truly incredible day, beginning with lightening and ending with a walk under a full moon and nearly cloudless sky.

Kayaking the Zrmanje/Novigrad

We arose early to begin our journey from the Plitvicke valley across the mountains to Dalmatia. Taking in the local atmospere at a cafe along the way, we decided to try the Croatian cola drink, Cockta. It was an interesting combination of cola and an herbal flavor reminiscent of sarsaparilla. Good to try but perhaps an acquired taste.
The terrain became increasingly rocky as we made our decent, stopping at a viewpoint to stretch and appreciate the vast valley we were soon to explore.
We experienced a fusion of past and present at our last stop on the way to the Zrmanje river, the Krupa Monastery. The sole inhabitant is a monk who gave us a tour of the chapel. He explained the history of the icons as well as some of the other treasures of church which was established in the 14th century. The frescoes on the walls were only recently exposed after plaster that had been applied during the Ottoman occupation began to fall away. The history of this area and the country of Croatia is incredibly complex. We are receiving a brief overview as we travel the countryside between activities.
The other obligatory function between activities is eating.  In Croatia lunch is traditionally the main meal of the day.  Before we settled into our kayaks for a float down the river, we were served lunch by Bobo, a local farmer who makes his own cheese and prosciutto. It's traditional to eat all the food presented as a compliment to your host. The corollary to this rule is the host welcomes his guests by providing food. Thus we found ourselves in a conundrum at Bobo's house for as soon as we emptied a plate,  another or perhaps two full ones would appear. We all did our best but our host won the day. As we waddled back to the shore of the river to begin our float,  I was grateful the sun was out making it unnecessary to squeeze into a wetsuit. Our float was mostly flat water as the river level was pretty low. We had a few small rapids and two waterfalls that required portage.  We did not have to carry the boats though, we walked around while the boats were pitched over the falls and captured downriver. It was a very relaxing way to spend the afternoon. Once we made the takeout we all hopped in the vans en route to our hotel.  There was one more stop before we arrived. Robbie had arranged another surprise for us. We pulled over by the side of the road and followed a narrow path that opened on to a gorgeous view of Novigrad and its harbor. Of course there was wine and a little snack of small donuts called fritule (sounds like frito-lay) for us to nibble as we watched the setting sun disappear behind the coast line. Leaving our lovely view,  we drove into town and checked in at the hotel for the final event of the day, you guessed it, dinner! Our three course meal was served on the veranda and we were entertained by flashes of lightening over the mountaintops.  It was both exciting and a little intimidating as that was our destination for our hike the following day.

Biking Rakovica

Our second full day began with a hearty breakfast to fuel us for our ride through the countryside.  We were happy to see blue sky greeting us as we fitted our bikes.  Mike and I were not as intimidated as some in the group heading up the hill out of the village to the main road. We rode for a short distance on the main highway before exiting to a narrow side road which took us over a few hills to the neighboring village of Dreznik. On our way we stopped to visit a recently restored watchtower. It was part of a 16th century fortress protecting against invasion by the Turks. Today, it adds to the story book character of the surrounding area.  We hopped back on our bikes to ride to our next destination, the Barac Caves or Baracevin Spilja as they are known locally.  These caves were first protected in 1892 and only recently reopened to the public. The same karst phenomenon that creates the Travertine above ground also forms the stalagmites and stalactites that over millennia may meet to form columns. When we were deep inside the cave, they asked everyone to be silent and turned out the lights to demonstrate the complete absence of light and sound.  It was incredibly novel to experience the sensory deprivation.  As we made our way back to the light, our guide pointed out some horseshoe bats clinging to the ceiling. Some people were happy not to know we were sharing the cave until we were exiting.
After climbing the hill up to the main road, we headed to a local farm house for lunch. As with the majority of our meals in Croatia,  it was large and featured a diverse array of fresh fruit and vegetables from the farmer's garden. The only downside was having to get back on the bike afterwards! We stalled for awhile taking photos to prove we did ride since with all the fabulous food we may return heavier than we arrived. Our guide Robbie is a great practical joker and convinced Neil to photo bomb us. We have to give him credit for coordinating with the bee in front of us as well. Reluctantly,  we mounted our bikes for the ride "home".  Robbie, who also enjoys surprises, had one more in store for us as we continued up the hill past the road to our village.   We climbed higher over the next few kilometers and before we knew it we were hiking out to a secret viewpoint above Plitvicka Jezera.  We vamped for the camera taking advantage of the early evening light over the postcard view of the lakes.  Once more we mounted up and all the uphill was forgotten as we cruised downhill all the way to the village.  The perfect ending to another beautiful Croatian day.

Hiking the Plitvicka Jezera

We met the group in the lobby of Hotel Dubrovnik to begin our first full day together.  Leaving the city behind we were soon surrounded by rolling hills dotted with clusters of tile roofed villages. On our way to Plitvicka Jezera (Plitvicka Lakes) we stopped briefly at a military museum to view some of the equipment used in the war. The jet fighter is a Russian made mig 21, the armored vehicle in the foreground is a tractor covered with steel from a local ship building facility. Walking around in front of the tanks gave us an eerie feeling. We were grateful we have never witnessed them invading our city.
Back in the vans, we soon arrived at our destination. Plitvicka is the oldest and largest of Croatia's national parks established in 1949.
There were many people both Croatian and tourists visiting the park. Initially, we followed the crowds down to the lower lakes while our guide explained how the 16 lakes were formed. The lakes are constantly changing as the water flows through them. The walls that separate the lakes are created by the waterfalls and made of tufa or Travertine, a sedimentary rock created from calcium carbonate. The calcium carbonate in the water gives it the spectacular turquoise hue. We hiked down to visit the base of the largest waterfall then retraced our steps to the top of the lower lakes where we enjoyed a catered box lunch and left the crowds behind as we began our hike around the upper lakes. Hiking around the large lake we marveled at the early fall color of the smoke bush and were entertained by the diverse flora along the trail. We wound our way back to more falls, Big Splasher and Little Splasher before boarding a bus-train hybrid for a ride down the windy, narrow road to the parking lot.
It was a short ride from the park to our accommodation in a local village on the Korana river. Our apartment was upstairs in a wooden house with some creative joinery which Mike admired. We all met in a local home for a satisfying dinner of bean stew before turning in for the night. Looking forward to our cycling adventure the next day.