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.