We’ve spent the bulk of the last few days in the city of Zadar with National Park stops between Rovinj and Zadar and between Zadar and Mostar (where we arrived last night). I have very little to report from Day 55 as it was our last day in Rovinj and we mostly just drank coffee and wine and did some pretty significant planning for the remainder of our trip.
We woke up early on Day 56, excited to get to Plitvice Lakes National Park which has been high on my travel list for a while. I’m happy to report that it did not disappoint! The crowds were a bit much in a few sections of the park, but Aaron and I mostly walked along the less-traveled trails and it was incredibly serene. While the waterfalls are certainly the main draw of the park, I equally enjoyed the turquoise water of the lakes. It was made all the more beautiful by the surrounding forest which was donning its peak fall foliage. We walked around for hours enjoying the calm of the lake trails and the energy of the waterfall boardwalk trails. We finally peeled ourselves away from the park in order to make our way to Zadar, but we could have easily spent another hour or two there. If you’re planning on visiting, it definitely warrants a full day in my opinion.
We woke up early on Day 56, excited to get to Plitvice Lakes National Park which has been high on my travel list for a while. I’m happy to report that it did not disappoint! The crowds were a bit much in a few sections of the park, but Aaron and I mostly walked along the less-traveled trails and it was incredibly serene. While the waterfalls are certainly the main draw of the park, I equally enjoyed the turquoise water of the lakes. It was made all the more beautiful by the surrounding forest which was donning its peak fall foliage. We walked around for hours enjoying the calm of the lake trails and the energy of the waterfall boardwalk trails. We finally peeled ourselves away from the park in order to make our way to Zadar, but we could have easily spent another hour or two there. If you’re planning on visiting, it definitely warrants a full day in my opinion.
We spent Days 57 and 58 exploring the city of Zadar, which is a coastal city in Northern Dalmatia. It’s certainly a much larger city than Rovinj, so the immediate charm factor was a bit lacking in comparison. Zadar has also experienced a lot of destruction, particularly as a result of World Wars II, so much of the city has been rebuilt relatively recently. There has certainly been an effort to preserve and restore the historical buildings in the old city, but there are also a significant amount of ruins scattered throughout that don’t seem to be well protected.
In an interesting juxtaposition, the old city is also home to the city’s most modern art installations, including the Sea Organ and The Greeting to the Sun. Both were designed by the architect Nikola Bašić in an effort to reinvent the sea front, which had been reconstructed as a monotonous concrete wall after World War II. The Sea Organ is a system of tubes and a resonating cavity that produce sound by way of waves and wind. The system is concealed under a series of steps where you can sit and listen to the music of the ocean. To be honest, it kind of sounds like the beginning of a middle school flute practice where everyone is warming up completely independent of one another, but it was somehow captivating. Aaron and I laid on the steps for a quite a while listening to the sounds.
The Greeting to the Sun is a more visual experience involving a series of photo-voltaic solar modules in circular shapes representing the Sun and the planets. The solar modules capture light during the day and put on an entertaining light show at night. In addition to powering the installation, the solar modules also provide nearly half the power necessary to light the entire Zadar waterfront. We caught the Greeting to the Sun as the evening lights were just beginning to dance and the real sun was setting behind it. It was a rather magical sight to see and a great way to end our time in Zadar.
In an interesting juxtaposition, the old city is also home to the city’s most modern art installations, including the Sea Organ and The Greeting to the Sun. Both were designed by the architect Nikola Bašić in an effort to reinvent the sea front, which had been reconstructed as a monotonous concrete wall after World War II. The Sea Organ is a system of tubes and a resonating cavity that produce sound by way of waves and wind. The system is concealed under a series of steps where you can sit and listen to the music of the ocean. To be honest, it kind of sounds like the beginning of a middle school flute practice where everyone is warming up completely independent of one another, but it was somehow captivating. Aaron and I laid on the steps for a quite a while listening to the sounds.
The Greeting to the Sun is a more visual experience involving a series of photo-voltaic solar modules in circular shapes representing the Sun and the planets. The solar modules capture light during the day and put on an entertaining light show at night. In addition to powering the installation, the solar modules also provide nearly half the power necessary to light the entire Zadar waterfront. We caught the Greeting to the Sun as the evening lights were just beginning to dance and the real sun was setting behind it. It was a rather magical sight to see and a great way to end our time in Zadar.
On Day 59, we again decided to break up our drive with a dose of nature, this time at Krka National Park which encompasses a portion of the Krka River that is peppered with waterfalls, caves, and cultural history. The main draw of the park are the Stradinski Buk waterfalls which cascade over a considerable distance and are incredibly striking. This area of the park is also home to water mills that have been preserved into a pseudo-museum. While this part of the park certainly leans hard into the tourist trap mentality, the sights were spectacular and the history was fascinating. I couldn't get over how vibrant and alive the water looked!
After our visit with the waterfalls we decided to check out another part of the park where we walked up 517 steps to a small cave. The views from the walk up were beautiful and the exhibit within the cave was really interesting. The cave was discovered relatively recently and there is evidence of habitation from thousands of years ago, including the discovery of human bones and ancient pottery. The cave is very small but we thought it was worth the climb up - plus we even saw a bat!
After our visit with the waterfalls we decided to check out another part of the park where we walked up 517 steps to a small cave. The views from the walk up were beautiful and the exhibit within the cave was really interesting. The cave was discovered relatively recently and there is evidence of habitation from thousands of years ago, including the discovery of human bones and ancient pottery. The cave is very small but we thought it was worth the climb up - plus we even saw a bat!
After our cave adventure we decided it was time to start making our way to Mostar. The drive was really beautiful and as we approached Mostar the sun was setting behind the mountains. We’ve actually been doing a lot of research into Bosnia and Herzegovina’s history and we’re really curious to see how this city has been shaped by the differing ethnic, religious, and cultural influences. So with that I’ll sign off so we can start exploring Mostar!