ARCHITECTURE + AIRBORNE European Travels: PLITVICE LAKES, CROATIA

July 4 - 5, 2015
The drive from Brela to Selište Drežničko was filled with views of rolling hills and mountains. We headed away from the coast and drove inland along the A1 which took us about three hours [not including our early lunch stop].

Hotel: We stayed at House Stefanac, which is in a perfect location to explore the lakes and surrounding towns. It was clean and had a beautiful view from the balcony. The only downside is that there is no AC so it can get a bit warm in the morning.
Restaurants:
We ate at Restoran Degenija which was pretty good. The portions are large and the menu has a lot of local items. The seats on the front terrace are great but they fill up really fast. We lucked out but a reservation would be a good idea.
We headed to Vodena Ovca for some drinks after dinner. Zach found it on four square and it was a great find. It is in a small town called Rastoke [Slunj] which is worth the drive. The drinks were good and the prices are amazing [we had 2 beers and a wine for 5 euro]. The outdoor tables are fantastic and they overlook a few small waterfalls into the river.
Currency: Euro or Kuna
Dog Friendliness: High. Dogs are allowed in the Plitvice Lakes National Park at no additional charge.

View from the balcony

Rastoke

Plitvice Lakes National Park is composed of lakes, caves and waterfalls. 'These have been formed by the typical process of karst landscapes such as the deposition of travertine barriers, creating natural dams' [1] There are sixteen lakes which are divided into the upper and lower areas. We started at entrance 1 and walked through using the 4-6 hour path, although we finished it closer to the 4 hour mark. A large waterfall can be spotted immediately upon entering from entrance 1. After descending along the windy stairs we walked along the first of many narrow walkways to the large waterfall and then throughout the rest of the park. There are many trails running through the wooded area, but we stuck to the main one as we only had an afternoon.

I learned after our visit that on Easter Sunday of 1991, the first shots of the Croatian - Yugoslavian war were fired in this park. Apparently a park policeman was the first casualty. According to Rick Steves there are typically only Croatian and European tourists because, as he states, "Americans are still mostly oblivious to Plitvice's charm". I disagree based on the number of Americans that we came in contact with, many of whom were vacationing from the US and road triping the coast.

The National Park is home to bears, wolves and 126 species of birds. I cannot get over how beautiful this park is, or fully explain how colorful the lakes and mountains are. This is an absolute must see for anyone visiting Croatia.