2geonomads

Sunday 4th May 2014

After fine continental breakfast served up by polyglot Ana we check out of the B&B  and drive the short distance to the entrance to Plitvice Lakes. Murphy is making his presence felt again as we face incessant rain, still worse the news that many of the boardwalks around the lower lakes are flooded and closed. Moreover, the temperature has dropped to just above 2 degrees. Hopefully Murphy will die of frostbite.! The recent torrential rainfall has an up and a down side. On the plus side the volume of water has made the waterfalls even more spectacular than usual and has created more small waterfalls coming down through the woods above the various lakes. The downside is that we do miss out on viewing some of the lakes at close quarters.

However, nothing can detract from the magnificence of the Plitvice Lakes which thoroughly deserve their Unesco listing. The photos which will be coming through on the blog shortly will do far more justice to this natural wonder than any of my words. In spite of the weather the crowds are huge and a true United Nations melting pot although one nation seems to dominate. I don’t like singling any country out but suffice it to say that I now understand why Craig says spring is a good time to visit Japan. Apart from the flowers the country must be empty at this time. Coming from a sparsely populated like Australia we find it quite a shock when hordes of mainly Japanese treat getting on a shuttle bus tantamount to the fight to obtain a place on a Tokyo train during rush hour.

We spend about 6 hours at the lakes and leave feeling that we have truly experienced one of the world’s unforgettable natural sights.

 
Take a slightly different route back to Zagreb  and see some evidence of the previous night’s snowfall on the hills near to Plitvice.

The scenery on the way back is pleasant without being spectacular , a comment which could equally apply to Zagreb itself.

Best Western Hotel in great location and as we are probably looking like two worn-out, fragile old codgers we are given an upgrade to a suite.

Decide on a return visit to the fish restaurant Ribice I Tri Tockice and once again have a lovely meal at very reasonable prices.

Coming back reminds us that on the previous occasion Gail gave us one of her now famous ‘Gailisms’ when she referred to a .5 litre carafe of wine as really 2 glasses short of a bottle! This could go down alongside ‘ two sandwiches short of a picnic’ and other such sayings to describe the intellectually-challenged.

Gail returned to the hotel while I went on a short stroll through this unremarkable city.

Next stop will be Belgrade tomorrow after a 6 hour train journey.

Cheers

The Obese Ferret