Croatia...Rovinj and Plitvice Lakes National Park

We left Slovenia on Easter Sunday morning so there were no buses running, very Catholic country! So we booked a shared van and ended up being the only passengers. It was a quick trip only an hour and no traffic at the border where we got checked out of Slovenia but waved through into Croatia.

The mist on the river valley as we again drive through the beautiful countryside. 

When we arrived it was a gloriously sunny Easter morning and the harbour was so still...

Rovinj is an active fishing port of about 14,000 people so even though it is similar to Piran it is much bigger and again very touristy. It too belonged to Italy until after World War II when it was given to the former Yugoslavia. 

While we were waiting for our time to check in, (the owner of the house kindly met us at the bus stop and took our luggage), we stopped in the main square where there were little dancers performing for the locals. They were so cute in their outfits...

The little ones waiting their turn 

Our accommodation this time was a lovely studio apartment about 5 mins walk to the Center with a sunny patio which we enjoyed. The owner had also left us a lovely supper of Easter ham, leeks, potato and coloured hard boiled Easter eggs. It was quite tasty! 

The next day was also sunny so we decided to do a hike through the Golden Cape Park which is only 15 mins outside town.

Another view of the town as we walked out to the trail...

We could also see lots of small islands just in the bay as we walked. We had planned on taking a boat tour that operated from the harbour before we left but  unfortunately this was the last sunny day we saw there. 

The beaches we passed were rocky and mostly empty...

Though these girls were enjoying the sun and the rocks...

And this group were just finishing yoga...

And the rock climbers were out as well...

The water was such a beautiful colour...

And then there were not so comfortable seats with a view...

Walking back through the park was lovely as well with lots of shaded walk ways...

Rovinj is one of the most visited towns in Croatia and it is easy to see why....

 Lots of cobble stone streets, some fancy...

And some not, which I think are the most interesting ones...

The town is full of lovely artist shops...

Cute spots to sit for awhile...

It also has great architecture...

This place looked like one of the Greek Islands we had visited earlier...

Lots of interesting details...

Interesting flea markets...

Local products in the market...

We also visited the town’s showcase,The Church of St Euphemia which  dominates the old town from its hilltop location in the middle of the peninsula. Built in 1736, it’s the largest baroque building in Istria, reflecting the period during the 18th century when Rovinj was its most populous town.

It has the most beautiful abstract stained glass...

Don was visiting Mother Theresa 

We enjoyed our stop here a lot as it was relaxing with lots of charm...

A must see stop in Croatia! 

We would also recommend a visit to our next destination which even  though it was out of the way we were happy we decided to visit. It took us two buses and half a day to get there to this!

We had arrived at Plitviče Lakes National Park which  is a 295-sq.-km forest reserve in central Croatia. It's known for a chain of 16 terraced lakes, joined by waterfalls, that extend into a limestone canyon. Walkways and hiking trails wind around and across the water, and an electric boat links the 12 upper and 4 lower lakes. The latter are the site of Veliki Slap, a 78m-high waterfall.

We stayed in a small chalet about 2 kms away from Entrance Number 2 so early next morning we were up and away.

At the entrance to the park there was a memorial to The Plitvice Lake Incident which was    an armed clash at the beginning of the Croatian War of Independence. It was fought between Croatian police and armed forces from the Croatian Serb -established SAO Krajina on 31 March 1991. The fighting followed the SAO Krajina's takeover of the Plitvice Lakes National Park and resulted in Croatia recapturing the area. The clash resulted in one killed on each side and contributed to the worsening ethnic tensions. Sometimes we forget that this area sustained a terrible civil war only a few decades before. In fact as we were driving on the bus to the Park we commented on the number of houses in the little villages that still showed evidence of gun shots. 

 Since Entrance 2 was nearer to the Upper Lakes we decided on that route and once we paid our entrance were taken to the trail head in this machine.

We had also thought we would hike Trail H which was of medium difficulty and was to take 5-6 hours, though we did it in 4.5 with lots of stops and it wasn't that difficult. 

The beginning of the trail was higher up so still snow on the walkways which made for some slippery going at the beginning...

The scenery at the start was quite nice so we knew we were going to enjoy this hike...

There was a lot of Spring run off ...

And we soon came to the first waterfalls...

And beautiful coloured lakes...

With gorgeous sky reflections...

And lone ducks...

We walked over cascading water...

Through silent forests...

Stopping often to admire the beauty...

The blues and greens are brilliant in the sun...

We now see terraced lakes...

And multiple small waterfalls..

And we keep walking...

The waterfalls get more powerful...

And we get to walk under them...

Past blue and green lakes...

And more waterfalls, this place is gorgeous 

Beauty around every corner...

We made it to the middle of the park...

And now across the lake to the Lower Lakes...

Here we started to run into many more people so we're glad we had started out early to avoid them at the beginning...

The lakes here were even more colourful...

With lots of fish...

And ducks...

The water was running here as well, but it didn't seem as much as in the Upper Lakes...

Though very green...

And great walking paths 

Each Lake had a sign describing it

Our path took us up and over the Big Falls which is 78 meters high, it was magnificent from above as well...

Also around cascading lakes..

And then the last few lakes...

Back to the bus to take us to the entrance where we celebrated with some cold ones before the walk back uphill to our chalet...

This place was very special and magical and we feel fortunate that we had an opportunity to visit it! Now off to Split in the morning to meet up with Dawn, Matt and Molly!