We rose early this morning, to make a good start for our visit to Plitvice Lakes National Park.
After dinner we boarded our bus for the short ride to the park, then met our local guide, Sonja.
It was just starting to drizzle a little - the only rain of our entire trip! - so we got prepared with raincoats or cheap ponchos before entering the park. Of course 5 minutes later the sun came out & there was no more rain :)
Plitvice Parks is absolutely beautiful, full deserving of it's status as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Sonja led us around the park, explaining the geology that forms the limestone 'dams' & thus causes the many waterfalls, then pointing out various flora & fauna (including a well hidden snake that we'd never have noticed on our own!) as we explored the park.
Our route took us across countless wooden bridges, up & down steps, & on 2 electric boat rides across the largest of the lakes.
As we strolled Sonja was also happy to answer questions about life in Croatia & especially about her personal story - being a refugee from Bosnia Herzegovina who married & settled in the Plitvice area long before it's recent popularity.
After our tour ended there was time for souvenir & snack shopping, then we boarded our bus & began the journey north towards Slovenia.
Due to a mix-up we missed our intended lunch stop so instead stopped 'blind' in the city of Karlovac in northern Croatia. It turned into a serendipitous experience in many ways - everyone was able to get lunch & we saw a city that has yet to enjoy very much of the recent developments in Croatia, still largely undiscovered by tourists but likely not for long due to it's very intact historical core.
From Karlovac we headed to the border. Leaving Croatia was OK, but the entry into Slovenia was very slow, relying our arrival into Ljubljana by at least 90 minutes.
After checking in to our hotel we took 20 minutes to freshen up then regrouped & walked the short distance to our hastily rearranged dinner reservation at one of the city's leading restaurants, AS. Despite the last minute rearrangement dinner was a huge success, & a great introduction to the city's vibrant dining & cafe scene - a great end to a long day.
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