Friday in Plitvice Lakes, Saturday in Zagreb

 

Up after 8:00 am, we had a nice breakfast in our hotel and took one last walk around the Zadar old town peninsula, enjoying the sun, and sitting on the steps listening to the whale songs of the Sea Organ. We put off checking out until the last minute (11:00 am), since our bus to Plitvice Lakes didn't leave until 1:00 pm. That left us plenty of time to walk down to the bus station and do some shopping at the large Interspar market across the street. We got  a pair of seedy rolls, some Camembert cheese, a pear, some salami with sliced cheese, a tube of mustard, and, for the first time in Croatia, two large bottles of sugar-free orange soda. After one last french-fry break at McDonalds, we caught our FlixBus right on time. 

The bus was a double-decker, and we had the lower deck almost all to ourselves, with a table between our seats. It was a very comfortable two-hour ride up to the park, where we got let out on the highway with vague directions to go "that way" for a few hundred meters. There was no sidewalk, so we wheeled our bags as close to the edge of the road as we could, until, around a corner, we found the entrance to our hotel.

After checking in at 2:30 pm, we rushed right out to the park, to get in for our timed-entrance ticket, 3-4 pm, which is the latest anyone is let into the park. I wondered why. When we got to the gate, the young man who let us in, told us we had to pick a trail. We picked trail E around the upper lakes, mainly because it was the only trail we could complete in three hours.

Now, I know I should have researched this a little more carefully, but I somehow thought that most of our park visit would be aboard the boats that traverse the lakes. That's not the case. The boats just take you across the lake to the other side, where you walk around the lake and pick up the shuttle bus at the other end.

Plitvice Lakes is really unique. Imagine a stair-step series of lakes, each one higher than the previous one. Part of the time you are walking on wooden paths, like the one in the picture here, which I found kind of disconcerting. There are gaps between the slats, which are fairly crude, and it left me with a feeling of falling. In addition, the walkway bounces a little when someone walks by.

Because all of the people who had 3-4 pm tickets had to take the shorter trail, there were quite a few people at first. Soon, however, our 70+ selves were left bringing up the rear, and so it didn't seem too crowded.

Plitvice Lakes is internationally known for its beauty. If you look at the picture above, you can see the stair-step layout of the lakes. Where the falls are behind Kathy is another lake. That mean you are constantly climbing.

This is one of the tallest falls, about 90 feet. The geology of Plitvice Lakes is very unusual. The water flowing over the limestone dissolves it, forming calcium carbonate deposits (the white stuff that forms around your shower, if you have hard water). These deposits thicken, becoming a rock called travertine, which creates new dams, so the park is constantly changing.

As the sun got lower in the sky, we started hurrying, climbing higher and higher. Part of the trail was wooden walk-ways, and part of the trail reminded us of the Appalachian trail we had hiked a few summers ago in Connecticut. There were roots and rocks, and we constantly had to watch our footing.

Around 6:10 pm we really started to worry. The last shuttle bus was at 6:30, and, every time we thought that we had reached the end of the trail, we turned a bend to find a new lake. And so, we kept climbing higher and higher, apparently the only people on the trail.

Finally, we came across two other couples, and made sure that we were at least traveling in the right direction. As we approached the end of the trail, we saw a shuttle bus pulling away from a distance. I thought that we were going to have to sleep in the forest. Fifteen minutes later, when we finally got to the top of the trail, I was surprised to see about twenty people still there. I pulled out my phone, and was relieved to see that it was only 5:45 pm, not 6:45. (The fact that the sun hadn't completely set should have been a clue. We knew from Zadar, that sunset was around 6:45.) 

On to Zagreb

When we finally got back to our hotel, we were too tired to even go down to the restaurant. We pulled out our supplies and had a picnic in the room. We had planned to get up early and do the lower lakes in the morning, but, we agreed, we were done hiking. Since we hadn't yet made bus reservations for our next stop, I went online (FlixBus) and bought tickets for the 9:45 am bus to Zagreb.

In the morning, we thought we'd beat the breakfast rush and go down at 7:00 am. That was a mistake. There were several large Chinese tour groups visiting the hotel, and they had to leave by 8:00 am, so they were all in the breakfast room. There must have been more than two-hundred people eating all at once.

When we left, we asked the fellow who gave us a ride to the bus stop about the group. He said that there had been almost no Chinese tourists for the last three years (because of the Covid lockdowns there), but that now the tour groups had started coming again.

As we left, I tried to make sense of this sticker that was above the toilet. "For your safety we kindly ask you to use the bathtub/shower unit." I couldn't figure out what that was for.

The young man from the hotel who drove us down to the bus stop said that because it was a national park, they weren't allowed to build sidewalks or widen the road, so it wasn't safe to walk along the side, as we'd done when we arrived. Our Flixbus was only about half full; we didn't get a table this time (it was only a single-decker bus), but our seats were comfortable.

We got into Zagreb a little after noon and walked about 20 minutes to Annie's Bed and Breakfast where we dropped off our bags. The young lady who was there cleaning the rooms told us our room would be ready after 3:00 pm, so we went out to explore the city. The first thing we did was find the train station and purchase tickets to Ljubljana, our destination on Sunday. Then we got a one-day tram ticket and set out to explore the town.

We took a tram to the center of town, Jelacic Square, and started our Rick Steve's walking tour, which led us through the Octagon Shopping Gallery from the early 1900s.

The covered arcade reminded me of similar galleries in Paris, and of pictures I've seen of the main gallery in Milan. I'll compare them when we visit Milan next week. The next stop on the Zabreb City Walk was to take the funicular to one of the older, medieval upper towns named Gradec. Unfortunately, the funicular wasn't working and we weren't about to climb a thousand stairs after our hike the previous day.

Instead, we ducked into the Tunnel Gric, which travels beneath Gradac. The residents of Zadar used this tunnel for shelter in World War II, and, more recently, in the 1990 Yugoslav wars.

Instead of taking us to the upper town, however, it let us out right where we started the walk at Jelacic Square. The man on the horse behind us is Josip Jelacic, a 19th century governor who aligned the Croats with Austria against Hungary. During the Yugoslav era, Jelacic was considered a reactionary nationalist, and so the statue was dismantled and stored away. When Croatia broke away in 1991, he returned, although this time facing south, towards the Serbs, instead of north towards the Hungarians.

While we were on the square, we visited the Tourist Information office and found out that we were using our tram pass incorrectly. Apparently we needed to validate it on the bus, directly behind the driver, or we'd be fined 100E. She also told us that the pass was not a 24 hour pass, but expired at midnight. We decided to walk for the rest of the day, and to validate the pass tomorrow.

At the TI we found out that we didn't need to climb the endless stairs to get to the upper town, but could simply walk around the Cathedral. The Cathedral was covered with scaffolding and in the lot in front of it, you could see the pieces of the towers, each one numbered.

By now we were ready for an early dinner. We ate at La Struk, famous for its local ravioli called strukli. These are baked and covered with cheese. Kathy had the truffle, while I had the blueberry. (I wanted the cinnamon and apple or the honey and walnut, but they were both sold out.) While we were sitting at lunch we had a great conversation with a young man at the table next to us. Leonard is a PhD student in Zurich, working for IBM research in Physics. 

After eating, we walked a few blocks to Chocolate 041 for gelato. The proprietor had played professional soccer in Milan where he learned to make Italian-style gelato. When he returned to Zagreb, he opened this popular shop.

Since we wanted to save our tram pass for tomorrow, we walked a half-hour back to our hotel. Tomorrow our train leaves at 12:50, so we'll have time to finish our Zagreb city walk.

Wednesday in Split, Thursday in Zadar

The last great Roman persecution of Christians took place at the end of the reign of  Emperor Diocletian. Born a commoner in Dalmatia, he joined the army and rose through the ranks and was proclaimed Emperor by the troops in Persia after the death of Emperor Carus (I'd never heard of him either!) On May 1, 305, Diocletian (who called himself Jovius, or Jove Jr.) became the first Roman emperor to voluntarily abdicate. He built a remarkable palace/fortress, five miles from his home town of Solana, in what is now Split. He lived out his retirement tending to his vegetable gardens.

When Rome fell, the surrounding population often dismantled the temples and monuments, treating them as simply another source of pre-quarried stone. Split was different. Salona, Diocletian's home town was the Roman capital of the province of Dalmatia. When Salona was sacked by the Slavs and Avars (nope, never heard of them either!), the Roman citizens of Dalmatia fled to Diocletian's fortified palace, and moved right in. Here are a few of them in the Peristyle, where they eke out a living posing for pictures with tourists.

The people who settled in the upper floors of the palace, drilled holes in the floor and tossed their garbage and sewage through them. "What a great place," they thought. "It has its own built-in garbage disposal." In the 1960s, archeologists realized that they had a centuries-old midden heap. Digging went on for the next few decades, with the eastern cellars being opened to the public in the 1990s. (I've been told that Daenerys kept her dragons there, but I don't know what that means.)

Kathy and I spent the afternoon visiting the basements of the palace. At first, we were impressed with how large they were, but then we listened to a guide explain how each room was actually two stories high. The wooden beams that Kathy is standing by would be placed in the upper holes you can see on the side of the wall, and planks laid across them to make the upper floor.

After several hours underground, we were ready to see daylight once again, so we climbed the stairs to Diocletian's foyer. (I'm not sure it's really called that. If you want to see all of the underground pictures, you'll find them here.)

Leaving his living quarters, here is what Diocletian would see when he stood on his balcony as Jovius, four times a year. Except, of course, that there would be no medieval city at the end of the Peristyle, but just a wide processional lane leading to the Golden Gate, or the front of his palace.

After touring the palace, we were ready for our final stop on our Somebody Feed Phil pilgrimage: Kantun Paulina for Cevapi sandwiches, made with small sausages, which are popular throughout the Balkans. We weren't that impressed. Kathy didn't like the meat, and I thought that they weren't as flavorful as, say, a gyros. They were certainly inexpensive, and now we can say we tried them.

In the morning, I got up early to go walkabout. To get out of the palace, I went through the basements. The shops that rent space there had hired a guard to make sure nothing was stolen, but as I walked out to the Riva, I could see that he was fast asleep. Not a morning person, I guess.

Out of the palace, I walked around the bay, meeting only a few people, and enjoying the sunrise over the palace. When I got back, I wandered around, trying to walk the parts of the palace that I hadn't yet seen. 

I found the statue of St. Anthony the Hermit, and made it back to the room as the sunlight was just lighting up the bell tower.

After breakfast, we packed up. The air conditioner in our room was "hidden" behind a copy of Gustav Klimt's painting, "The Kiss". Kathy purchased a Klimt scarf in Vienna, and wanted to take a picture before we moved on.

shoeDAHR not ZAYdar

Instead of the ferry, we took the bus to our next stop, Zadar; I bought the tickets online before we left using the Getbybus web site (which was easy). However, finding the correct bus wasn't so easy. When I asked a bus driver (whose bus clearly stated that it was going to Zadar) if this was the correct bus, he gave me a quizzical look and said "Zadar? No Zadar. I don't know." I showed him my tickets and he said, "Oh! You mean shoeDAHR. No, this is not the right bus!" 

After another forty-five minutes, the right bus arrived and we got on. Actually, the new bus driver looked at our ticket and our luggage, and said, "No, no luggage." We stood there looking at each other for a minute, and I asked "Do you mean we can't take our luggage?" Finally, I understood that our online ticket didn't include luggage, and we had to pay extra for that. It was 2E for both bags.

You can see from the Google Map photo above that there are two routes between Split and Zadar: the fast one, with tolls, and the slow one that hugs the Adriatic and which stops at all of the small towns, and picks up people along the way. We went the slow route. I don't know if we had a choice, but the scenery was beautiful.

It was almost 2:00 pm when we got to the Zadar bus station, and we were starving. After running the gauntlet of taxi drivers, we went next door to a big, new, popular McDonald's. It was familiar. Kathy wasn't interested in going all the way to Croatia and then eating at McDonalds, so she just got a Diet Coke. I couldn't resist getting the Royale with Cheese. 

It was actually a long walk to our hotel; we probably should have taken a taxi. We used Google Maps to find it, as always. We had booked the Boutique Hotel Teatro Verdi, but when we got to the address, there was no sign, just a locked door with a set of buzzers beside it. One woman tried to send us to the street next door. Finally Kathy went into a flower shop and asked. The clerk told us we had the right building, but that the front door was around the other side. Our room was very nice, with a desk for my computer.

After dinner, we walked out to the seaside promenade to watch the sunset. Alfred Hitchcock is reported to have said that Zadar has the most beautiful sunsets in the world. Certainly many people think so, as the quay at the end of the old town is filled with those wanting to experience it. This is the first video I've posted. In addition to the sunset, you can hear the music from the Sea Organ in the background.

The Croatian architect Nikola Bašić created the Sea Organ in 2005. Carved into the steps of the seafront promenade, 35 organ pipes catch the sounds of waves entering and escaping the hollowed out holes, producing a unique soundtrack exclusive to Zadar. Bašić followed up the Sea Organ with another work on the promenade, called the Greeting to the Sun. All day, the solar cells store energy, and, when the sun goes down, it lights up with random patterns and colors.

After the light show, we walked back to our hotel through the Roman forum, overlooked by the 9th century Church of St. Donatus. Both of us slept well.

On our last day in Split, I noticed that we'd miscounted my blood thinner prescription, which I take twice a day. I downloaded the Kaiser Permanente App and messaged my doctor, asking if I could cut back to once a day, until we got back. She said absolutely not! So, Kathy and I went to a pharmacy and asked if we could get a hold-over prescription, just for the three weeks. She said we could, but we'd have to go to a tourist doctor to get a local prescription.

Since we were leaving Split, we didn't have time to do that. When we got into Zadar, though, one of the first things we did was find a pharmacy, to see if they could give us a referral to a local doctor. The pharmacist said we'd have to go to a hospital to get it, but, before we left, she asked to see the prescription, (from the Kaiser App). She then said, "Why don't you take a screenshot, and email it to me?" I did, and we were able to purchase a supply for the rest of our trip. Really an answer to prayer.

In the morning, I didn't wake up until almost 8:00 am. (I think Kathy woke up a little earlier.) We had breakfast at our hotel. I was a little anxious booking the trip, because I've heard that breakfast in some countries could be a croissant and a cup of coffee. On our first trip to Venice in 2007, we were give a Twinkie and a small bottle of Orangina. In any event, I needn't have worried; at each stop the breakfast has been great.

Today, Thursday, we scheduled in some touring time. We visited the Church of St. Donatus.

Everything from the foundation to the pillars were repurposed Roman ruins.

Outside, we walked up and down the square, looking at all of the Roman ruins, trying to get Google Translate to read the inscriptions (very unsatisfactory).

We finished up our morning at the Museum of Archeology across the street. They had an impressive collection of pre-Roman artifacts, but the Antiquity section was the real show stealer. I got to take a picture between Augustus and Tiberius.

We had a disappointing lunch at La Famiglia, a well-reviewed burger restaurant. I don't think we'll be having burgers again on this trip. The ones I've had seem over-cooked and too dry. I guess that's just the style. After lunch, we went back to our room, and I worked on the blog, then took a nap, while Kathy read her Kindle.

Around 6:00 pm, we left for the promenade, to see the sunset and hear the Sea Organ one last time. Today there were fewer clouds, so it wasn't quite as gorgeous as yesterday. Still lovely, though.

After lunch, I realized that one of the top-rated pizza restaurants I had researched was literally right next door to our hotel. We hadn't especially liked the pizza we got in Dubrovnik, but we decided to give this place, Tri Bunara, a chance. We're so happy we did. We shared a salami (pepperoni) pizza and a Greek-like feta salad. It was one of the best meals we've had.

Tomorrow, we're off for the Plitvice Lakes National Park.

Monday in Korcula, Tuesday in Split

Just two hours north of Dubrovnik, as the ferry flies, lies the island of Korcula, along with it's old town, also named Korcula. Korcula is sometimes called a mini-Dubrovnik. During the time of the Venetian empire, this was its southern-most outpost in the Adriatic. 

As you walk through the main city gate, Veliki Revelin, you can see the lion of Venice in the center, flanked by the Doge of Venice on the left, and the Rector of Korcula on the right.

The old town is on a peninsula, and its streets are arranged like a fish skeleton. The central street is its spine, and the east-and-west facing streets branching off are its ribs. The street were designed to maximize shade and to allow breezes to cool the city down. It really works.

Since Korcula was an outpost of Venice, the main church in town is Saint Mark's Cathedral, named after Venice's patron saint. Above the main door you'll find a statue of St. Mark, along with Adam and Eve on either side.

The town was much less crowded that Dubrovnik, and much cooler. You can see the marks of a civilized city; Coca Cola advertising (banned during Communism) and ash trays on every table, even in the nicest restaurants. Not Kathy's favorite thing; she keeps a fan in her purse to fan the smoke right back to anyone who has the temerity to light up at the table next door.

We only stayed one night on Korcula, so we had to check out by 11:00 am. Our ferry didn't leave for Split until 3:00 pm. We left our luggage at the hotel, and we walked up to the Tommy supermarket on the hill, where we could look out over the old city.

The ferry from Korcula to Split was smaller than the one we took from Dubrovnik yesterday. 

On this ferry, we had to stow our luggage outside as we got on board. The seats, though, were very comfortable. Both of us (and half the rest of the passengers) fell asleep.

When we arrived in Split, we headed straight for our rooms. We're staying at Grgur Ninski Rooms, just inside Diocletian's Palace, next to the statue of Grgur Ninski, appropriately enough. This is the nicest room we've had so far. It's roomy, with good air-conditioning, and it's right in the center of everything. 

We have yet to meet the owner. He used WhatsApp to send us the door code, and left the keys to the room in the door. He also sent us some recommendations for dinner. It was after 5:00 pm and we both felt like we'd better eat before looking around. For starters, Kathy had some split-pea soup and I had a crispy chicken salad. We kept switching plates when the waiter wasn't looking. (We didn't want him to think that we were uncultured!)

For the main dishes, I had the traditional leg of lamb with peas, while Kathy had sea bass with a side of truffle sauce. This meal was our one big splurge, so far. (Tomorrow we'll return to our frugal ways.)

After dinner, we walked the half-block to the Peristyle, the main square in Diocletian's Palace. There still were quite a few people about. We're going to come back tomorrow and visit the cellars and the church (if it's open). 

After one last selfie, the solemn obligation of every modern tourist.

On our way back our room, we continued with our "Somebody Feed Phil" pilgrimage with a stop at Gelateria Emiliana, where there is always a line and gelato is 2E a scoop. I had one scoop of limon-lavender, and one scoop of peach-rose. Kathy had one of pistachio and another of chocolate.  

Visiting St. Burek

Tuesday morning we left our rooms late, because I couldn't seem to get my computer on WiFi, even when I created a hot-spot with my phone. I had an anxious hour as I tried everything I could think of, and then finally realized that my computer was on "airplane mode". I didn't even realize that my computer had an airplane mode.

For breakfast we received vouchers to eat at the Lvxor, right on the Peristyle. I had yogurt, fruit, and granola, while Kathy stuck with bacon, eggs, and a green salad.

After breakfast we walked past the statue of Grgur Ninski ...

... where Kathy rubbed his toe for good luck, along with all the other tourists. (Actually, she only did it because I insisted.) Our guidebook said that we should avoid visiting the palace at 9:00 am, since that's when the cruise ships arrived. It encouraged us to find interesting secondary sights.

I was tempted by this museum, the largest collection of stuffed frogs in the world, but Kathy vetoed that.

Instead, we walked across town to Chipoteka Split, an electronics store where we replaced our European iPhone charger plug, which had gone bad. We also bought a second battery and made the obligatory stop at Tommy. Then, we walked back to Marmontova street, which bound the north-west corner of the palace. Kids played at the fountain named "The Teacup" where a hand spouted water from the city walls ...

... only to be caught by a three-foot "teacup" placed on the sidewalk. It was fun.

It was after noon by this time, and I convinced Kathy that we needed to continue our "Somebody Feed Phil" tour with a visit to St. Burek.

From Wikipedia: "Börek or burek is a family of pastries or pies found in the Balkans, Middle East, and Central Asia. The pastry is made of a thin flaky dough such as filo with a variety of fillings, such as meat, cheese, spinach, or potatoes." We had one slice of meat and one of spinach. Our total bill, with two cokes, was 20E. We can use our change to stop on the way back to our room at Emiliana, where I had peach and pistachio, and Kathy had cheesecake and mango.

After our siesta, we'll go out again and see the cellars of Diocletian. But that's a story for tomorrow.