Plitvice National Lakes Park

I managed to rouse myself from bed early enough on Saturday morning to elicit a grumpy response from my roommate at the hostel, but not quite early enough to catch the 7:30 am bus from Zagreb to Plitvice National Lakes Park.  So, bus ticket in hand for the 10:30, I took the morning to visit Dolac Fruit & Vegetable Market and to sit and have a cappuccino.  (I am so thankful that, as an Italian word, "cappuccino" is understood in cafes everywhere.)  There are some fun market pictures, but I will restrain myself - there are too many here already!

Back at the bus station, I boarded the bus at the platform indicated on my ticket.  Just to make sure, I stood at the front of the bus and asked in a loud voice (addressed to no one in particular) "Is this the bus to Plitvice Lakes?"  When this elicited nothing but blank stares, I tried "Does anyone speak English?"  This resulted in a slow nod from one of the guys seated in front.  Satisfied, I took a seat.  Apparently, traveling to foreign countries inspires moments of complete shamelessness impossible to duplicate elsewhere.

The bus ride took two and a half hours, during which I mostly slept, but I opened my eyes as we neared to watch the countryside pass by.  And I hate to admit it, but it really wasn't pretty.  After the hills of Prague and Greece, Croatia was very flat.  But the park made up for any disappointment in the scenery from the bus window.

There was no stopping my camera once we entered the park, as I embraced the philosophy that if you keep taking pictures, you'll eventually get a good one.  And it worked, too.  For a while I walked along with a guy visiting from Lebanon.  He was in Zagreb on business for several weeks, and he made it clear that he was glad to have someone to talk to in a city of which he had become bored. We did the favor of snapping a few pictures of each other, but I had enjoyed the feeling of being alone in the beautiful scenery and eventually let him go on ahead.

Later, faced with the need to ask directions, I met a group of people my age from London and Croatia.  Then I struck up a conversation with a group of American students who were studying abroad in the coastal city of Dubrovnik.  (My reaction when I heard this was the same as the other fellows when I told them: "You can do that?"  If you didn't already know, Dubrovnik is well-known for its beauty as a vacation spot.)  Note on the first picture below: you can't really tell from my expression in this picture, but in another I look decidedly nervous because I just kicked a rock - and I'm waiting to hear it hit waaaay down below.  I may have almost fallen off of a cliff... 

So admire the view! Admire it!

Aside from being afraid I would miss the return bus - it was late - and having to ask the bus driver is we could make a pit stop (at which point I was fully prepared to use interpretive dance if English didn't work) - it was a marvelous day.  And as an added bonus, I now have enough pictures to wallpaper my apartment next year.