Deciding a place to travel to while I am in Germany is a terribly difficult task. While I would love to visit all the places on my list, financial and time considerations make that only a pipe dream. I am consistently reshuffling the priorities on the list each time I come across a fascinating travel post or a particularly stressed suggestion from a colleague at work.
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| Architectural variations in Old town Zadar |
This is exactly how Croatia jumped up and on the list. Over coffee breaks, I overheard a colleague sail through the infinite islands of Croatia while the other mentioned the wild-east adventure he had with his motorcycle and buddies. Curious, I started at wiki travel and my research ended at Google images.
The images were so astonishing that a plan was made quickly. Cheap air fare was searched and predictably expensive one was bought. Accommodation was intentionally chosen close to the Adriatic Sea but away from the city center. I didn’t bother finishing the rest of the article on Croatia nor did I indulge in reading the country’s complicated past. All I really wanted to do is to see if those pictures I had seen were indeed real.
The first sight of the island droplets of Croatia from the plane window dispersed most my fears. The evening we landed greeted us with cloudy and stormy weather. Walking to the bus station and city center from the apartment had a strange Indian Italian feel to it. The roads were cracking, the air was warm and differences to Germany as a developed nation were everywhere to see. The bus station reminded me eerily of the Indian Railways booking offices without the incessant hordes of people and noise. All that mattered though is that tickets were procured for the Plitvice National Park located inland and about 2 hrs from our base in Zadar.
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| Magical clear lakes at Plitvice National Park |
My previous visits to National parks in the United States have been equivocally fantastic. These parks allow you be lost in nature and find yourself in that loneliness. Here though, the start to our hike was punctuated by a very long queue, then a painfully slow bus ride to the trail head. The trail was just narrow enough to cause pedestrian traffic jams. Being one with nature would prove impossible. Yet, at first sight of the magnificent lakes all was forgotten. Water poured through rocks and collected in impossibly beautiful troughs. Through incredibly transparent waters I saw school of fishes strangely still. And lake after lake, the surreal became tangible. At days end, I had hiked through God’s own aquarium, albeit with a lot of his two legged creations.
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| Fishes – Frozen in time |
Back in town, that evening was further punctuated by Adriatic sunset. The deep Adriatic blue waters turned golden orange as they sun sank over an orchestra of islands. The Pre-Romanian town of Zadar showcased its white buildings and marbled streets! Over sea food dinner, a good day was digested.
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| Business as usual |
The next day we headed to Krka National Park, possibly with every other tourist visiting that country. The highlight was supposed to be swimming in the waterfalls but it was more of just a check-box being ticked. I wasn’t looking for it but I had found my least favorite national park.
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| Less fun than it looks |
It was only the next day that Croatia played it’s trump card. A short walk through a suburbs I found myself on a gorgeous coast line. Sand was replaced with pebbles. In the distance islands lay scattered. And the Adriatic blue sea was putting up a fine display of brilliance. I promptly began a cycle of book reading-beer sipping-napping that ended only when the sun sank gorgeously that evening.
In the variety of Europe, Croatia stands out. It lacks the comfortable surety of Germany. The buses can leave well before their scheduled times. It lacks the heritage of France and Italy and the refinement of food is debatable. But it is exactly these differences coupled with gorgeous coastline experiences make Croatia an interesting travel destination.
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| Slow down. Do nothing. |
Bring a towel, and don’t forget to bring your water shoes.
Wellwritten.
but where were those lighthouses that everyone had told me about?
I think even the idea of the beach with a book is fabulous! 🙂