Croatia: Nacionalni Park Plitvička Jezera

{We took the red path... 6 hours!}

"Proclaimed a national park in 1949, the Plitvice lakes region is among the most valuable features of natural interest in Croatia and indeed the world. The national park extends over an area of 29,482 hectares, 22,302 of which are forested. Water covers 217 hectares and grassy areas and villages another 6,957. The high forests sometimes take on the character of a virgin forest, with a corresponding richness of fauna and luxuriance of vegetation. Tucked away in this forest-covered karst landscape are 16 blue and green lakes, large and small, one underneath another. They are linked together with foaming cascades and pounding waterfalls, and are supplied with water from numerous little brooks and streams.

During the millennia, the water has eroded and dissolved the rocks of its own course and beds; subsequently, with the help of particular species of moss and algae, the dissolved calcium carbonates have been sedimented out to create tufa or travertine, porous stone that is being created even today in conditions of continuing ecological balance. With the ongoing process of creation of the travertine, barriers grow up between one lake and another, so that new falls and cascades are constantly being created. The tufa coats and petrifies fallen trees in the lakes, constantly changing and enriching the beauty of them. The travertine forming process is biodynamic and thus and exceptionally interesting scientific phenomenon and a leading attraction. There are several caves in the lakes as well, and in the same area, archaeological remains from various times in the past have been found.

The Park contains the habitats of many species of bird, of the brown bear, wolves, red deer and roe deer, wild boar and wild cats, while the waters of the lakes are home to trout and crustaceans."

- excerpt from "Nacionalni Park Plitvička Jezera Izletnička Karta" OR "Plitvice Lakes National Park Tourist Map"  :o)
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We started our journey at Ulaz (entrance) #1 and had to hike pass Lakes Kaluderovac, Gavanovac and Milanovac to get to bus station #1. 

{Lake Milanovac}

{Colin and "Veliki Slap" or "The Big Waterfall"}

From there, we took the bus to bus station #2, where we went up to Hotel Jezero to drop off our bags and get some warm soup for lunch. Did I mention it was raining cats and dogs? 

{leaving rainy bus station #2}

After lunch, we braved the elements again and took the bus up to the top of the lakes to bus stop #4. There we dodged a tour group and took the path past Lake Batinovac. 

From Batinovac we came upon Lake Galovac, where the path bordered the water. There were no boardwalks there, so it was pretty muddy... but beautiful! 

{bundle up!}

Between Lake Galovac and the next lake, Gradinsko, there were many, many beautiful waterfalls. 

{me and Colin}

{some of the petrified trees}

{Jezero/Lake Gradinsko}

After following the boardwalk we came upon Boat Station #2. From there you could take a boat back to Bus Station #2 or over to Boat Station #3 to continue the hike. We of course took the boat about 15 minutes across Lake Kozjak. There were so many fish in the water! The ride was pretty cold (as we were underdressed... c'mon Croatia!) After the boat ride we had a snack at an amazingly old "eastern europe" cafe - the atmosphere was insane! Old communist sounding tunes on the radio and super gruff looking folk. It was great!

{Our boat – and the fish!}

After our warm-up snack of tea and strudel, we continued on our way past lake Milanovac, where we saw TONS of waterfalls! After Milanovac, we walked past Lake Gavanovac.

{Milanovački Slap/Waterfall}

{The teal waters of Lake Gavanovac}

{One of the caves off of Gavanovac}

{Boardwalks and Waterfalls}

{And one last look over Lake Kaluderovac at Veliki Slap - the big waterfall!}

After our 6 hour hike I was SO ready to get to our room for the night, get dry and get some dinner! Unfortunately we still have to walk a good 20 minutes to the nearby village of Mukinje (muk-in-ya). We stayed in a beautiful house run by a family. Nearby was a !-ski hill-! and had a fantastic restaurant (the only one around)... after a hot shower at home we went over and had the best pizza... and the place was hoppin! The owner/waiter was super friendly and we even had some dessert - crepes! After such a good dinner we came home, watched part of a Jackie Chan film and slept like babies! 

{Beautiful weather to take the bus to Split}

And that was our time in Plitvice Lakes! Croatia's hidden gem. :o) 

Why I promise never to drink coke again...

(*borrowed from http://blisstree.com/feel/what-happens-to-your-body-if-you-drink-a-coke-right-now/)

Have you ever wondered why Coke comes with a smile? Because it gets you high. They removed the cocaine almost 100 years ago. Why? It was redundant.

• In the first 10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. (100% of your recommended daily intake.) You don’t immediately vomit from the overwhelming sweetness because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor, allowing you to keep it down.

• 20 minutes: Your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst. Your liver responds to this by turning any sugar it can get its hands on into fat. (And there’s plenty of that at this particular moment.)

• 40 minutes: Caffeine absorption is complete. Your pupils dilate; your blood pressure rises; as a response, your liver dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. The adenosine receptors in your brain are now blocked, preventing drowsiness.

• 45 minutes: Your body ups your dopamine production, stimulating the pleasure centers of your brain. This is physically the same way heroin works, by the way.

• > 60 minutes: The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium, and zinc in your lower intestine, providing a further boost in metabolism. This is compounded by high doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners also increasing the urinary excretion of calcium.

• > 60 minutes: The caffeine’s diuretic properties come into play. (It makes you have to pee.) It is now assured that you’ll evacuate the bonded calcium, magnesium, and zinc that was headed to your bones as well as sodium, electrolytes, and water.

• > 60 minutes: As the rave inside you dies down, you’ll start to have a sugar crash. You may become irritable and/or sluggish. You’ve also now, literally, pissed away all the water that was in the Coke. But not before infusing it with valuable nutrients your body could have used for things like hydrating your system, or building strong bones and teeth.

This will all be followed by a caffeine crash in the next few hours.


Here’s a quick snapshot of you, in a few years, after drinking Coke on a regular basis:

You’ll Be Fatter: According to research in the Nurse’s Health Study, which monitored the health of 90,000 women for eight years, drinking a single soda every day of the week added 10 pounds over a four-year period.

You’ll Probably Have Diabetes: In the Nurses’ Health Study, women who said they drank one or more servings a day of a sugar-sweetened soft drink or fruit punch were twice as likely to have developed type 2 diabetes during the study than those who rarely consumed these beverages.

You’re Much More Likely to Develop Heart Disease: According to a study published in 2007 in Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association, subjects who drank a soda every day over a four-year period had a 25% chance of developing high blood sugar levels and a 32% greater chance of developing lower “good” cholesterol levels. The Nurses’ Health Study found that women who drank more than two sugary beverages per day had a 40% higher risk of heart attacks or death from heart disease than women who rarely drank sugary beverages.

You’re Probably Also Less Healthy In Other Ways: Several studies, including the 2007 study published inCirculation, suggest that diet sodas have some of the same effects on health as regular sodas, despite having none or very little of the sugar. Why? Drinking soda is typically part of an overall lifestyle that’s not very healthy: We know you don’t like us to compare drinking caffeine and sugar to substance abuse, but when it comes to your lifestyle, some think that soda is just like a gateway drug.