Plitvicka jezera lives up to all those pictures you see in the flashy tourist magazines for Croatia. It is nature at its most beautiful: lakes, reflections, clear turquoise water, trout swimming, waterfalls, magnificent trees, flowers shyly peeking out of the grasses and sounds surrounding  you.

Arriving early, we were bused to the Upper lakes ,and from there ,began the 8.9km trek through the lakes. You are kidding us,you could never walk that! Walk 8.9km. Yes we did, along wooden walkways, up stairs and dirt paths. The group has spoken and   I am to include the walk from the parking area to the main entrance. This , they said , makes our walk today over 10km.

    

Surprisingly we did not notice how far we had travelled until we stopped , and then we realised how sore our feet were. It was worth it.

My pictures can not do justice to the stunning scenery.

Sounds  fill your senses with the  noisy babbling, roaring rushing of water . Then you move to the quiet spaces of the forest where   you hear birds, buzzing bugs and the breeze in the leaves or reeds as you go closer the water again.

Occasionally , you would hear the plop of a trout catching a bug that had strayed too close to the water. We were lucky in that being so early, and in Autumn , we missed the noise of human chatter and footsteps from the tour groups.

As it is Autumn here, most of the flowers have disappeared and the trees are changing colour. I was amazed to see cyclamens growing along with other plants just in the forest.

   

  

   Tomorrow we go to Zadar to hear the sea sing. I will see you there…only you travellers allowed ,because you will need time to hear the whole song , no rushing like tourists. Sorry.

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