Exploring--Croatia's Plitvice Lakes National Park, Part III and a Painting

This is my third and final post recalling our awe-inspiring day hike in Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia about a year ago. The photo on the right is one of my favorite views of one of the lakes. The breathtaking color is absolutely true to life; other than cropping, I never adjust the photos I show you or tinker with their colors. The actual tones and shades of the water in the park vary, but this clear aqua color is common there due to minerals dissolved from the limestone prevalent in the surrounding mountains and this beautiful valley. You can read further details about Croatia's magical national park in the previous two posts.

The painting at the top is a small (5" X 7") study created by simplifying the foreground in one photo (leaving out some tree trunks and the rushing water) and adapting a distant waterfall from another. Given the countless, varied waterfalls and rich virgin forest throughout the park, we saw other scenes like that portrayed in the painting, so my adjustments were not unrealistic. Mixing a color that worked for the water in the lake was difficult because I did not want a garish, swimming pool hue and yet wanted to be true to the startling reality. It seemed to work best to go greener because an exact duplication of the water color in the photo looked unreal when viewing the painting on its own.

For some reason, I have been slow to paint a larger landscape using this little study. I think that perhaps working on the study was enough for the sake of my memories. Beyond that, once we returned from that wonderful trip, North Florida's unique beauty recaptured my creative spirit with gratitude and joy for Home.

Question of the day: Isn't it a joy when travel stretches us and deepens our appreciation for other places and yet renews our love for our own nation and home?

Exploring--Croatia's Plitvice Lakes National Park, Part II

I hope you will enjoy several more photos from this amazing park in Croatia (formerly part of Yugoslavia), which I described in the last post. My husband, Mark, is viewing a waterfall in one shot (notice the sturdy walkway, which is typical of wet area crossings in the park). In another, we are looking down from the highest point we reached on our day hike. I believe that the numerous fish swimming below ducks in another photo are chub, but species' common names are sometimes "lost in translation". As always, you can click on any photo to enlarge it and see the details.

The memory of our visit to Plitvice Lakes seems timely as PBS airs Ken Burns' beautiful, informative, and deeply inspiring film series about the magnificent national parks here in the USA. We can be very grateful for and proud of our extensive, varied national park system. His film series invokes a deep love for our land, a kind of patriotism that exceeds flag or government and rises from the very earth, where, I must say humbly, my own European ancestors arrived only a few generations ago.

Remembering Plitvice Lakes, however, as well as gorgeous environmental preserves I have visited in Belize and the Dominican Republic, I am thankful that a number of other nations also have founded national parks. I hope that all members of the global community who care about preserving unique natural ecosystems will be empowered to set aside parks and preserves.

Question of the day: What is your favorite national park or other natural preserve area in the USA?

Exploring--Croatia's Plitvice Lakes National Park

Memories . . . In early autumn last year, we were privileged to travel in Eastern Europe for four weeks. Croatia's magical Plitvice Lakes National Park was a highlight of our time in that beautiful nation (formerly part of Yugoslavia). For the middle two weeks of our trip, we joined a guided tour of Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina sponsored by the Rick Steves company (of public television fame). If you are interested in earlier posts about those destinations, simply enter "Eastern Europe" in the search box, above left. As I reminisce about that wonderful journey, I will post a time or two about our overnight visit and long trek in Plitvice Lakes National Park, one destination I had anticipated eagerly. This stunning park exceeded even my high expectations.

Photos cannot capture the full majesty of the lush, heavily forested park with 16 terraced lakes and countless waterfalls. The amazingly clear water shines in brilliant aqua or clear greenish tones due to the limestone-laden soils and rocks in the area. Bears, wolves, lynx, wild boar, and a rich variety of other animals, birds, and fish populate this protected area, one of the last remaining virgin forests in Europe.

We arrived late one afternoon, settled into a large, comfortable hotel in the park, and enjoyed a pre-planned "potluck" happy hour on the lake shore with our tour group, for which we had each purchased wine, sausage, cheese, chocolates, and other delights during the day. Dinner in the hotel was tasty, but hardly seemed necessary after that. Following an early, sumptuous breakfast buffet the next morning, we stowed our luggage on the tour bus, hoisted our day packs, and boarded a shuttle bus to a ferry dock. To avoid the crowds at this popular park, our excellent Rick Steves guide, Saso Golub, wisely guided us to begin at the furthest point of our trek, via a ferry across one of the larger lakes. His strategy worked beautifully--we saw the most dramatic falls before others crowded in, and we hiked in the opposite direction of the heaviest flow of visitors. The park offers a variety of hiking options on wide walking trails and sturdy plank walkways over rushing streams and gullies. The cold clear air of the early morning gave way to bracing, cool, delicious temperatures, perfect for hiking.

If you want to see more of the park and to learn about its dynamic ecosystem and shifting bodies of water and land formations, check your local public library for a DVD, which I think was originally a PBS program, Nature:Land of the Falling Lakes. In Plitvice, the water gradually wears down the land so that the lakes, streams, and waterfalls actually move over time. Then, the limestone deposits that erosion leaves in the water gradually build up again on fallen trees and branches underwater and on the lake bed itself so that over time, natural earth dams and eventually, new land areas are formed.

Next time, I will share a few more photos and memories from this magnificent park. Although we have grander individual waterfalls, vaster mountains, and deeper valleys in our beloved USA, the cumulative delights of the sheer numbers of waterfalls and rapids around every turn in Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia and the "forest primeval" atmosphere are unique and quite magical.

Question of the day: What natural preserve area has given you lasting memories?

Exploring--Zagreb, Croatia's Capital City--An Unplanned Travel Bonus

This will be my third post about non-typical destinations in Croatia. Although Zagreb is Croatia's capital city, its location away from the famed Adriatic Coast means that relatively few travelers see the city.

We had not planned to visit Zagreb either, but had a lovely morning there as an unplanned bonus due to plane and train schedules. When our 2 week Rick Steves tour of Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Croatia ended in the breath-taking, walled coastal city of Dubrovnik, we were at the far southern tip of Croatia with a long journey ahead of us. From there, we visited Krakow, Poland (including an unforgettable time at Auschwitz) and Budapest, Hungary on our own. The most convenient and affordable connections I had been able to arrange started with an early morning flight from Dubrovnik to Zagreb, then continued by train. Since we had several hours between our arrival at Zagreb's airport and departure by train, we made the best of the time by seeing Zagreb's center city.

Train travel in Europe abounds with similar serendipitous opportunities. Many European train stations, including those in Eastern Europe, are centrally located and offer inexpensive luggage lockers. So, that Sunday morning, we took a quick cab ride from the Zagreb airport to the train station, stowed our luggage in a locker, verified our train connection, and strolled a few park-lined blocks to a main square. Worshippers were streaming into the Neo-Gothic Catholic Cathedral, so we joined them, slipping in near the back for an uplifting treat. Croatia has a proud tradition of choral music, especially robust men's choral music, and deep, rich harmonies echoed in the vast cathedral--truly a universal spiritual language. 

Across from the church, the market was in full swing below the old city tower (see photo above). We relished the fragrant flowers, plump produce, and hand-crafted items, choosing freshly baked rolls, salami, cheese, tomatoes, and fruits for the long train journey ahead.

With almost an hour to spare, we strolled through an extensive, free, university-run botanical garden that our Rick Steves Eastern Europe guidebook had recommended. A colorful variety of early fall flowers were in bloom, while green houses boasted more exotic specimens. The two photos above only hint at the beauty--given our limited time, I took very few photos in Zagreb--mostly just breathed in the unplanned treat of a lovely, relaxing morning in a city that had not even been on our original itinerary.

We can recall similar times on other journeys. At times, even delays or cancellations that seemed disappointing at first turned into travel bonuses when we looked around creatively and took advantage of our surroundings.

Question of the day: What travel layover or delay did you turn into a memorable unplanned travel bonus?   

Exploring--Croatia's Istrian Peninsula--Roman Ruins in Pula & Rovinj

Pula is perhaps the best-known destination in Istria, a Croatian peninsula hanging into the Adriatic Sea. Pula is a bustling, modern port city with several successful shipbuilding companies. The busiest ferry from Venice disembarks here, bringing tourists and business people. However, Pula appeals to tourists mainly for its ancient attractions.

Here, extensive Roman ruins remain, including an intact Roman temple and a portion of a second temple (which now forms the back wall of a newer city building), 2 remaining city gates (of the original 12), and ongoing excavations of more Roman buildings and other ancient treasures. We saw a new archaeological excavation at a mid-city site where an unlucky businessman had invested in the building of a parking garage--until construction digging revealed the remains of Roman structures.

One photo above shows a city gate that was commissioned by a wealthy Roman woman to honor a military hero in her family. The proud Latin inscription asserts, "Silvia of the Sergius family paid for this with her own money." All these Roman buildings are now in the central city among alternative music shops, cafes, court houses, apartment buildings, public schools, and parks.

By far the most notable Roman site in Pula is a huge amphitheater, a small portion of which is pictured above. For those of you who have read my other Eastern European travel posts, notice our knowledgeable and fun-loving Rick Steves tour guide, Saso Golub, walking toward us in the photo, sporting sunglasses & his ever-present day pack. Although Saso had provided extensive background on Pula as we rode there, Croatian law stipulates that every tour group must hire a local guide on location. In Pula, our local guide, the energetic Marjam, gave us her fascinating, rapid fire take on the history and present day life of Pula. Thus, we benefited from the insights of two excellent guides, here and at all other stops in Croatia.

The Roman amphitheater in Pula is the 6th largest remaining in the former Roman Empire. However, some of our fellow travelers, who had been in Rome, thought it looked as large as the Colosseum there. The main reason for this structure's impressive impact is the fact that it is one of the most fully intact of the amphitheaters left. Almost the entire surround with arches, most of the stone seating, and 2 of the original 4 towers are still standing. Built around A.D. 80 into the slope of a hill, the stands held more than 25,000 cheering fans for "sporting" events until the 5th century, when gladiator battles (with or without exotic wild animals) were outlawed. Marjam vividly described the spectacles, including the heavy smells of sweat, blood, and bodies. The odors were somewhat mitigated by rainwater collecting basins at the top of each tower--mixed with fragrant essential oils, this water was sprayed over the frenzied crowd.

During our free time, my husband and I wandered through the city to a harbor side park, looking out over pleasure boats and large ships.

On our drive back north to our hilltop hotel in Motovun (see previous post), our group also stopped for some leisurely strolling time in the romantic, very Italian-looking old town of Rovinj, which is pictured above. Again, being pleasure sailors ourselves, we were drawn to the harbor and the sparkling views of the Adriatic Sea.

Question of the day: Do you most enjoy travel with an educational component, complete relaxation, or some of each?

Exploring--Croatia's Istrian Peninsula--Hill Town of Motovun

After some posts about life at home, I can't resist returning to the topic of travel. This will be the first of three or four posts about less-traveled destinations in Croatia, a lovely coastal nation, formerly part of Yugoslavia.

Most tourists visit Croatia's shimmering Adriatic coastal towns and islands (you may hear it called the Dalmatian Coast), but Croatia offers many other charms. Of course, we also enjoyed the Dalmatian Coast on our Eastern European journey this past September and October, and I will post Dalmatian photos and memories sometime in the next few weeks. However, I thought it would be interesting to begin with less well-known, but equally delightful Croatian destinations. First on the list is the north Croatian hill town, Motovun, in the interior of the Istrian Peninsula.

The wedge-shaped peninsula called Istria hangs into the Adriatic Sea across from Venice, Italy--visitors in Venice looking for a unique side-trip can easily reach Istria by ferry. We stayed two nights in a hotel that had once been a small castle on the peak of the steep hill crowned by Motovun. From that base, we explored Istria's highlights.

On our two-week Rick Steves tour, Motovun was the first stop in Croatia over the border from Slovenia. If you are interested in reading about Slovenia, please see my posts from May 20, May 24, and May 27--Slovenia is fascinating and beautiful.

Motovun is reminiscent of Tuscan hill towns, yet is distinctly Croatian. No commercial traffic is allowed on the narrow cobblestone streets of the old town, so we walked up the steep approach road from the parking lot of a small church--as far as our bus could go. Surprisingly, the race car driver Mario Andretti was born here--he must have practiced racing somewhere else. The main gate into the old town displays carved stone crests from various rulers over time. The most obvious architectural influences are from the Venetian period. Andrea Palladio (1508 - 1580), the famed Venetian architect, designed the simple, neoclassical St. Stephen's church pictured above, with a tower that served both religious and defensive functions.

The two vista photos each give just a taste of the magical views from our Hotel Kastel windows, which let us enjoy fresh, cool breezes as well as amazing scenery. We had a lovely, comfortable corner room on the upper floor of the small former castle. Note the rocky outcrop on the right side of one photo to get a sense of the sheer drop that made this such an ideal fortified town. Walking the ramparts on the town's wall provides panoramic views of the surrounding countryside with vineyards, small towns, farms, and forests where the truffles so prized in gourmet dining grow wild.

Our guide, Saso Golub, had arranged a premium wine and truffle tasting party for our first evening in Motovun on the hill-top balcony of a lovely shop. Indescribably delicious, complete with a gorgeous sunset. We truly loved staying in Motovun as a base for exploring the region.

Question of the day: Can you imagine yourself in Motovun?

Exploring--Slovenia's Julian Alps & World War I History

Slovenia is so rich in charms and interesting sights that I will have a difficult time keeping this post (my third about travel in Slovenia) to a reasonable length. Leaving Lake Bled (see May 20 post), we rode through a breath-taking pass in the Julian Alps, climbing to about 5.000 feet above sea level (Slovenia's highest peak is about 9,400 feet high). First we were in dense forest, then in more forbidding, rocky terrain. At times, we were within 1/4 mile of both the Italian and Austrian borders. The constantly changing vistas were stunning and inspirational. I snapped the majestic peaks above through the bus window. 

Our amazing tour bus driver expertly steered his mighty Mercedes around the 50 switchbacks through the pass, making tight hairpin turns when at times it seemed as though we had two wheels out over nothingness. We frequently crossed or glimpsed the Soca River, narrow and fast in the mountains, its remarkable pale aqua color due to the minerals in the limestone it cuts through. We stopped once on the way down to take in the beauty and to cross a swinging bridge high over the rushing river. The center photo above is a view looking down from the bridge. At our highest point, we stopped at a mountain lodge where we sipped a homemade mixed fruit brandy our guide, Saso Golub, had brought for us--yummy!--and warm all the way down as a few snowflakes drifted by on a chilly mid-September day.

Earlier we had made a more sobering stop at the small Russian Orthodox chapel pictured on the right. This mountain pass was the scene of terrible battles in World War I and was the setting for Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms, based on his personal experiences as a Red Cross ambulance driver in the war. The very road we were traveling was built by Russian prisoners of war under appalling conditions. After several hundred had died of exposure, illness, and mistreatment, a huge March 1916 avalanche killed hundreds more. This chapel honors the work and the sacrifice of those Russian soldiers. In the town of Kobarid, an excellent museum (voted best in Europe in 1993) presents a comprehensive look at the tragic battles on the Soca Front--how the local people and soldiers on both sides suffered through that terrible time and how human dignity, honor, and inner strength still shone through.

We stayed in Kobarid at the Hotel Hvala, where I so enjoyed the generous, scrumptious dinner that I couldn't do justice to the amazing buffet breakfast spread the next morning. For those of you interested in menus, our dinner began with an excellent pasta course of fettuccine with prosciutto, then a baby greens and vegetable salad, followed by a choice of fresh roasted trout from the Soca River or roast lamb, served with greens and roasted potatoes. A warm berry compote with ice cream was the perfect finish to the meal. I won't even try to describe all the breakfast choices, but for me, the stand-outs were a warm apricot croissant and an immense bowl of cut-up fresh fruit, including kiwi, pineapple, and local fruits.

I hope these three posts have whetted your appetite for a journey to Slovenia--or to another destination you dream about. In the next few posts, I'll stay closer to home for creative everyday life. If you wonder what is "everyday" about Slovenia, well, I guess it is not. However, travel dreaming and reading, travel planning, remembering past journeys, and saving for future travel are a significant aspect of everyday life for me, even though we may only take a major journey only once in five or more years.

Question of the Day: What has been your favorite "road less traveled" destination?

Exploring, Creative Travel--Ljubljana, Slovenia

Ljubljana, Slovenia (pronounced loo blee AH nah) is a delightful city for travelers, both stylishly sophisticated and Mediterranean-style easy-going. If you are an adventurous, creative traveler, Slovenia is waiting to welcome you.

Just north of Croatia, and also bordering Italy, Austria, and Hungary, Slovenia is a cheerful blend of Adriatic/Italian warmth and Tyrolean/Slavic industriousness. More prosperous than the other former Yugoslav republics, Slovenia boasts full "net donor" membership in the European Union since 2004 and qualifies to use the Euro as currency. Most younger Slovenians speak flawless English, including current slang they learn from watching popular American TV shows, making for simple, comfortable travel in this friendly nation for tourists from the U. S.

Most of Ljubljana's major sites are near the lovely Ljubljanica River or on the picturesque, rocky castle hill which crowns the town. The best way to enjoy the city is on foot, with stops for refreshments at the cafes on the lower river promenade. 

Architecture buffs will love it here, with unspoiled Baroque and Art Deco buildings, as well as many works by the city's own quirky and brilliant architect, Joze Plecnik, who worked here during the first half of the 20th century. Classical music fans will enjoy fine performances which follow in a long tradition. One of Europe's oldest academies of music is still active here, with a proud record of visiting scholars including Mozart, Liszt, and most other European "big names", right down to contemporary greats like Itzhak Perlman and Andre Previn.

The 60,000 or so students at Ljubljana's university keep the city lively, friendly, fun, and distinctly unstuffy.       

One photo above shows a view of the riverfront and promenade with the big pink Franciscan Church of St. Mary in the background. I was frustrated to discover that I failed to take any photos while we were there which captured the riverfront and Old Town (took too many close-ups of lovely buildings), so I have used this photo from TripAdvisor.com--many thanks to them. I did take the photo of the gorgeous Italian Baroque interior of the 18th century Cathedral of St. Nicholas.

I hope you will consider visiting Slovenia. We were with an excellent Rick Steves tour there, which provided a stimulating orientation to this surprisingly charming country. Since Slovenia is home to our fun-loving, well-informed, accommodating Rick Steves guide, Saso Golub, we felt as though we had the inside track. However, our time there seemed too short--we fell in love with the land and the people, and I can't wait to return. Both Saso and his girlfriend Tina Hiti also serve as expert private guides, and I can provide contact information for them if you ask for it. 

Question of the day: Is the thought of traveling to Slovenia new to you? What other non-traditional destination captures your creative imagination?

Exploring--Surprising Slovenia

For a unique, yet comfortable travel destination, Slovenia, the most prosperous nation of those formed from the former Yugoslavia, is a delight. If you are dreaming of a journey to Eastern Europe, consider visiting this lovely country while it is still relatively undiscovered. 

Presenting a remarkable variety in a relatively small area, Slovenia has mountains (the Julian Alps), World War I history (including the setting of Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms), a romantic lake, excellent wineries, and sophisticated towns and cities. The capital city, Ljubljana (pronounced loo blee AH nah), is as charming as Prague, with similar Baroque and Art Nouveau architecture, but is quieter and dramatically less crowded than Prague. We'll see a bit of the city in a later post.

Today's photos are of lovely Lake Bled, framed by the Julian Alps, which we visited this past September. As dramatic clouds skidded across the sky, we hiked to the castle on the cliff above the lake for breath-taking views, then enjoyed being rowed on a colorful, hand-made pletna boat to the fairy-tale island. The island's Baroque Chapel of the Assumption replaced an 8th century pagan temple dedicated to the goddess of love and fertility. Wedding parties often cross to the island for pictures, and it is traditional for the groom to carry his bride up the 98 steps from one of the docks to prove his "fitness for marriage". Whew! Rick Steves' Croatia and Slovenia guidebook claims 4 out of 5 grooms make it. The laid-back town of Bled, on the lake shore, boasts peaceful resorts and a famous cream cake speciality to savor on balconies overlooking the lake.

I will continue posting about the history and natural beauty of Slovenia next time. If you enjoy reading about travel, also see my April 28 post about our thought-provoking visit to Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Question of the day:  Where would your dream journey take you? Why not start planning for it today? 

Exploring--Far From Home--Beautiful, Haunting Mostar

Bosnia-Herzegovina may not be everyone's vacation dream spot, but it was a highlight of our long-anticipated 4-week journey in Central and Eastern Europe this past September and October. We were privileged to see the river valley city of Mostar with its iconic bridge as an unexpected bonus added to the destinations we had originally intended to see. Sometime soon, I will blog about budget travel and creative travel planning and will perhaps say more about how we happened to journey to Mostar for one memorable overnight stay. 

For now, more about Mostar itself, a city where Turkish-style and Serbian Orthodox East meets a fervently Catholic Croatian West. Mostar suffered greatly in the wars of the 1990s. It had long been a sophisticated, peaceable mix of cultures and religions with as many as 75% of the adults married to someone of another background or culture. All that changed in late 1991 when Bosnia-Herzegovina declared independence from the rapidly disintegrating Yugoslavia, and the Serbian minority immediately seceded from the fledgling nation with its Bosnian Muslim majority. Soon, the residents of Mostar were bewildered by bloody fighting among former neighbors, incited by violent partisans from all sides. The Serbs fired down from the hills to one side of the city and Croatians from the other. Even members of mixed families were forced to choose a single ethnicity and to defend it against attacks from the others. 

Our local guide, an articulate, professional Muslim woman (in modern European dress, make-up, and hairstyle) described how the snipers on the hills would pick off anyone who ventured out to aid the wounded or to bury the dead. The cemetery pictured above had been a city park until residents began secretly burying their fallen there in the darkness of any moonless night. No markers were erected until after the war--now hundreds of headstones of residents from the very old to infants, mostly death-dated 1992-94, crowd several former city parks. Our guide also recounted personal stories, employing a sardonic humor, about how the tough, enterprising Mostar residents survived in unimaginable circumstances. "Our humor may seem shocking to those who have not experienced these things," she said, "but it was as essential to our survival as our meager food and water." 

Today, Mostar is peaceful and rebuilding itself as quickly as war-ravaged resources will allow. In one photo above, you can see a heavily shell-damaged building which is partially restored to the right of a brand-new structure replacing the rubble of a destroyed older building. The 16th century Ottoman bridge (the identifying image of Mostar) in the other photo has been painstakingly rebuilt with precisely the same tools and methods as the original using limestone hewn by hand from the same quarry the Ottomans used. As a beloved symbol of a proud and diverse city, it had been deliberately targeted and finally destroyed in the war. It is a moving and lovely sight.

We visited a beautifully decorated mosque where our guide answered our questions frankly, allowing us to glimpse the deep personal significance of her own progressive, sincere faith. On our way to an excellent dinner in the Old Town, a delightful stroll along Coppersmith's Street offered art galleries, craft stalls, spices, and more in a cheerful jumble reminiscent of a Turkish bazaar. Musicians played on exotic (to me) instruments, children ran in noisy joy over the worn cobblestones, and locals enjoying a drink or water pipe laughed and gossiped in several languages at sidewalk tables. Nearby, the silvery river and the restored Old Bridge were stunning in the fading evening light. Earlier, our guide had given us a tour of an amazing Turkish-style house with a beautiful courtyard and garden and lovely wood-paneled and tiled rooms. Our group got silly trying on the authentic ethnic costumes she provided from displays there. All these were particularly poignant experiences given the recent tragic events.

For readers curious about accommodations, the Rick Steves tour we had taken into the country put us up in the large, sleek, well-run Hotel Ero, where international journalists stayed during the war and which was one of the few large buildings in the central city to escape serious damage. According to a Rick Steves travel guidebook, there also are several new, friendly, affordable small hotels in the city center.

I think that my next post will leave the "Exploring" theme for awhile. I'm thinking of shifting gears to writing about the delights of learning something new--although, come to think of it, creative exploring has always done that for me, too. I certainly found exploring Central and Eastern Europe to be a rich learning experience with varied lingering impressions. Oh, and in case you are impressed with my memory of events, don't be. Although it requires discipline, I am thankful to have recorded at least some of the details of travel experiences in journals over the years. 

Question of the day: How have creative journeys shaped your perceptions and the person you are today?