As I mentioned in a previous post, Bill and I gave serious consideration to trying for a visit to the Krka National Park on Sunday. It was located within a two hour’s drive of where we were staying in Croatia, and we had nothing else planned. But when we went to try to buy online tickets for the park, they were all sold out. I suppose we could have shown up at the park and tried to buy a ticket on the spot, but that would have been a risky proposition, given how far away the park was from our accommodation. We were also considering this plan BEFORE we knew how tired and sore we were going to be on Sunday morning.
What we ended up doing was buying tickets to go back to the Plitvice Lakes on Sunday, only we planned to enter through entrance 2, which is on the other side of the park. To be honest, when we got back to the house late Saturday afternoon, I wasn’t really wanting to go back to the park on Sunday. Duje, the Croatian caretaker, had suggested it. But Saturday evening, I was just really tired, stiff, sore, and hungry. Bill cooked, which put me in a worse mood, not because he’s a terrible cook, but because I had a real craving for barbecue and would have preferred takeout. I love and appreciate Bill very much, but sometimes he’s makes productions out of things that don’t need to be overthought… or overwrought.
We woke up on Sunday to warmer temperatures and clearer skies. I knew I wouldn’t need to bundle up like I did on Saturday. And I also knew that I would not be walking all over the park. Instead, we walked to the boat area closest to the entrance and just sat down on a bench. We listened to the wind and the waterfalls, and watched people set off on the massive hike we did on Saturday from the other side of the park. I watched ducks beg for food, and people rented boats and paddled around. Maybe we should have rented a boat, too, although we were both really sore.
Just sitting at the park, sipping Croatian beer, talking to each other, and enjoying the natural beauty was enough. I realized that Duje was right. It is worth it to spend two days at the park. Maybe it would have been better to do two shorter walks over both days instead of the super long one on Saturday. But, again, I didn’t have a concept of what the park was like until we went there. If we ever go back, I might plan differently. I want to go to the Krka National Park first, though. Check out this scenery…
I’m sorry we missed our opportunity to visit this park on the Krka River. But now we have a great reason to visit again. We still got some beautiful photos on our second day, too. Have a look.
The boats where people are taken to other parts of the park. We knew that if we got on one, we would be committed… 
And after the seven mile Saturday hike, I felt like I needed to be committed… 
We still made a show of looking at the map. 
Look carefully for the waterfall. It was our music. 
Once again, Bill is moved by the scenery.
It was almost lunchtime, so I decided to have a Croatian beer… As you can see by the first photo, Bill was amused.
Some people were rowing. We didn’t see anyone doing this the day prior. 
In fact, it seemed like the park was quieter. 
It was a good decision to come into a different entrance, since we didn’t see this area on Saturday. 
The Croatians make decent beer, too. 
That K route is a killer… 
We only stayed at the park for an hour or so, then went to get lunch at a local roadside restaurant I kept noticing. I took a few parting shots before we made our way to Vila Velabita for hearty, authentic Croatian food.
On the way back. 
We probably should have gone to Vila Velabita on Saturday, as they had the kind of food I was craving after our long hike. I am glad we stopped on Sunday, so I could try smoked chicken. Bill had sausages made with beef and pork. We finished with an espresso for him, and locally made brandy for me.
Another shot of the ruined church… 
And the mountainside near our rental house. 
Bill has been studying Carl Jung, so he was delighted to find book by Jung in Croatian in the house. It was inscribed by Duje. 
More Croatian beer. I especially liked the dark one. 
Some very fresh local bread served with pumpkinseed oil, a local delicacy. 
Yum! 
Bill had pork and beef sausages with red pepper sauce. 
I had a deboned chicken leg and thigh, smoked, and served with a creamy, smokey sauce. 
Dessert… 😉 
They had “veal under the bell”, which I kept seeing advertised. It must be excellent, although I try to avoid eating veal. 
I’d go back again.
Monday morning, we awoke to a glorious sunrise. I’d had a look at the forecast for Slovenia and figured it might be the last we’d see of the sun for the week, so I took some pictures. We loaded up the car, cleaned up the house, and Bill went over to Duje’s house to hand off the keys. While he was giving the keys to the caretaker, Bill mentioned the Jung book he found, which was inscribed by Duje. He told Duje that he was also a student of Jung’s. Duje smiled and said, “You’ll come back next year.”
Maybe we will… I wouldn’t be opposed to it. Croatia is officially wonderful. Below are a few parting shots of Croatia.
Golden trees… 
We were very close to Bosnia. 
Maybe next time, we can cross the border. 
I’m not sure the liquor ads make these socialist era buildings any more appealing… 
We bought cheese and honey at a rest stop. We also bought a mug and a magnet for my collection. I was right about the sun. This was also probably where we should have had lunch…
Stay tuned for part eight.
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