A WATERY WONDERLAND

Travelling south down the stunning Croatian coast we were delighted by the turquoise sea, the islands that keep this part of the Adriatic calm most of the time, the towering limestone crags and the pretty villages.  The (mostly) very good road surfaces made driving a pleasure but the Croatian drivers coming round bends on the wrong side of the road were very scary and one of them hit our wing mirror smashing the plastic housing but fortunately our “Mirror Guards” prevented the glass from breaking. The driver did not stop!

We spent a day walking up the gorge of the Paklenica National Park.  It is very popular with rock climbers having many bolted routes and the possibility of climbing new routes with permission.  The views were superb.

On the way we passed the remains of ancient villages and a water mill. 

The curiously shaped roof is called the helmet.  We followed the stream up as far as the mountain hut but the climb up to any of the surrounding peaks would have been long and arduous especially in such heat.

By complete contrast the Krka National Park is set in a deep gorge cut through a high rocky limestone plain.  As you approach it, it is invisible until the road starts descending steeply into the gorge.  We decided to go on a minibus tour organised by the site owner and as a result were able to see the best parts starting with the complex of lakes and islands at Skradinski Buk. 

The islands are connected by wooden walk-ways and the lakes separated from each other by waterfalls and rapids.

It is all incredibly beautiful.

In some of the restored buildings you can see a working watermill grinding flour, a forge and traditional crafts like spinning and weaving.

Our tour took us to more waterfalls…

…and the island monastery of Visovac.

 We were provided with an excellent lunch of traditional cold meats, cheese and bread washed down by a couple of glasses of local wine.

Finally we were able to visit the Orthodox monastery at Carigradska Draga. 

The frescoes on the walls were wonderful but not old…

…and we saw the catacombs where the first Christians worshipped and many were buried – their bones still lying on a stone shelf.

The whole area was fascinating including the many houses partially destroyed during the Balkan War and the new villages built to house survivors and refugees from Bosnia.

We were heading towards Dubrovnic and en route stopped at two more lovely little coastal towns, each with its well preserved old town.  In the first of them – Sibenik – there was a fountain with lots of colourful, live turtles swimming in the water and basking in the sun... 

...and in the peaceful old town, the Cathedral had a frieze of carved faces round the walls said to be sculptures of all those local people who didn’t contribute towards the cost of the building!

The second town –Trogir – was built on an island just off shore.  Once again we were camped right by the sea on a second island and just a short walk from the bridge over to the old town, now a very popular destination for tourists and sailors (this really is the sea and not a river)...

...and guarded on its seaward side by an old fort.

Like many of these coastal towns, Trogir was delightful but had few unusual or dramatic features.