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Croatia - Day 7 - 8

It is human nature to associate a new experience with someone or something you know, but when you realize that in some very small way they are similar, and the big picture is new and different, that is really exciting.  And your previous small world now explodes with that inevitable paradigm shift and new events to add to your life's story.

 

Brtonigla



One of the many things that make a Rick Steves tour special is their ability to use locals to find the special places and people of that country that you will not normally see on your own or on a large tour group.  One of those places was a wonderful locally known restaurant,Brtonigla.

 

We were warned to bring an appetite.  From quick tasty bites of the appetizer, to a several mouth-watering main courses (at least I considered them to be large enough for a main course) to the sweet dessert, we enjoyed the view (far off view of the Adriatic and vineyards between), the company, the owners and the whole darn thing.  Their meats are actually cooked on open flame in a huge fireplace looking grill for all to see!

Opajita

Just about everyone in the United States (and probably other countries, as well) have watched the Beverly Hillbillies (an older television series).  A family of country bumpkins plopped down to live in luxurious Beverly Hills.  Hold that thought and think of us as the Beverly Hillbillies, but we are transported to a swanky resort in Croatia called Opatija.  This is where the wealthy elite play in the Adriatic Sea, and laughingly we are not the wealthy elite.

 

Forgetting we were out of place, we simply enjoyed the elegance of it all.  Ornate architecture, beautiful people and fancy restaurants display their menus on the avenue.  No messy sand beaches for this crowd—sunbathing is done on concrete pads with speedo clad men and thong adorned women—young and old.  Finely trimmed parks with tidy walkways also line up along the sea.  Worth the visit, but not somewhere comfortable to linger too long…[smile]. 

Plitvice National Park

Our arrival to Plitvice National Park was in the misty rain.  Fantasy genre movies wait for this type of atmospheric setting.  Where little raindrops glitter the heroine’s hair as she walks through the woods.  Not exactly the dewy young maiden (ha,ha), but I did appreciate these conditions for seeing this natural wonder.  It made the whole experience mystical.

 

Sixteen terraced lakes spill into one another—you are literally surrounded by waterfalls.  With boardwalks crossing many of the lakes bringing you up so close you can feel the water crashing over the edge.   

 

The first shots of Croatia’s war were fired here in 1991.  For almost five years no one visited the park.  What was once a down-trodden park from so many visitors the environment was able to recover.  The water was now pristine.  Thousands of fish on the surface thriving.  Delicate flowers and colorful salamanders on the hills.  From such a sad plight of war, maybe one good thing happened. 

 

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