Wednesday
Leaving Mostar, we took a short detour away from the main roads (and border crossings) to visit Red Lake and Blue Lake in Imotski, Croatia. These are two naturally made lakes that are incredibly deep! They are so deep it can be hard to see the water at the bottom and our brains had a hard time really processing how far down they actually went. It’s fascinating to think about caused it geologically. Red Lake is officially a sink hole and is the 3rd largest in the world! The photos really do not show how truly deep these sink holes are.
We then drove north, heading for the Plitvice area of Croatia. We arranged for an AirBNB about 30 minutes from the park, intending to visit Plitvice the following day. Unfortunately, our host was unresponsive and ultimately did not show up for check in. We found another unit 15 minutes back the direction we came in Otocac and checked in there for the night. Ultimately we heard from our previous host who said he had a car accident in Zagreb and was very sorry he had to cancel the booking. Thankfully our new apartment worked out just fine and we were all glad to be out of the car and in bed that night. We’re trying to remain flexible, but sometimes that can be frustrating!
We did find this confusing (and amusing) sign at a gas station though …
Thursday
The weather looked quite questionable when we got up this morning — foggy and damp. However, we had plans to go to Slovenia the next day, so this was our chance to visit Plitvice National Park. Plitvice is one of the top sites to see in Croatia and it’s been on my Must See list since we started planning our trip. It is also a UNESCO site.
Fortunately the weather did clear up on the drive! Only about 15 minutes down the road the fog lifted and we ended up with a bright sunny day.
Plitvice itself was very pretty. The trees are in the midst of changing and there are pockets of beautiful fall leaves throughout the park. We left the car at entrance 2 and then hiked down to the lakes. We started with the short boat ride across the water and then the hiking trail around the upper lakes.
Some water falls were small and others were quite large! The lakes themselves were calm and peaceful, but it was really neat to walk next to and even over the rushing waterfalls. The water itself is also crystal clear and you can see the lake beds very easily. Because the dams and falls are created by the calcium carbonate in the water, the falls are constantly changing.
The autumn colors were beautiful and added a whole other level of beauty to the national park.
After completing the upper lakes loop, we took another boat across the large lake to the lower section of the park.
Here was another long string of waterfalls and pools strung out through a canyon. Our guide book described it as taking the water from Niagra Falls and scattering it along the Grand Canyon covered with forests.
Plitvice wasn’t crowded while we were there either. It was quite pleasant to explore and there were times where we truly felt alone in the park.
We saved the best for last too … a massive waterfall that falls from more than 250 feet up! It was very impressive.
We hiked all the way up the gorge to the rim and then walked along the top until we found the shuttle bus stop. The shuttle took us near the parking lot and then we had another 10 minutes of walking to reach the car. This was our longest hike of the trip so far — my FitBit said we walked 7.5 miles, including a lot of elevation change!
On the way back to Otocac, we called ahead to a zipline outfit. It is called Beware of the Bear and it is the longest and fastest zipline in Europe! The line itself is 1,700 meters long, just over 1 mile! They would have closed shortly after we arrived, but they stayed open to let us do it.
In this photo, you can JUST barely see a white dot at the top of the hill opposite the valley — that’s where we started!
We were able to do the tandem rides — Caden and Daddy together and Kamy and me together. Kamy and I went first, with a GoPro on my helmet. Here is a video of the ride! Our descent took longer than Keller and Caden’s since we needed to be pulled in the last part. We didn’t weigh enough!
Keller and Caden came second and (due to their combined mass) came screeching into the landing. Thank goodness for the brakes on the line … they certainly didn’t need to the pulled up the rest of the way like we did. 😉
Everyone enjoyed the zipline and the kids would happily do it again! It was super fast and a beautiful way to feel like you’re flying! Doing it at sunset made it all the more special.
Friday
Another day on the road — this time to a new country for us … Slovenia! Keller was very interested in visiting the Skocjan Caves, so that was our destination. It is also another UNESCO site I can check off! There are two different tours you can take and, thanks to off season timing, we had to be there by 2pm to make both tours. Fortunately the drive to Slovenia went fine, we stopped for a tasty pizza lunch at Jakob just over the border and pulled into the parking lot at 1:45! Just in time!
The first cave tour was recently reopened after being closed for 50+ years. Our guide took us through the collapsed cave entrance and along the water line for the Reka River. It was quite beautiful and a great introduction to the river and the Karst limestone region. After this section of caves, the river disappears into the larger enclosed caves for the other part of the tour.
We reset at the main office space and then continued with the second tour. This time we went deep into the cave to explore the caverns. They were very special! The walking paths were all paved with concrete and well lit, so it was very accessible and enjoyable. We were not allowed to take photos in this cave, so you’ll have to take my word for it or visit yourself! 😉
Our favorite room was a giant cavern with the roaring river at the bottom! River to ceiling tops out at 500′ high! In fact, this chamber is the largest discovered cavern in Europe and one of the largest in the world. You could see the remnants of prior walking trails or steps carved by the early explorers throughout the cave, but in this cavern it was particularly terrifying to consider the conditions that the early cavers endured to explore the cave system. It’s mind blowing that people would traverse some of those cliffs with just a headlamp and minimal climbing gear. Talk about dangerous! Once again, scale was really hard to judge and truly comprehend how big everything is.
We didn’t walk quite as far this time, only 15,000 steps, but most of that was with elevation changes and stairs. Our legs were very tired by the end of the day. According to Caden’s FitBit, we climbed up or down about 70 flights of stairs!
After the caves, we drove to our AirBNB for the next two nights. This time we booked a house in the Slovenian countryside in the tiny town of Velike Zablje. The country is beautiful and everything looks so green right now, despite the fall foliage. First impressions of Slovenia are very impressive! It feels quite different than the rocky Balkans in Croatia.
Saturday
Today we set of for a castle and another set of caves! We started at Predjama Castle, which literally means “in front of a cave.” Various iterations of the castle have been built upon and most recently it was used as a hunting lodge for a wealthy family. It was certainly a cold and damp place to live, but it did serve as a great defensive position. There was a secret passage through the caves as an exit as well, so even when under siege, the castle could hold out indefinitely.
The most famous siege was in pursuit of a “Slovenian Robin Hood” who hid in the castle. The castle was under siege for over a year before the attackers bribed a staff member to tell them when the outlaw was on the toilet. This was the most vulnerable spot on the castle, with thinner walls, so he was literally blown right off his “throne” and the siege thus ended.
Caden picked out a shirt as a souvenir and I think it was a great pick! It’s the right size and the right color too. 😉
From there, we drove to the next town over to visit the Postojna Cave system. Linked to the caves at the castle, these are more Karst caves carved out of limestone by a river over millions of years. This cave system is a little different in that it has been open as a tourist attraction for 199 years! The first “tourist” was an Archduke who visited it in 1819. o.O
Since then many upgrades have been added to the system to make it accessible for tourists. There is a quick and efficient mini-train that runs 4km through the caves to reach the most spectacular sections. Here there is a concrete walking path, handrails, and excellent lighting to see the immense stalactites and stalagmites. Curtains and other unusual formations are scattered through the 1.5km path. When you complete the loop, you can see some of the indigenous cave salamanders and then ride the train back up.
Considering we’ve now done 3 different caves, they’ve all been pretty different and we’re glad to have seen each one. I think the most popular is the main cave at Skocjan though. The sheer scale of the place is breathtaking.
We drove home and stopped for dinner at a local winery restaurant. Driving to the location was a bit tight and we actually opted NOT to go any further down this little road, in order to save our deposit on the rental car. Judging from the state of the gutter on the side, it seemed a prudent call.
Tomorrow we’ve got one more planned attraction and then heading to Croatia again!
Sunday
The last thing on our To See list for this weekend was the Lipica Stud Farm! We packed up in the morning and drove over the scenic roads to Lipica. The views were stunning and we were tempted to stop and take photos several times. We did stop on top of the hill just by our apartment and capture the valley spread out below us. Slovenia’s landscape is so captivating!
Once at the stud farm, we joined the noon English tour group. As we were the only ones there, it was a private tour! Our guide was friendly and knowledgeable, but he was a bit hard to understand since he spoke quietly.
We were able to “meet” many of the stallions in the stable and understand a bit more about the stables and program. The stud farm has 365 Lipizzaner horses, typically breed 40-45 mares and hope for 30-40 foals each spring. There are only 12,000 registered Lipizzaners in the world, so they work very diligently to protect the breeding stock and ensure the greatest genetic diversity possible. All Lipizzaners originally come from one of six stallions and there is a rare black gene that occasionally pops up.
After the tour we ate a picnic lunch and the kids played on the playground for a while. Then we wandered through the carriage museum and the Lipica museum before stopping at the souvenir shop. We passed the next tour group and it had 50+ people in it! I was very glad we came early to do an earlier tour.
At 3pm we watched the performance in the large arena. There was dressage, quadrilles, carriage driving, and the famous capriole! While not perfect, it was a gentle exhibition for the kids to enjoy. There were several performances where the stallions were not haltered and were following the visual queues of the trainers alone. Once again, no photos were allowed, so you’ll have to use your imagination (or youtube).
After Lipica, we drove through Italy on the way to Croatia! We were only in Italy for about an hour, but we did stop for gelato just over the border. Kamy has been itching for Italian food in Italy, but apparently Italy is like France — you can only eat at lunch time or dinner time and never in between. 😉 Since we couldn’t find a restaurant with good reviews that was open, ice cream would have to do.
The ice cream was a bit of a gamble! All the descriptions were written in Italian (which none of us knows) and the few words we could decipher (kava and stratticelli) were both gone. I ended up with a chocolate and Keller had peanut butter. Kamy had mango and Caden had something that tasted like vanilla but changed flavors at the end to … something else. LOL!
We crossed the border into Croatia and were very glad we were going south. The line for crossing into Italy was literally miles long! Apparently everyone who came from Italy for the weekend was heading back and Sunday afternoon is the worst time when it comes to traffic.
We did run across a closed road for a road rally race that was about to start. We didn’t see much, but there were a TON of cars all lined up and ready to go.
We arranged for an AirBNB in the town of Rovinj for the next week. It is in a large apartment building that is fully rented in high season, but we were the only ones in the building now! We made a quick stop at the grocery store for some basics and then spent the evening getting settled and unpacked for the week. We are using Rovinj as our home base for exploring the Istria peninsula in Croatia this week.
I think we all needed some recovery time after the whirlwind trip from Split -> Dubrovnik -> Kotor, Montenegro -> Mostar, Bosnia -> Plitvice, Croatia -> Slovenia -> Istria, Croatia! Four countries in one week is a lot!