No... this is not a spelling mistake... it's just that the Croatians have an economy drive on 'vowels' when it comes to spelling... only to be used as a last resort. We spotted words with 4 consecutive consonants... but we have not given up hope of spotting the elusive 5 in a row.
We left the historical fascination of Split and headed up north 75 klms to enjoy scenic beauty at Krka National Park. Our hire car a VW Golf, had 10 klms on the clock. All our previous hires were purchases from the Japanese second-hand car market... so to 'luck-in' with a brand new vehicle with the latest technology bought a smile to our faces. The drive along the coast excited the senses. The air was reasonably clean... uninterrupted sunshine... the sea radiated its aqua blue... the rugged hills and the stone cottages with terracotta tiles provided a colourful backdrop. Early on in our Balkan adventure, I challenged any countryside to beat Greece for natural beauty. The Croatian coastline puts up a good challenge... in a more polished and manicured fashion. We'll have to see how the Croatian countryside (non-coastal) shapes up.
The crowd-puller in National Parks is at Plitvice... we are visiting it on Saturday. When we enquired about Krka, the locals said, "It's OK... but why would you want to do both?" So we started out walk this afternoon not expecting too much. However, we discovered a surprise that gave us lots of pleasure... we discovered clean water... they must have gigantic filters upstream to remove all particles. I'd love to know why the water is so clean. Either it must come from spring water where sediments have had centuries to settle... or the absence of soil on the hillsides of the canyon through which the river flows must explain the low particle count. My friend Johnny has a special skill for seeing fish under cloudy water... his skill comes from a lifetime of chasing salmon. Today, Johnny's skill would be of no value... everyone could see the fish as clear as crystal to depths of 5 metres... but bad luck Johnny, no fishing was allowed. The ecosystem of the river was in excellent shape. Plenty of frogs... always the ultimate test... dragonflies... a few birds... but lots of fish. Goodness knows what Plitvice will provide to live up to its rating.
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