plitvice, sibenik, zadar

The next morning we woke up really early to explore the rest of the lakes. Gate 2 is located right below the hotel Jezero, but because it’s low season the tickets can only be bought at Gate 1. We took the ferry to cross to the other side, and it was like entering a magical kingdom. I didn’t think it was possible, but the upper lakes were even more beautiful than the other ones. Waterfalls gush out of everywhere, and because we were the only ones there (we didn’t see anyone else during the whole morning) it was indeed magical. The sound of water just follows you around, and at every corner there’s a different and more stunning view.





It took us around 3 hours to walk all the way up to Gate 4, where we caught the bus back to the first gate. We stuck to the main trail, but there are secondary trails that you can take if you feel like exploring the park a bit more or do some serious hiking. It was raining that day, so our photos don’t do justice to the beauty of the park, but if you’d like to see how it looks during a sunnier day, just see here.


Sibenik


Sibenik

From Plitvice we started our drive down to Zadar. There’s only one motorway in Croatia, so there’s no way to get lost. Because we had some time, we drove down to Sibenik to have lunch, and explore the historic centre a bit.



All the larger coastal cities in Croatia have nice historic centres, usually near the sea, but to get there you usually have to get past the busier and more industrial areas. A huge contrast to what we saw in the countryside, the coast is quite crowded and busy. If you look closer, you can still see the signs of war, like the bullet holes in the walls, or the plaques that remind you of the bombings.


Zadar centre


Zadar: steps by the sea organ

We arrived in Zadar during the afternoon, and I was all ready to watch the sunset from the Sea Organ, but unfortunately it was raining quite hard so we explored the pedestrian streets of the centre a bit and listened to the organ and the fall of the rain together. There are no hotels in the centre, and Zadar is quite popular during the summer so most hotels are located in Puntamika, near the beaches. We stayed at Villa Hresc, the closest one to the centre, and although I had booked a double room they gave us a whole apartment for the same price. The restaurant at the hotel had great reviews, so we decided to try it. Their specialty is fish and seafood, and indeed the food was delicious.


raining in Zadar