We had arranged to meet up and stay with Iva for our first night in Zagreb, and after a few days in Prague to say goodbye to my family we were arriving in Croatia. It is a great feeling when you meet up with someone who you’ve only spent a few days with before but can tell they are as excited to see you as you are to see them. Iva took us to her home, and after a quick beer and a shower we were out and sightseeing with one of her friends. We saw the parks, and some of the lovely architecture. We went to a pub for lunch with some more friends, and then to a gallery with a very curious light exhibition, then on to do some more sightseeing. Some of the architecture and decorations were unlike any I had seen, like a kind of bric-a-brac roof tiling on the Church of St Mark, and a great carving on an inside wall of a church in an ancient European script, Glagolitic.

That night a group of us went up to a fort called Medvedgrad which was originally constructed in the 13^th Century and offers views over the city which were captivating even by night. We partied on until late in the night, and after a couple of hours sleep we were back on the road, and heading for Plitvice Lakes National Park.

We had a night staying in very small B&B in the area of the national park, and after a rather confusing and time consuming check-in process which involved several of the locals and a dog, we had our bags inside and were on our way to the lakes.

I have never seen so many waterfalls in my life as I did that day. We took an old shuttle bus to the top of the river system and then slowly meandered downhill following the rivers and waterfalls. The water was a beautiful blue from the calcium-rich limestone it had passed through, and clear enough to see many large carp and other fish swimming around most of the time. The leaves were turning to their autumnal tones of yellows and reds, and as they collected on the already brightly coloured blue or green lakes they added another dimension to the bright and bold scenery.

After seeing what must have been over 100 waterfalls, and not a single bear or boar, we made our way out of the national park and returned tired to our B&B with only a brief stop on the way back for a bottle of wine, something to eat, and a rest for our legs.

The next day was another early start though we still had to run to make our bus. We were heading to Zadar, on the Eastern side of Croatia and just across the water from Italy. The contrast with the other places we had visited in Croatia was striking. This seemed very much like a Mediterranean town rather than the Eastern European feel of Zagreb. The buildings were white-washed, the gardens were filled with citrus-fruit trees and olives, and the sun was hot. We enjoyed our first afternoon there, walking around the city, taking in the sights and sounds and of course the food – and planned our following day which was a trip out to the Kornati Islands.

The trip out to the islands was quite a long one, but luckily we had plenty of good company – and started the day with sljivovica and coffee. Before long we were swaying with the boat and the schnapps and enjoying the warm sunshine on the deck. There were a few very interesting people to talk to on the trip, including a travel writer and photographer for transitionsabroad.com, a website devoted to cultural immersion and living in obscure or remote locations. The scenery on the journey was stunning Mediterranean seas dotted with rugged-looking islands, most of which were completely unpopulated save for a few sea birds, lizards, and the occasional fisherman. We passed several other sail boats and yachts (including one with very excited topless dancing girls on the roof deck) but when we arrived at the island we were spending the afternoon on there were very few people there.

I immediately distanced myself from the crowd of other holiday makers and went walking around the big salt lake in the middle of the island, and soon felt like a lone explorer on this island paradise with just the company of the lizards, crickets, and wild donkeys. Halfway round the lake I encountered the far shore of the island which was strewn with thousands of stones and boulders piled in precarious cairns of tribute to the travellers that had passed throughout the years. It looked like a Petrified Forest stretching off into the distance. I added my own stone to one of the piles and continued round the lake. I hadn’t passed anyone else for some time and I couldn’t see anyone around so I decided it would be an appropriate time to strip off and give the water a try. Because of the high salt content I was more buoyant than usual, and bobbed around for a bit feeling refreshingly cool after the heat of the sun and the walk, before carrying on around the lake and arriving where I began an hour or so later.

The journey back was uneventful. I was tired after so many early mornings, my long walk, and too much wine and schnapps so after our dinner I dozed on the boat until we approached the port of Zadar again. The sunset here was amazing, silhouetting the boats, and reflecting light from the terracotta coloured buildings on to the water, and after we landed we made our way to a waterside bar to enjoy the last of the light on our last night in Croatia.

Have a look at my Croatian pictures!