Plitvice lakes and unexpected surprises....

    We left yesterday camp laterna in croatia. It was an amazing place and five nights simply was not enough. There is so much history, ancient villages around every corner waiting to be explored, delicious fresh food created from the countless local gardens, kind gentle and generous people, crystal clear blue sea, warm sun, really??? I could spend weeks here!!! And I plan on doing it at some point. So because we canceled our two night stay in at lake bled in slovenia, ( a day trip was good enough there) we have two free nights to go where the wind takes us. I love traveling this way, it brings out the nomad in me. This is how we did it last time, just making it up as we went along. This time, I imagine because the economy has improved, the campgrounds were often booked up so we were forced into booking ahead. It has worked out well also, but I love being spontaneous. So were off to see more of beautiful croatia. 

   Our destination,   Plitvice national park. It's a four hour drive east of porec.  It's an interesting drive, to see the landscape change, going from the sea and venturing inland to watch the change in growth.  Everything is so lush and green and soil so fertile you can easily imagine people living an epicurean lifestyle here. We saw something we had never seen before.  We drove through tiny little towns in the middle of nowhere and saw so many houses that had been bombed and littered with bullet holes. The war here in croatia lasted between 1991- 1995. I vaguely remember it, I was 18 years old in 1991 and getting married and busy driving around Oregon in our 79 Volkswagen bus , living on canned chili beans and m&m,s bought with a credit card.  To consumed in my own life to really care or notice other people my age living in tiny little country towns like the one I came from in Oregon , were running for their lives, fleeing from their homes,  dodging bullets and mortars. Even after visiting the concentration camp, this had a different reality to it. This was in my lifetime.  We saw so many homes completely ruined . It looked like cannons were dropped on the homes. I couldn't help but think, what on earth could cause people to do this? What possibly could drive one neighbor to fire on another neighbor . This was where people lived. This was their homes. For some reason I imagine war taking place in the middle of vast desserts with no civilians around. I know this is ignorant and not true but that's how I prefer to think of it, what a reality check . I saw one bombed out house left in ruin and it was spray painted with " for sale" glad the people kept their humor at least. Unfortunately it took 40,000 lost lives for them to sort it all out.

   The park was amazing. Nothing man made can ever compare the amazing creations of our grand creator. This was simply spectacular!!  You start by taking an electric boat across the first lake and are immediately taken by the clean and clear water teaming with fish. A few waterfalls fall gracefully into the first lake. You get off the boat and venture on a hike from one lake that falls into another. They have built little wooden bridges that enable you to walk across many waterfalls and look out and stare at the most scenic place I've ever seen in my life. They protect the water and your not able to swim in it which is understandable but difficult because I've never seen more inviting water. The kids were in awe. They were staring silently around every corner,( well cole is never ever silent) I can't even put into words how beautiful this place is. 

   We have two days free and a five hour drive to our next spot. We decide to take a different route so we don't have to see the same thing twice. This adds 15 minutes drive but is less windy. Thirty or fourth minutes down the road we decide to price one of the many zimmerfree. That is what they call a guest house. There are many and you can see this how people make a living here. We follow some signs up the road and find a lovely woman waiting for guests by the name of kita. The house overlooks a magnificent garden and her very own vineyard. Two very clean rooms for 75€ .its not camping prices but still very fair. The woman instantly melts my heart. We are staying here.We take a drive back in to town for some dinner. We see a little sign pointing to a small village below so we take a last minute swoop down the road. What we find there , is the most intensely moving picturesque little place I've ever seen in my life. Watefalls are everywhere. All flowing from various rock formations into a river below, but there are homes built right on top of them. Literally, the water is gushing out from under neath the homes and cafés. This is a place where hobbits and fairys live, this can't be real! I've never heard of it, I've watched every single episode of rick Steve's how on earth has he missed this?  The echo of crashing water, the glow of lanterns the smell of roses, ducks and swans playing in the pools of water. There I am singing again " I'm in heaven, I'm in heaven" this time silently to myself because really I'm left speechless. All of us practically in unison declare, this is by far the coolest place we have ever been. 

  We walk through the town and decide to eat at the last one on the edge of the tiny town. We walk across a small bridge. A old senile woman with long scraggly hair sits in her garden eating berries, in front  of a soft pool of flowing water that drops gently into another waterfall. Her clothes hang on a line in front of the stone cottage between the roses and fruit trees. How on earth do people have the privilege of living here? She is obviously off her rocker, maybe old age, maybe war? I covet her house, I know that's bad but it's the most beautiful house I have ever seen in my life. We walk a little farther and sit on the deck the water flows under the deck, all around us. There is a little canoe in the water with steps leading into it. I feel like I'm in a fairy tale and a hobbit is going to take our order. Actually a very nice looking Croatian man takes our order. He is just as sweet as all the others. Every request was answered with " right away"  we have a starter plate with meats. Wild boar and bear and venison all made into sausage or salami. It's divine. We eat some pig cooked on a spick. I don't like eating pork. It bothers me because pigs are very intelligent. But man are they also tasty. I try not to think about the piggy. We finish off with homemade cherry brandy and a slice of plum polenta cake. What a treat. We all thank daddy over and over again. We are all in love with our waiter. Jim asks him about the war. He was 8 years old at the time and tells us his memories. He grew up here in this town. Amazing. At the end of our dinner he says " you are all so nice we want to give you a present" he presents me with a shirt with the name of the restaurant on it. My heart literally melts away and falls over the waterfall. This is the third present we have been given by complete strangers. What a lesson in hospitality. Then he gives the best gift yet. He proceeds" I see many many children, but I have to tell you, you have the most polite boys I've met. They are very good boys" ... Oh my heart is forever in croatia. He is right you know,I'm fiercely proud of them. At home I'm so sensitive to any negative comments people feel they have authority to dish out. My personality aims to please, so I've never accepted criticism to easily, but when you criticize my family you stab me right in the gut. It's so peaceful to be away from negative people. I know the kids don't listen to me most of the time, none of us listen to each other, we all our in our own little worlds, I know they sometimes fight and beat each other up and are obnoxiously loud or maybe they fall asleep at inapriopriate times or they say a bad word have to long of hair bad grades  ect.  But you know what, they know how to treat other people, they are kind to everyone, they don't judge or make fun of people they are funny as hell and they are mine. They are beautiful little souls who won't even kill a bee if it's ready or sting them and they are so scared they are crying like little girls. And this young waiter of ours was smart enough to see that. That was the best gift of all.