Zagreb

It was not in our original plan to spend any time in Croatia's capital city of Zagreb. However, due to the less-than-ideal weather in Plitvice, we decided to leave early and spend an afternoon and morning in Zagreb before we flew back to Barcelona.

We were all pleasantly surprised by this city. We were there on Easter, which meant that the entire city was shut down. Although we were sad that we didn't get to visit any of the famous cafes or bars, we did get a unique experience of being in a bustling city when it was completely quiet! Zagreb has beautiful architecture, interesting restaurants, streets lined with patios, large plazas, and we could only imagine the energy that it would contain when businesses were open!

We did get to view the famous St. Mark's church and the Cathedral. Although our time was short, we were glad that we had a chance to stop in this beautiful city and at least get a glimpse of the capital!

 

St. Mark's Church - on the roof, tiles are laid so that they represent the coat of arms of Zagreb (white castle on red background) and  the triune kingdom of Croatia, Slavonia and Dalmatia.

 

These hand-painted easter eggs were in various places around the city.

Plitvice Lakes

The Plitvice Lakes are actually the original destination that sparked our interest in Croatia. We had heard about the jaw-dropping beauty of these lakes from many! We were encouraged to put them on our ¨must-see¨ list, and so we did. The National Park is made up of 16 different lakes, and filled with different hiking paths throughout them that wind around the endless waterfalls. We were so looking forward to the lakes, and saved them for the end of our trip, as they were nearest to our departing airport.

Well...just in time for us to go to Plitvice, the pleasant weather we had throughout the trip decided to take a turn for the worse, meaning rain...and snow.

We were prepared to hike all day for two days, but when we arrived at the park, it was cold and raining, and none of us had packed the proper clothes. We stopped at a gas station and bought umbrellas, put on layers of clothing (as in... a tanktop, a short-sleeve shirt, 2 long sleeve shirts, a sweat shirt and a jacket, 2 pairs of pants, 3 pairs of socks...), and decided to brave it.

Thankfully, the rain turned to mist, and was doable for walking. However, because of the spring weather, it also meant that many of the paths were flooded, which added an element of adventure! Although there were some trails that were supposedly ¨closed¨ because the path was washed away, but we saw many others going on them anyway... so we put on our brave faces and joined. Hopping from log to log, we just hoped for our life that we didn't slip! Thankfully, we all made it, and with great pictures to show from it. It was from the closed path that we were able to access the caves and views of the falls that we would have otherwise missed.

Practically walking on water.

Our second day at Plitvice, it snowed hard during our entire hike. While we started out optimistic and wanted to keep going...our feet quickly went numb, and while it was beautiful, it was not very enjoyable to be outside anymore. We did one three-hour loop, and called it quits.

Although it was somewhat disappointing that we didn't get the sunshine we hoped for, we had a unique experience at Plitvice, and it's hard to complain about anything when you're in a place as beautiful as this! Perhaps we will plan another trip and hope for better weather, but we are nonetheless thankful that we saw what we did and highly suggest these lakes to all nature lovers!

Zadar

Zadar is about an hour and a half up the coast from Split, and is another city with a very small old town on an island. What makes Zadar really special is it's reputation for stunning sunsets! It is also known for it's sea organ. Yes, it is what it sounds like - a structure built to play music as the waves roll in. It was actually surprisingly cool to stand on it and hear the water make music. Although we only had one afternoon there, we did take in a gorgeous sunset. As it was our last stop on the coast before we headed inland, we were happy we made the stop in this charming city.

Split, Croatia

The drive up the coast from Dubrovnik to Split is known for being one of the most scenic drives there is. The bright blue water sparkles in the sun while the waves crash harsh against the rocks, creating a treat for the eyes. However, the day we were set to make the trip, the clouds rolled in and the rain greeted us. In fact, at one point, we had to pull off the road because it was hailing! However, the drive still did manage to be beautiful, and by the time we made it to Split, the sun decided to make an appearance again.

Split has a small center, most of which used to be Diocletian's Palace. It is now a twisty, turny old city full of appealing restaurants, boutiques, and cafes amidst the stone remains.

While we were in Split, we found the big park called Marjan. We spent both of our mornings running on the trails, with stunning views of the sea through the trees.

Enjoy some snippets of our time there!

View from the running path in Marjan Park.

This was supposedly the smallest street in the world.