Day 7

It’s Adam again! Today, we woke up around 6:30. I cooked up some eggs that we got from the grocery store the day before. This proved to be more tricky that I expected since there was no oil or butter at the place we were staying. After one failed batch, I was able to figure out the technique. We had the eggs with some meats and cheeses since we needed to get some energy for our full day of hiking in Plitvice Lakes National Park. The park was just a few miles from where we were staying, so we were able to get there shortly after they opened around 8 o’clock. This is one of the top destinations in the country because of the park’s many scenic lakes, rivers, and waterfalls. We wanted to beat the hoard of tour buses that unleash thousands of tourists into the park every day so that we could have a more enjoyable experience.  Additionally, there are two main entrances in to the park, so we opted to start at the second entrance and hike backwards to the first entrance instead of the more popular route beginning at the first entrance. We had planned to take the H route which is about a 6 mile walk/hike, and is expected to take 4-6 hours. From the 2^nd entrance, there was a tram that took us deep into the forest to the top of the upper lakes where we would begin. Despite all our efforts to avoid them, as soon as we got off the tram, a large group tour entered the trail just before us. A good majority of the hiking takes place on these wooden walking paths that are staked up above the lakes and rivers below. We quickly realized that it is crucial to be looking down constantly to see where you are stepping so that you don’t miss a step. Over the course of the first 15 minutes or so, we were able to creep past each member of the tour group one by one until the coast was clear. It is very tricky because the paths are fairly narrow with just enough room for two people to stand side by side.  All it would take is one person not paying attention while taking some pictures to take a step backwards and bump you right into the water. Speaking of the water, it is EXTREMELY clear, so you can see everything underneath from the fish to the vegetation. It also has a turquoise/teal color to it because of the limestone rocks that the water flows through. We walked across a few still lakes and ponds, and through the forest to see some nice waterfalls. Eventually, after hiking downhills for a ways, we came to a convergence of lakes and waterfalls which was amazing!  After taking it in, we walked further down to the ferry platform that would take us over to the lower lakes. The wait for the ferry was short, and it took us across the largest lake to the other side where we would continue our hike. While going across the lake, we could see that the ferries going in the opposite direction were absolutely full with people, so we knew we made the right choice by starting at entrance 2 and going in reverse. Over at the lower lakes, it was indeed much more crowded (large tour groups, school field trips), but most of them were going in the opposite direction. We misread a sign post which led us to accidentally climb up a huge hill that leads to the exit instead of the Veliki Slap (the largest waterfall). Naturally, we climbed back down and got back on track. The Veliki Slap was a huge waterfall with about 4 or 5 large streams pouring over the top. We climbed a bit higher up a staircase that was carved into the side of a cliff so that we could get some better views. We then retraced our steps so that we could get back to the exit. It was another long hike to get out, but we eventually made it to the tram stop that would take us back to our car at the second entrance. In total we ended up hiking 7.5 miles according to Jessica’s Fitbit, but it was definitely worth it. Once back at the car we made the short drive back to our Airbnb where we laid down and relaxed for the remainder of the afternoon. Come dinner time, we figured the place we went to last night was so good, and since we were out in the middle of the countryside, that we should go back once again. This time I ordered the trout, and Jessica had a local favorite – the minced meat sausages with French fries.  Once again, both meals were great. When we got back to our place, we were very exhausted and fell virtually straight to sleep!

Day 6

Hey everyone, Jessica here! Well today was definitely a change of pace from the last few days. We decided that we needed some relaxing. It is our anniversary after all ;) We woke up around 7:30, a little bit later than normal and started the morning off with fresh croissants and melon that we picked up from a local market. And lots of coffee! Since it was such a lovely morning (and we were in a relaxing mode), we had breakfast out on our balcony. The weather was perfect, again! 2 croissants later, we were off to the city. We meandered through the city streets, passed through a market or two, and stopped for a few photos along the way. Our only real goal for the morning was to climb the bell tower of St. Euphemia Church. When we arrived, we noticed a somewhat large group of people standing outside, which meant the church wasn't open yet. We walked around it for a bit to catch some views of the city below before deciding on a nice shady spot to sit and wait. at 10am on the dot, the doors opened an we were in! We paid our 20 kuna and started the decent climb to the top of the bell tower. The stairs were wooden planks that were very narrow and felt like they could break at any moment. I must have looked like the biggest weirdo because as I was walking up, I was spreading my legs as wide as the stairs would let me to avoid stepping right in the middle of the planks (that seemed like the weakest spot). After 5 minutes or so we emerged from the narrow opening and onto the top of the tower. The views were well worth the uneasy feeling walking up. We could see all of the little islands off of the coast, as well as the town below. There were pigeons everywhere, so we snapped some pics, took the views in one more time, and started heading down. I don't know which was worse, the climb up or the climb down. Let's just say that you want to make sure your feet land on the entire step which requires you to look down, which forces you to see exactly how high you are the entire time. It was definitely not the greatest feeling. We walked down quickly and made it safely to the bottom with no incidents. Now that the tower was out of the way, we had the rest of our time in Rovinj to relax. Our next goal was finding a beach to lay out at and maybe even go into the water. Beaches in Croatia are not like anything you would find in California. Most of them have no sand, only rocks, or rock platforms. We were able to secure a spot with a set of handrails leading into the water which allowed us to ease our way in, rather than having to jump. I will say that the water was very cold, but also very clear! It was so clear that we could even see the jellyfish swimming around! We both took turns hopping in and swimming around. Hopefully with the continued warm weather, the water will be perfect by the time we reach the islands in a few days! After an hour or so of relaxing, it was time for lunch. And when in Croatia and on the coast, you must order seafood. We found a nearby restaurant that had tables right next to the water. Adam ordered the mixed shellfish platter (clams, mussels and one unknown type) while I ordered the langostino (mini lobsters) covered in a garlic sauce. Both looked so good, so we decided to share. After a very filling (and inexpensive) lunch, it was time to say goodbye to the relaxing town of Rovinj and be on our way back inland and to the countryside area of Plitvice National Park. The ride was supposed to take 3.5 hours, but with a few stops and a few missed exits, it was closer to 4.5 hours...There may have been a moment where I was supposed to be navigating, but perhaps fell asleep on the job instead. After what felt like forever, we finally made it to our Airbnb. It was a little cottage in the high Croatian countryside and a nice change of scenery for us. After getting settled in, our host greeted us with some glasses of her family's homemade cherry sherry. It was excellent! We relaxed for a bit and even walk outside to enjoy the sunset. Our seafood lunch was very filling, but around 8pm we decided that we should grab some dinner. We went to authentic restaurant nearby where we shared beef noodle soup and a salami pizza. It was very filling and there is still 1/2  pizza in our fridge. Once we got back we caught the end of the Dodger game (they won!) before calling it a night.

Rovinj

View from top of tower in Rovinj

Beach in Rovinj

Our place in town of Smoljenic 

Day 5

Adam here!  So, we left off with us flying to Zagreb, Croatia from Copenhagen.  It was a short hour and a half flight – although there was a crying toddler right next to us the whole way. But we were so tired we were still able to take some naps. We arrived successfully into Zagreb’s brand new airport and got through the passport check very quickly. From there we got our bags and went to the rent-a-car booth. We had booked a mini car, but they were out of those, so they gave us a free upgrade. We ended up with a brand new Audi (only 10 km. mileage). We connected with our Airbnb host before leaving the airport, and then made the quick drive into the city center where we were staying. Our Airbnb host (Filip) met us close to where we were staying to show us where to park – a very tiny, narrow alleyway which is scary knowing that we were driving a brand new car. We walked over to where we were staying and checked in. It was past 10PM, so we were extremely tired and did not waste much time before going to sleep. 

The next morning we slept in until about 7AM, got ready, packed our bags, and checked out around 8. We took our bags back to the car only to find that the gate leading to where it was parked had been locked. After some frustrating moments standing outside with all our luggage, we were able to reach Filip who told us the parking area would be unlocked shortly. In the meantime, we walked into town and found a little breakfast spot called Café Tava. We both got a coffee. I got bacon and eggs, while Jessica had pancakes covered in strawberries and white chocolate. Now that the parking area was open, we took our bags and loaded them in our car so that we could explore the city. Zagreb has two main parts to the city, an upper and lower town. The whole city is very clean and everything is very nice. We began in the lower town and saw the city’s main cathedral. Close by we found the Dolac Market, where they were selling all sorts of things, ranging from fruits and veggies, to souvenirs and gifts. We wandered around some streets in the lower town, including the city’s main square, then we began the climb to the upper part of the city. It was a fairly decent climb, but once on top there were great views over the rest of the city below. We walked down the street to St. Mark’s Church and surrounding square, and saw some of the other areas in the upper town. I noticed there was a nice tower on the edge of the town, but we found out that it didn’t open until 11, so I made a mental note to come back. From there, we walked through the stone gate and back into the lower part of town. At this point, our legs were already getting tired, so we took a little break and sat down. After our break we began to climb back to the upper town because the tower was opening soon. We got there early so we strolled around a nearby park. Once the tower opened we went inside and climbed up to the top to get some great views over the whole city. Our time in Zagreb was running out, so we walked back to our car and prepared for our 3.5 hour journey to the Croatian coast to see the town of Rovinj on the Istrian Peninsula. It was definitely a long drive. We broke it up by stopping at a rest stop for some food. Once we made it to Rovinj, we checked into our nice Airbnb and had a short rest before heading out into town. It was about a ½ mile walk into town. The town is filled with brightly colored houses that are packed tightly together to form many narrow streets and alleyways. We sat down by the ocean for some time and even dipped our feet in the water (before we saw the nearby jellyfish!) Getting hungry, we walked back to our place and hopped back in the car. Our plan for dinner was a trip to Motovun, a hilltop castle town about 45 minutes away in one of the wine regions of the country. Jessica handled the driving this time around. Luckily, we were able to park most of the way up the hill leaving just a short walk to the town. We climbed to the top and walked around the castle walls for some really nice views over the valleys below. Since we were treating this as our 1 year anniversary dinner (even though it was a  day early), we wanted to go somewhere exciting and fancy. We had made reservations at a restaurant called Mondo, which we had discovered by watching an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations. In addition to wine this region is very famous for their white and black truffles. Neither of us have had any type of truffles before, so we were definitely planning to try them tonight. We ordered a bottle of the house red wine to get things started. Then the restaurant brought out some complimentary tapenade (a black olive, black truffle, and oil spread) and fresh baked bread. It was great! For an appetizer we had carpaccio with parmesan, arugula, and white truffles. Also, amazing. For the main course I ordered Istrian veal with potatoes and veggies and Jessica had homemade pasta with white sauce and black truffles. I must say that truffles do not have much of a taste on their own, but together with everything else the meals were delicious. Our waiter finished it off by bringing us a shot of brandy to end the meal. By the sound of it you would think that this had been an extremely expensive meal but food (and most other things) is fairly inexpensive over here. Our entire meal came out to under $50! Then we went on a sunset walk around the castle walls before making our way through town and back to our car. We drove back to Rovinj and called it a day. 

 Main Cathedral in Zagreb

 Market in Zagreb

 Zagreb Main Square

 Atop Tower in Zagreb

 Street in Rovinj

 Rovinj Harbor

 Town of Motovun

 Mondo Restaurant in Motovun