Mother Nature's Supermodel

We stroll along the path, shaded by large spruce and fir trees, the sound of rushing water making conversation difficult, as the crisp mountain temperatures play with our senses. The steep hills covered with thick green underbrush look like home, the faint hints of musky dirt and moss smell like home, the quiet crunch of twigs underfoot sound like home, yet we are over 5000 kilometers from the nearest Canadian border and everyone we pass on the trail greets us with a nod of the head, a greeting universally understood no matter your native tongue.
 

We spent some time playing with our camera settings to try and capture the beauty of the cascading water

Plitvice National Park is unlike any area of Croatia we've explored, a remote place of peace and calm, interrupted for a few hours each day as tour buses spill noisy visitors onto the wooden walkways to snap photographs of the UNESCO protected natural park.  It's easy to understand the draw, Mother Nature's version of the supermodel, Plitivce Lakes are the perfect combination of countless waterfalls, crystal clear turquoise lakes, white limestone karst topography, and lush green foliage, the envy of National Parks everywhere.
 

The wooden walkways weave through the park like they were there since it formed

Mosses and grasses hang from the countless waterfalls

296.85 square kilometers in size, sixteen cascading lakes make up Plitivce National Park as 1.2 million visitors take in it's beauty annually. As the oldest National Park in Southeast Europe, Plitivce Lakes are renowned for their distinct colours - ranging from bright turquoise to green, blue, and deep cobalt - that appear to change throughout the day depending on the angle of the sun. In addition to their colour, the lakes are so clear you can not only marvel at the plants growing up from the sandy bottom but also recognize how many fish call the park home, both small and large! The National Park is also home to an important natural geological process, the slow creation of travertine which is the result of an interplay between water, air and plants, and forms at a rate of 1 cm per year.  

Velicki Slap (78m) is the largest waterfall and key in travertine formation

The park's trail system is quite extensive, incorporating electric ferries and buses to shuttle tourists around, a welcome relief after walking for hours. In a unique layout, optimized to give visitors the best possible views, the park's 8 km of wooden walkways weave their way around lakes, crisscrossing in front of waterfalls and connecting with trail systems that wind their way alongside fast flowing creeks. The system allows for some great photo opportunities as well.
 

The walkways seem to go on forever and get you right in the action

The light was perfect for reflections

Immaculately maintained, it's nearly impossible to tell how many tourists visit the park daily, as their footprint is barely visible. As we visited later in the season, just as the leaves were changing for fall, we effortlessly found areas where we were the only two people on the trail, an opportunity to fully take in the majesty of this natural wonder.

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Trogir, Getting There is Half the Fun

One of the places on our must-see list of daytrips was the UNESCO World Heritage site of the historic centre of Trogir. Just a one-hour boat or bus ride away from Split, Trogir is widely regarded as the best-preserved example of a Romanesque-Gothic historic center in all of central Europe. With this in mind, we decided that Trogir would be well worth a day of exploring and set out from Split on our second day there. 

Trogir from the water - the bridge opens up to let boats pass

We decided that taking a boat to Trogir would provide a different view of the area, so we set off for the harbour and hopped on the small boat that ferries tourists and locals alike to and from Trogir. What we had forgotten, however, was that there had been a huge thunderstorm the previous night, in turn it had made the seas a bit rough. Well, more like very rough. Despite the waves, causing the boat to involuntarily replicate the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland, it proceeded to chug along and eventually we made it to Trogir.

During a moment of calmness we snapped a photo of the boat

As we left the boat and regained our land legs, the view towards the historic centre made it quickly apparent why Trogir was inducted as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997. The city has been continuously lived in for over 2300 years, and its core is a blending of Greek, Venetian, and Roman influences. The historic city center is actually an island, separated from the island of Ciovo and the mainland by narrow bridged canals.

Lovely sail boat docked in the canal

Palm trees along the promenade

Kamerlengo Fortress along the canal

The city is like a postcard. An expansive palm-lined promenade allows tourists and locals to enjoy a cappuccino while gazing enviously at the million dollar yachts tied up along the canal. 15th century walls surround much of the city with the magnificent 17th century city gate allowing the droves of visitors to enter after enjoying said cappuccinos. Churches and palaces ranging from the 13th to 15th centuries, many still with the original coat of arms of the families who once resided there, enchant the imagination with their stunning architectural features. An finally, the Cathedral of St. Lawrence caps it all off. The massive structure took hundreds of years to complete, a fact which is evident in the mixing of styles of the Romanesque-Gothic basilica. What really makes the area really special however, is the portal on the west entry, a masterpiece of art by famous Croatian sculptor Master Radovan.

The entire city could be explored in just a few hours, but spending some time getting lost and finding hidden treasures in the winding back streets makes it a more rewarding experience. We wandered around looking in shops, exploring the narrow streets, and snapping hundreds of pictures. 

Some hidden gems down the streets of Trogir

Coat of Arms still remains on this home

Cathedral of St. Lawrence

On our way back to the dock to catch the boat home, we discovered that the waves and wind were preventing the company from running the ferry. We were informed that we should probably take the bus instead. We made the short walk over to the bus station and caught the city bus into town. It took about an hour and was a fairly comfortable ride, although less scenic that the boat. 

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Trogir and would recommend it to anyone visiting Split, or Croatia for that matter. It was also a fabulous day for taking photos, more can be seen on our Flickr page (just click on the "photos" link on the top menu bar).

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Split Kayaking Adventure

On our third day in Split we decided to (finally) get out on the water, something the weather prevented us from doing in Kotor a couple of weeks earlier. Due to the size of the city and unfamiliarity with kayaking on the open sea, we contacted Red Adventures Croatia who offer a half day tour complete with transportation and all necessary equipment. The price tag? Forty Euro per person, a bit steep for our budget but we fudged the numbers a bit and found the room. 

The morning of our kayaking adventure we waited on our apartment front steps placing bets on what kind of vehicle would pull up to greet us, laughing at how silly three people would look piling onto a scooter. The car was unmistakable with a couple kayaks tied to the roof and we quickly realized we were the only tour participants for the day - a private guide for three and a half hours? The "steep" price just became a great deal!

As we paddled around Marjan hill, a protected park offering lovely scenic views, our guide Mario pointed out many of the buildings along the shore including a marine biology research centre and one of many summer homes of previous Yugoslavian president Josip Tito. A wealth of information, Mario shared some fun facts about the tourism industry and the stone quarry utilized to build the White House. After a few hours we got our first glimpse of the Old Town from the harbor; although it was a bit busy with cruise ship passengers being ferried to shore, Mario was patient and waited to guide us across during a lull in the traffic (and after our arms had a little rest). 

After three and a half hours of paddling we were happy to spot Drazen and his little car on the shore* - our ride home after a long morning. We took a moment to swim before getting changed into dry clothes and piling into the car as the first inklings set in of how sore we would be the next day. 

*We may or may not have paddled past a nude beach of sorts during our trip, or perhaps it was just a coincidence that so many naked men were tanning themselves on the rocky shore. Either way we took in a bit more "scenery" than we paid for...

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Split - Just Another Walled City?

As our journey through Croatia continued, we found ourselves in Split - yet another charming city full of history and ancient stone architecture. However it turns out that Split is actually very different from Kotor, Perast, Dubrovnik, and even Trogir (a neighbour one hour away we visited by day trip).

Old Town walls in Split - view from the cathedral belltower

Illustration of Diocletian's Palace, Paris 1912 (via)

Initially constructed in preparation for Roman Emperor Diocletian's retirement  in 305 AD, Diocletian's Palace was more a luxurious villa/military camp  than a palace. Complete with a main square, public and private apartments, and various religious buildings including a cathedral and mausoleum, the rectangular palace was surrounded by huge gates and watchtowers. After being abandoned by the Romans, the palace sat empty until the 7th century when nearby residents sought refuge there from invading barbarians. It has been occupied ever since and is now one of the most famous and complete remains of a Roman Palace.

Perhaps what sets Split apart from many of the other fortified cities along the Adriatic coastline that we've visited lately, is the way in which the more modern city has swallowed up the ancient historic centre. Unprotected as an official heritage site until 1979, urban development pushed up around Diocletian's Palace before breaching the gates and spilling onto the worn stone streets. 

Sphinx in the main square - 3 of the original 13 still exist in Split

Entrance gate on the East end of Old Town

Stone buildings in Old Town Split

Local produce at the daily outdoor market

As a result, modern storefronts and family dwellings stand in contrast with Roman architecture dating back thousands of years, often covering or replacing it completely. The result is a Frankenstein-esque aesthetic and unique atmosphere where Lacoste clothing stores compete with ornate cathedral belltowers for the attention of the tourist hoards on a daily basis.

It's unfortunate that it's so difficult to decipher where the ancient sites once stood. From the top of the belltower of the Cathedral of St. Duje, it is possible to make out a few stretches of stone fortification still intact, however don't look away, the buildings on each side tend to blend together and with just a blink of the eye the portion of wall you spotted moments earlier has disappeared, swallowed up by the city.

At first I was a bit disappointed by the palace and Old Town as the surrounding neighbourhoods encroach on the historic sites making them hard to admire and ultimately suffocating the Old Town (there's a running joke in Split of a tourist asking where the Palace is, and a local informing them they are already in it). After an hour on our first day we toured the Cathedral of St. Duje and its crypt, the main square, and the Temple of Jupiter - where were the thirty foot walls to climb or the ancient fortress perched on a mountain top to explore?

What I had yet to realize is that half the tourism draw to Split is the opportunity to marvel at the ancient world and bustling modern city interwoven, as a fully functioning city including historical sites, modern shopping centres, and a daily market offering local produce, fish, and household items, all within the Old Town centre. It's actually quite amazing to look around at daily life unfolding around you as it has every day for thousands of years. 

Cathedral Belltower, Diocletian's Palace

Staircase to the top of the belltower, Cathedral of St. Duje

Cathedral Crypt where it's said Diocletian was buried

I've heard a rumour that visitors often struggle to fully appreciate both Dubrovnik and Split, and if a tourist loves one they won't like the other; however, after exploring each city over the past week I'd challenge this perception. By taking each city for what it is, and not trying to make it anything it isn't, it's very possible to fully enjoy all that Split and Dubrovnik have to offer.

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Hotel Belvedere - Our Adventure In Pictures

While in Dubrovnik Travis and I set some time aside one afternoon to follow up on the rumours of an abandoned hotel down the beach, here are some of our favorite photos from the adventure...

The hotel complex from the water

Originally a 5-star luxury hotel perched on the Adriatic Sea, Hotel Belvedere was destroyed by Serbian forces (remains of the Yugoslav People's Army) in 1991, just six short years after it was built. Although finding information has been difficult, we were able to learn that the hotel opened its doors to citizens displaced during the Croatian War of Independence (as other cities throughout Croatia were destroyed people fled to Dubrovnik believing it would be spared). In the twenty plus years since the shelling finally ceased the hotel has sat empty, open for anyone to explore and hosting the occasional unofficial rave. 

A sign still greets visitors from the main road

View of Old Town from what once was the hotel's night club

The hotel is quite easy to find, and can be seen from Old Town when looking out over the harbour. Heading East along the shoreline from the Old Town it’s about a twenty minute walk past some lovely high-end hotels including Villa Dubrovnik. After rounding the corner by an old church the road passes St. Jacovs Beach at the bottom of a steep cliff before the worn out gates of Hotel Belvedere greet you. It’s a nice walk, quite flat (a rarity in Dubrovnik), and there are lots of spots to stop and swim along the way.

The once lavish pool area

The complex is quite large, leaving a vast network of halls and staircases to explore. As it was constructed of stone and cement the building is still structurally sound, although common sense should be used as there is lots of broken glass, sharp edges, and low hanging pieces. It's also evident that crews have removed anything usable, including wiring, staircase railings, some floor tiles, and all the bathtubs from the individual rooms (leaving quite a mess of crumbled brick, oddly the bathtubs are all stacked together near a large staircase). A bit eerie, original menus, employee uniforms, and some furnishings litter the halls, a reminder of the urgency in which the hotel was evacuated.

Graffiti tags cover the walls

A cruise ship spotted through this broken window

The bathtub mystery solved - they're all stacked here, but why?

We spent about two hours exploring the hotel and snapping photos, a great break from the tourists crowding the streets of Old Town. In addition to having the place to ourselves, the visit was completely free, always nice on the budget.  A few spots not to miss - The pool area (immediately through the gates above the open parking area), shoreline and lounging area, various restaurants and clubs (check out floors 10-13), and a lovely (very photogenic) spiral staircase.  

A glimpse of spiral staircase from the dining room

The gorgeous spirals from below, complete with domed top

Looking up at Hotel Belvedere from the pool level

Overall a great way to spend the afternoon and something we highly recommend to anyone interested in photography and history. If we’d only brought our swimsuits and a snack we would have spent  a couple hours at the beach as well. However if you’re planning a trip to the area, note that there are plans to refurbish the hotel over the next two years, the lobby area was already blocked off while we were there, so you’ll have to hurry before it’s too late!

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The Many Faces of Dubrovnik

Croatia is definitely one of the hottest destinations for travelers these days, with Dubrovnik, its shining gem, topping many an itinerary. With its cafe-lined streets, towering city walls, and architectural jewels, not to mention the striking azure waters of the Adriatic lapping at its shores, its reputation is well-earned. In the past few years, the number of tourists visiting Dubrovnik has soared, and nowadays you'd be hard-pressed to find a day when a couple of cruise ships weren't anchored just outside the city walls.  

The Old Town with the island of Lokrum in the background

Most visitors these days seem to be on some sort of organized tour, and spend their day walking the stradun, exploring the magnificent baroque palaces and churches, and walking the city walls before enjoying a nice meal in one of the hundreds of restaurants in old town. And we have nothing against that. However, if you have a little more time to delve deeper into the city, Dubrovnik reveals many interesting and rewarding attractions to capture your imagination. This was made easier by the fact that we had nearly 4 days in which to do our exploring.

The Stradun, the main "street" in the old town

We spent our first day in Dubrovnik doing what most tourists backpackers do when they arrive and quickly made our way over to Sanja and Rosie's Laundrette to clean our stinking clothes. The Laundrette definitely deserves a mention as it was a fantastic place to spend the morning enjoying a pastry and some juice as our clothes were finally given reprieve from the accumulated sweat and dirt of the past few weeks. Classic 50's music filled the place and countless travel magazines and books were available for us to peruse at our leisure. Plus, the owners were from Vancouver! 

Clean Clothes!

With freshly-washed clothes in our bags, we spent the rest of our day actually doing what most tourists do when they arrive in Dubrovnik, and that meant spending time simply admiring one of the most beautiful and photogenic cities in the world. With camera firmly attached to eye, we explored the dozens of churches and palaces, hiked the steep steps of the narrow back streets, and climbed around on the rocks that surround the base of the city walls. We snapped over 300 photos our first day and finally made our way back home after more than 14 hours of exploring. Needless to say, we were exhausted.

The architecture of St Ignatius' Church

The Dubrovnik Cathedral

The Adriatic surrounds the majority of the old town

On our second day, we were for a little bit more than just photographs, and we decided to explore the other side of Dubrovnik that you tend to only hear whispers of. Looking at the majority of the old town these days, its hard to imagine the destruction that the city and its residents experienced just 20 years ago. Dubrovnik unexpectedly became a focal point during the Croatian War of Independence, and remnants of the events that took place are still around even to this day. The city and its people were mercilessly shelled for over 3 months and much of the old town sustained heavy artillery fire. Roads, walls, and roofs were torn apart by the shells, with some buildings even being burned to the ground. The people lived without power and a fresh water supply for months, and consistently fled to the underground safehavens scattered around the city to avoid being hit themselves.

A map showing all of the artillery hits during the Siege of Dubrovnik (via)

The Stradun during the siege (via)

Much of the destruction in the old town has since been cleaned up and restored, save for a few ruined buildings and some unfilled bulletholes. Much of the evidence that still remains is only found outside of old town, and we decided that we would spend our morning on a quest to find one of them. We found an intriguing lead on NerdyDayTrips which mentioned a number of deserted and ruined hotels along the Adriatic coast. With a little exploring on the internets, we were able to find out that one of these hotels was close by. We spent our morning exploring the site we found, the Hotel de luxe Belvedere. This was perhaps the highlight of our stay and we will be dedicating an entire post to it (hopefully by tomorrow!).

Graffiti now covers the walls of the Belvedere Hotel

The deserted floors have been stripped

The massive hotel as it stands today

After spending a good part of our morning and afternoon exploring the ruined Hotel Belvedere, we made our way back to the old town for a slice of pizza, and then made our way to one of the attractions that we were most excited about after learning of its existence. War Photo Limited is a small photography gallery that has rotating exhibits featuring the best in the emerging field of war photography. Our trip here was an eye-opening and powerful one, and more can be read about it here. 

Photo by Emmanuel Ortiz, current exhibitor (via)

On our final day in Dubrovnik, we decided to get up early (before the cruise ship passengers arrived) and wander the city walls.Just about everyone that visits Dubrovnik does this, and it quickly becomes clear why once you get up there. Sweeping 360 degree views of the old town, the Adriatic coastline, and the city outside the walls are available from nearly every vantage point. In addition, there are numerous bastions and lookout points to explore (read more here).

Some things can only be found from the walls

The pathway around the city walls

We finished off our day with a trip up the new cable car. It only takes a couple minutes to reach the top where amazing views await. From the top you can see kilometers down the coastline, as well as to the mountains of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In addition to the great view, the wonderful Museum of the Croatian War of Independence also calls the top of Mt. Srd home. House in a fort built by Napoleon, it recounts the bravery of the soldiers and citizens of Dubrovnik during  the siege, where they were outmanned and outgunned, but still remained strong. It's a shame that most people don't take the extra hour to explore the wonderful museum (read more here).

The new cable car

The view!

Some of the shell casings that were fired at Dubrovnik

This cross was rebuilt after being destroyed

The fort on Mt Srd, originally built by Napoleon

All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed our time in Dubrovnik. It is probably the busiest we have been thus far on our trip, but in the end it was all worth it. 

Pictures are up on flickr if you missed them!

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