Croatia Continued - Korcula, Split, Plitvice Lakes

Interesting weather patterns as we crossed from mainland Croatia to the island of Korcula via ferry.

Korcula is the home of Marco Polo.  We enjoyed a great dinner (and amazing Korculan wine) at the Konoba Mareta - where Marco Polo found great food and love...

They tore down the old city walls at some point but the main protective turret survived to become Cocktail Bar Massimo!

Sara climbing the steps to the top of the turret.  They brought the drinks up via a pulley system!

The beautiful view from the bell tower of Korcula's main church.  The sailboats are on the bay that separate Korcula from the mainland (in the background).

Sara and Ryan atop the bell tower.  Below is the city of Korcula (on the island of Korcula) and you can see the bell tower rising above the city.

We rented our Bed & Breakfast's SMART car and drove all over the island of Korcula, including to the beautiful beach in Lumbarda.  The Adriatic must have had a high salinity level as we were very buoyant.

From Korcula, we took a catamaran to the city of Split.  Split began as Roman Emperor Diocletian's retirement palace and later became a Christian city.  Above is the original Roman walls (circa 395 AD) with the Split Cathedral (circa 1200 AD) behind it.

Bishop Gregory of Nin and a medieval tower in Split.

Emperor Diocletian's Mausoleum, Palace Walls, and the Split Cathedral.  Split's buildings were a mash-up of different eras built upon on another.

Split from the Cathedral bell tower.

The ruins of Diocletian's inner palace (above and below).

Through a friend of Ryan's at the Balboa, we booked a day trip to Plitvice Lakes National Park in the interior of Croatia.  It was a land of countless waterfalls and crystal clear blue pools.

These pictures cannot capture the true beauty of Plitvice Lakes.

The waterfalls are almost like a freshwater coral reef.  Sediment builds up in the roots of the plants and calcifies creating a "wall" that the water must push through.  As the water pushes through or runs over the wall, it adds sediment, growing the "wall" higher.  Plitvice Lakes is a series of 10-12 walls creating all of these pools and waterfalls.

Boardwalks wind through park through the pools, waterfalls, and "walls."

From here you can see 2-3 "walls" and all the waterfalls within them.

All of the flowing water creates caves and sinkholes within the limestone bluffs.  In this one, we must have descended over 300 feet.  Ryan slipped and descended the last 5 steps on his butt.

The tallest waterfall in Plitvice Lakes and Croatia.

A trip to Croatia is not complete without a Sara mix of cookies!