Restoring our souls

One of God's creations, the Plitvice lakes was beyond our expectations! Magnificent blues, the whole spectrum, from deep purples to sky blues and aquamarine, spilled over waterfalls from lake to lake.

The Plitvice Lakes National Park comprises 19.5 ha of wooded hills and mostly turquoise lakes, all connected by a series of waterfalls and cascades. The mineral rich water carve new paths through the rock, depositing tufa (new porous rock) in continually changing formations. Wooden footbridges follow the lakes and streams, over, under and across the rumbling water for an exhilarating 18 kms.

This is the largest of Croatia's 8 national parks and in 1979 this park was included in the UNESCO list of World Natural Heritage Sites. Tufa or travertine is formed by the sedimentation of calcium carbonate from water.

The broader zone of the park hides rich forest and meadow habitats with many diverse species of plants and animals. The trees are mostly beech and fir. To date 1267 different species of plants, have been recorded, including 55 species of orchids. I told the auntie at breakfast not to eat honey or wear perfume, as a brown bear was lurking in the woods. The only bear she could find was the one passed out on the bed, exhausted from our walk!

So a gold medal goes to the parents, because...they walked from the top lake to the bottom one in 5 and 1/2 hours! Unbelievable!!!

And mom says: the same goes for Anni. Why? Jou en pa se harte werk twee keer soveel soos myne, en julle is so sterk soos beeste!

Pa sê: lekker om Afrikaans met die Belge te praat langs die pad, en die ouers sê ook: thanks to all the blog fans and the feedback, can't wait to hear your comments!

We are on our last leg, but the wheels of our Makro suitcases are very suspect!
Dad wants to buy a wheelbarrow for the auntie and the bags.

Mom says: Anni you must change your career and become a tour guide!

We made lovely new friends along the way and it's wonderful to connect with them on Facebook!