Eurotrip 6, 2017 – N.P. Krka

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Today (Friday) it was a drive south again towards Sibenik, but this time we were heading for Krka National Park, not Sibenik itself and we took the motorway south from Zadar.

We were a little late setting off as sleep had been punctuated at several points in order to check the election progress overnight. I lost my bet with Rich having gambled that Corbyn would be the next pm (note, I reckon he won’t go double or quits next time!).

We arrived at Krka around 10:30 and bought tickets for the Park. We were then ushered onto a shuttle bus to drive us to the lakeside but as the walk was a mere 1km, we decided to walk. Big mistake. We hadn’t appreciated that the 1km was a steep descent down a slippery stony path. We didn’t walk back up.

At the start of the trip, there is a kiosk selling excursions and we chose a 4 hour boat trip to Visovac and Roski slap.

Approaching Visovac…

Visovac is a small island in the middle of the lake and it takes only around 5 minutes to walk around its circumference.

 

 

 

Monastery on Visovac…

There are picnic tables and this is where we ate our lunch. The island is a very valuable natural and cultural site and the Franciscan Monastery of Our Lady of Visovac and the Church of Our Lady of Visovac have stood here since 1445. It remains an active monastery to this very day.

Church at Visovac…

Inside the church at Visocav.

Roski slap…

 

 

 

 

 

The tour allowed us around 30 minutes ashore before we left for Roski slap, which is a waterfall 36km downstream from the source of the Krka River.

 

Necklace trail, Roski slap…

We walked around a 2km trail which circled over and around the falls. This was  a perfect distance for early afternoon in the full sun and temperatures hitting 30 degrees. I wish I’d take the drone with us as some of the aerial shots would have been truly magnificent.

Necklace trail, Roski Slap…

After four hours we returned to the boat dock and continued our tour of the park on foot. We had a 2km or 3km walk remaining at Skradinski buk.

Skradinski buk…

 

Skradinski buk is the longest and the most visited waterfall on the Krka river and is one of Croatia’s best known natural wonders. Note that due to the extensive network of boarded trails and bridges, the waterfalls can be enjoyed at any time of the year.

If you are visiting Croatia, this is definitely one of the must see locations. A further selection of pictures from Skradinski buk follow.

Skradinski buk…

View from Skradinski buk…

Bathing at Skradinski buk…

 

Later in the evening we walked to the beach area for dinner at Kanoba Jaz. I have been a little puzzled about wine ordering around this region as wine tends to be priced per bottle or per 100ml. I felt that was a tad small for a glass of wine but when I ordered one, the waitress said I could have 1, 2, 3 4 decilitres – whatever I wanted.

Wine at Konoba Jaz…

 

This is the glass which arrived. Note that the beer is a large 1/2 litre glass. That’s what I call a proper glass of wine. Next time someone asks how much you drink, one can reply, honestly, just the occasional glass of wine!

 

 

 

Thursday. Ditto Wednesday, Mo nursing a migraine so took the opportunity to take care of some chores and shopping. BBQ Tuna in the evening.

Wednesday Mo was nursing a migraine so in the end, we managed a late afternoon walk into Nin and a Pizza in the centre of the old town.

Nin has won many top destination awards, the latest in 2015 “On-line recognition to the Town of Nin as one of the most romantic destinations in Europe – Internet portal European Best Destinations (www.europeanbestdestinations.com).”

Church of the Holy Cross, Nin

The Church of the Holy Cross called “the smallest cathedral in the world“ is the most valuable preserved monument of early Croatian religious architecture and one of Nin’s symbols.

Gregory of Nin…

Gregory of Nin was a medieval Croatian bishop of Nin who strongly opposed the Pope and official circles of the Church and introduced the national language in the religious services after the Great Assembly in 926, according to traditional Croatian history.

Rubbing the statue’s toe is said to bring good luck and the toe has been worn smooth and shiny as a result.