We apologize should your language not be available. We were only able to translate something of the order of 60 languages as we are a little slow. 😏
A gentle opener.
The largest of the park's waterfalls is also off the 'beaten track'.
Plitvika Lakes is a major attraction, being a UNESCO recognized wonder. This recognition, on top of its great natural beauty makes it very popular and too busy for our liking. Therefore, on our second visit to the park, we headed on a hike through the forests instead of stopping at the lakes. The contrast was amazing. Thousands of people visiting the lakes and not a sole on the trails we walked. The reward for us was earned upon near-completion of the hike when we arrived at the park's largest waterfall. A couple were leaving and we had it to ourselves while we enjoyed breakfast. Thereafter, we followed another trail above lake level which allowed us to continue enjoying lake views well above and away from the masses. Sound like snobs? We don't think so but nothing beats tranquility and a sense of quiet allowing a person to absorb the wonders peacefully.
One of our favorites, two-level lakes.
A longer perspective.
One of many attributes of Hike-About is accommodation. We tend to select places to stay in the suburbs where we live with locals. Often, we share their house. Not that we bump into each other on the way to bathroom but rather, many section off their houses so that one lives in a self-contained unit. In that way, we meet the people, the neighbors including children and get a good feel for living like a local. Hotels certainly don’t suit our way of life unless we need something close to, say an airport, for a night. Besides, hotels don’t provide half the accommodation, features and services we need for which they charge at least twice the amount. Of course, the luxury hotels charge a multiple of that.
In keeping with the theme, in hotels generally, a person is likely if not definitely, going to meet fellow tourists. While this is fine at times, it certainly eliminates acquiring a flavor for the people of that land—something we seek actively. Another disadvantage of hotels is they tend to isolate one. The more expensive it is, it seems, in our opinion, the less likely a person will congregate with others. At the other extreme, at a hostel for instance, and I know many will turn up their noses in horror, you end up cooking in a communal kitchen, thus mixing with the people. The interesting situations that arise from meeting many nationals in natural environments continue to amuse, amaze and educate us. When we stay at huts in the mountains, not the luxury ones we are currently seeing in Slovakia, a person ends up sleeping, if you’ll pardon the expression, with fellow travelers. We suppose each person has differing tastes and of course that all makes sense. Nevertheless, we attain tremendous benefits by experiencing varying social occasions with our fellow inhabitants—many fine people, at that. You should know, while we enjoy social interactions immensely, we value our own company more (I hope Jen feels the same way). To put it another way, we are private people and so we seek privacy but try and enjoy a balance, obviously, not an equal balance.
Perhaps the best feeling that has arisen over the eight years is one of being ‘at home’ in foreign places. It seems wherever we’ve been, it does not take much time and we feel like we are residents. We can’t say why we have that feeling but nevertheless, it occurs whether we speak the language or not. I can’t help smiling when I think of a day some 5 years ago when we were walking from the supermarket in Cuzco (Peru) to our 5th floor apartment, without an elevator, carrying groceries and perhaps a bottle of soda or two. As we crossed a street, I remarked to Jen how comfortable I felt in the environment—‘like a local’, I added. To which she replied, ‘You should take a look from where I’m standing and see how obviously you stand out’. I suppose it’s all about perception.
We had the falls to ourselves which included viewing it while breakfasting.
There is an abundant of birdlife. However, because of the dense forests and nearly as dense photographers, we mostly
ended up listening to, rather than viewing them.
Wrap-up of lakes.
...and on and into the High Tatras of Slovakia with hotels deep into the mountains.
Cheers,
Jenni and Jeffrey
Don't want to forget this scene; it continues to have an uplifting effect.
Some color from Hungary
Fields of dreams and the last time we saw the sun...flowers.
A high mountain scene in Croatia.
And a few of our recent residences...
Ground level suite in Strba, Slovakia on a small holding. It was established in the year 1280, that is, the town not the house.
Had we been on the top floor, we might have had this view of Budapest.
'Guess which couple didn't bring bathing suits (cozzies)?'
During our stay, a group of young English tourists occupied a few rooms, there was a French couple, a local couple as well as the landlady and her husband who spoke not a word of English...not that we spoke a word of Croatian. Lately, I've begun to question myself regarding language. I ask the question to locals frequently, "Do you speak English?" That's when I thought further about it. I can't remember walking about in South Africa or the USA and someone coming up to me and asking whether I spoke Chinese, German or...you get the idea. Makes a person think.
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