Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Plitvice National Park, Croatia


When I heard about the Plitvice Lakes, I performed a quick google images search and upon seeing the first images, I knew that I had to go see these lakes. I honestly do not believe that there is a single photographer in the world that can capture the true majesty of this National Park, it absolutely mind boggling.

The lakes were formed as a result of water eroding the limestone, much in the same manner that caves are created. Additionally the lakes are enhanced by the creation of travertine barriers that help to separate the lakes from one another. Travertine is a rock/mineral material that is actually produced by a type of moss. The creation of travertine is an incredibly delicate process that takes an incredibly long period of time. As such, and this was the worst part of the lakes, swimming is not allowed in the national park. Really unfortunate because the water was so incredibly clear that, in most of the lakes, from an elevated position, you can actually see the deep bottom of the lakes.

I spent the entire day hiking around the lakes, all 16 of them. I had no watch and only a time that I had to be back at the entrance to catch a bus back to my campsite, I made it back with 5 minutes to spare, and never felt rushed, I even stopped for a nice nap in the afternoon sun after I had my lunch. Something that I have grown quite fond of and will sincerely miss after my return to the states.

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