Friday, 28 May 2010
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| The ship from Dubrovnik to Hvar |
This was a long day. Last night I spent the night in a hostel in Hvar which was just too much like a freshman college dorm. Everyone had their stuff thrown all over the room and it was party, party, party. Hvar is beautiful, but it's a sailor's and a college kid's paradise.
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| View of Hvar |
Ahhhh . . . if I were a sailor, what a lovely place to sail it would be! But I'm neither a sailor nor a freshman, so I woke up very early, grabbed my bag and headed down to the port to catch the 6:30am catamaran to Split - another beautiful coastal town with a castle on a hill above it.
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| Split |
Expect high-priced stores (where I treated myself to a beautiful scarf), and lots and lots of sailboats. I had made reservations in a hostel in Split, the only reasonably priced one I could find online. But when I arrived the scene was the same as Hvar: very small room with bunk beds crammed in and absolutely no place to walk, the floor covered with clothes and everything imaginable. So I begged off, saying I was feeling sick and didn't think it would be a good idea for me to sleep in a such crowded room.
Then I put my stuff in a locker at the train station and wandered around for a few hours trying to figure out what to do. I went from internet cafe to tourist information office to train station to bus station and back again. I finally decided to leave Split and continue on to Plitvice Lakes. Unfortunately, I really didn't have a clear idea what the lay of the land was or where I would be staying. Everything I could find on the internet was either no help or in Croatian. The tourist information office had information for Split but didn't seem to know about anything else in the country. Likewise the folks at the bus and train. I finally dashed off to the market for some fruit, bread, cheese and yogurt and jumped on the 12o'clock bus.
It took 6 hours to get from Split to Plitvice. The bus dropped me off at 6pm in front of the Plitvice Lakes Park entrance. The offices were closed and there was no one around. I had a place picked out to stay but had no idea how far it was from the park entrance. I tried hitchhiking for awhile but it was obvious no one was going to stop so I began walking. Within about 3 km I came to a small region called Rastovic. This is near the second entrance to the park and there was gated parking and a restaurant and a sign that said “rooms for rent.” A nice young woman who spoke English made a phone call for me and soon Antonio showed up to take me back to his lovely home. So here I am in the home of Antonio and Bora.
It's common throughout Croatia to build a house with rooms to let. The owners live in one half and rent out the other half. Croatia is beautiful. Plitvice is a tourist site and a main source of income for locals. Their is spotless and tidy. I plan to stay here for three nights, one whole day in the park and one day to relax and go for short walks.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Homestays near Plitvice Lakes (Jeszera) National Park
There are two entrances to Plitvice Lakes NP, both of them on Hwy E71, the main road between Split and Zagreb. The Park is on the west side of the road. Approaching from Zagreb you reach entrance #1 first. Entrance #2 is 4-5km further on toward Split. Continuing south toward Split another 2km is the entrance to the small village of Mucinje (pronounced moo-seen-a), again to the west of the highway.
There are many small towns and villages along the road, mostly not visible from the road as the vegetation throughout this region is very thick. However, if you walk about 50m you will see several houses and apartment buildings, many with a sign for rooms or apartments (zimmer) to rent. What's really nice about Mucinje – well, next to the people there of course – is that it's only a 10 minute walk along a gravel path though the forest from Mucinje to the park entrance. How sweet is that? I stayed in two different homes. My first stay was limited to one night because a large group was coming the next night and they had no more available rooms. So my next two nights I stayed in another homestay. The first house was the home of Antonio and Bora Gaspar, Mukinje 49, 53231 Plitvicka jezera, tel: 053-774-322. I had a private room, a private outside entrance and use of the kitchen downstairs.
My 2nd and 3rd days I stayed with Rade and Mirjana Cuic (Chuich), Mukinje P-8, 53231 Plitvice Jezera, Hrvatska (Croatia), tel: 091-19447800.
Here again I had a private room, shared bath and use of the kitchen. Both places where I stayed offered meals at an additional cost – a wonderful bonus as there are only expensive restaurants nearby at the hotels in the park. Expect to pay 20-30 euro there. I can't imagine a better way to visit Plitvice than to also enjoy the wonderful hospitality of the Croatian people.
Even if you are unable to reach either of these homestays in advance (neither has internet presence at the moment), you can just show up and almost be guaranteed a stay somewhere, as nearly every other home has rooms to let. The economy is still suffering from the war, but tourism is growing and homestays is one way that you can contribute to the local economies and local people. In exchange, you will have a rich experience that will be the highlight of your trip. And save money to boot!
Plitvice Jezera is a World Heritage Site. Remarkable turquoise travertine pools, lush vegetation, waterfalls and the sound of water bubbling, falling, rushing, splashing . . . .
Monday, May 31, 2010
Talk About Great Planning!
I had exactly enough kuna to take the bus from Mucinje, Croatia to Zagreb, then the train on to Ljubljana, Slovenia. And . . . . . . buy a cup of coffee and use the toilet once. :o) Marjana, my homestay host in Mucinje, had packed a lunch for me which saved the day! What very wonderful people. They made my stay in Croatia so special.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Lake Bled, Slovenia
The final stop on my solo journey. After this I go on to Switzerland, where I'll stay with Ruth for 10 days then we'll continue on to Finland for 3 weeks.
I thought that Lake Bled would be very touristy and expensive and that I would only spend a few days here, then move around some more in search of peace and quiet. But it turns out that the tourist season has not quite begun and I share this beauty with only a relative handful of others. This will be my base for the next two weeks to explore the surrounding region. There are mountains to hike in, beautiful scenery, a lake, a castle, a train ride through the mountains that will take me to the Mediterranean and Italy. What more could I ask for?
I keep thinking what a really miraculous and wonderful trip this has been. I really can't describe it any other way. The trip was so long that it was impossible for me to plan. I had a few marker dates to meet but other than that I was completely free. Ruth's schedule was such that she wasn't free until the end of June. Sirkka had a week in July free when we could visit. And so I purchased the tickets to fly from Switzerland to Finland on June 25th. My flight home would be on July 23rd. So between early April when I planned to leave Armenia and mid- to late June I was completely free to follow any agenda at all. I can only say that a Divine Wisdom much greater than myself has gifted me with the answer to a lifelong wish, and I am eternally grateful. It has been wonderful beyond all my imaginings. I have passed through so many different countries, times, and cultures. I have met so many beautiful people. And all of it unplanned.
Sometimes people say to me, “Oh, you're so brave to travel alone.” Mostly these are US Americans who say this. I meet many other travelers out here soloing, or if not soloing, then at least not afraid to solo. I can only say that if someone sees it as brave, it is only because they have no trust in their own ability to take care of themselves, and no faith in the essential goodness of humanity. Those are the only characteristics required for solo travel throughout the world. Well, that and a desire to meet people and make new friends. Everywhere I go, people are people. No one ever says, “Oh, you're so brave to go to the grocery store in Denver by yourself.” But to go to a grocery store in Croatia? Oh, my, one must be very brave indeed. Now, isn't that silly? No one ever says, “Oh, you're so brave to go hiking along the Highline Canal by yourself.” But go hiking on a well-trodden forest path in Slovenia? Oh, my, how brave. It's so very sad how we frightened human beings are of each other. Our fear of each other is the cause of our hatred and wars. If only we could reach out to one another more instead of closing our doors and our minds in fear . . . .
I remember an exercise we did during EST training. We were put into a very relaxed state, then told that everyone around us was out to get us. I went unconscious during the process and when I awoke, people were screaming and vomiting and crying. Really crazy. But it is so true that we are terrified of one another. Our own species, and we are terrified of one another.
My lesson, for those who choose to listen, is that there is nothing to fear but fear itself. I do believe I'm not the first to say that. Fear is an invisible cage. We create the bars ourselves, then we look out of them and say, “Look at those terrible bars,” as if our view of the world is real, as if what we have created is the truth. The truth is that this earth is our home, other people are our species, and we're never going to get out of this place alive anyway. So what is there to fear?
Enough of that. I've had a magnificent time, and I'm now in a beautiful place where I'll have the opportunity to write, read, and reflect. I'm staying in an old boarding house, built in 1909. I feel happy here, as if there are friendly ghosts hanging about, as if there has been much love and happiness within these walls. I feel as if this house likes me, and I like it. Is that silly? I don't think so. :o) The owner tells me he was born here, in room #8. When I told him I felt a lot of love here, that many good things had happened here. He said, yes, people had died here but no on had ever taken their own life here. That, he said, is not a good thing. The spirits of those who die violently leave a negative energy behind. My room is furnished simply. Two twin beds, a bureau for my clothes, a small round table and two chairs, a dressing table with mirror. The foot-board of one of the beds has someone's name carved in it, a child's handwriting. All the finishes on the furniture are original so there are many marks and chips. An old ceramic sink hangs from the wall by the door and a tall hot-water radiator heats the room in the winter months. There's a large window, almost floor to ceiling, covered with a lace curtain. The flooring is a lovely wood parquet, the wood slightly warped with age.
The sun is coming out! I must close this down and go outside to enjoy.
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