Let's catch up first. The day before yesterday I made it to Slunj, which is a quiet little town in approximately the middle of nowhere, Croatia. Slunj's claim to fame, however, is that it's right next door to Rastoke, which boasts a crystal clear blue/green series of waterfalls. I had heard about it from one of my fellow travelers that I met in Zagreb, who also recommended the hostel I stayed at. Rule number one of traveling; ask for recommendations, they often pan out.
So upon my arrival in Slunj I got myself settled and then proceeded to go a'wandering around town. At this point the whole novelty of snow had not yet worn off, so I had loads of fun traipsing around in my fuzzy Toms boots taking photos of my neighborhood. Which looked something like this.
Eat your heart out, America.
Here are some more shots of Slunj and Rastoke.
Slunj, including the old castle.
I mean, come on, the waterfalls run through town.
Bridge between one side of Slunj and the other. Also the fastest way into town from the hostel.
Getting my boots nice and soaked.
This is what leggings look like after you decide to climb an almost verticle hill in the mud and snow.
So freaking cool!
At the end of all this mountaineering, I was starving and of course it was right at that awkward "it's not lunchtime anymore but dinner isn't for another two hours" part of the day. Luckily for me the local pizza place apparently never closes so I demolished an entire "small" (ha!) pizza before holing up in my empty hostel. Where I subsequently passed out at a really embarrassing hour.
The next morning I was awake early without even trying, so I walked over the river to the bus stop where I caught the 9:10 bus headed in the direction of Plitvice. Which is definitely one of the most amazing natural wonders you've never heard of.
First thing you see when you enter the park is this:
Because it was winter parts of the park were closed, but I'll let the photos speak for themselves.
Oh, by the way, it was snowing almost the whole time.
Snowy hair glamour shots.
Can you imagine what this place must look like in the summer?!
All in all I spent a few hours exploring, and it was definitely worth the bruised knees I got from slipping and crashing on the ice. Twice. Remind me to never move somewhere it snows.
Afterwards I did finally manage to catch a bus and get safely home, despite the odds against me. Here's my crash course in Croatian public transit and driving 101:
- Whatever schedule you found online is probably wrong. The promised bus may or may not ever arrive, and when you ask the locals they usually don't have any answers either and will just keep directing you to ask other people.
- It will inexplicably cost 3 Kunas more to return from your destination than it did to get there in the first place.
- The bus driver will decide you are going somewhere other than your destination until you persist in correcting him. "Zagreb." "Slunj." "Zagreb." "No, Slunj." "Slunj?" *nods emphatically* "yes, Slunj!"
- While driving a bus it is totally acceptable to not only drive like a bat out of hell on icy roads, but also to answer your cell phone and do assorted paperwork.
- You will drive the bus like you're driving a BMW convertible, not like you're driving something the size of a semi. This includes cutting people off, passing in no passing zones, and honking with enthusiasm.
If I think of more to add to that list I will, but that gives you an idea for now.
After a peaceful (with the exception of grappling with public transit) two days, I left Slunj this morning to catch the bus to Zadar. I grudgingly peeled myself out of bed bright and early, then trekked through what Californians would classify as a blizzard (no but seriously, it was really, really snowing) to the bus stop, where I patiently awaited my faithful ride, which was only 12 minutes late. Another incredulous conversation with the driver about my destination, and I was on my way. In about 3 hours I went from ice and snow to the ocean, and, thank god, up from 0 to 10 degrees, which is positively balmy after the last several days.
Upon arrival in Zadar I followed the hostel's directions and... I got lost. I'm sensing a theme here. To be fair to the hostel, the directions were good up until the last bit. To be fair to me, the last bit of their directions absolutely sucked. So I found myself trekking back to the bus station, which is thankfully nearby, where I found the only restaurant with free wifi and took screenshots of a map while downing kebab. As it turns out the map was necessary as I never would have found the damn place without it. But eventually, map in hand, I prevailed! And there was nobody at reception.
Say what?
Well, as luck would have it, eventually my hostess did show herself, and turns out to be lovely. So I am warm and cozy in my hostel room where I apparently have one room mate who has yet to show himself. I only know it's a guy because first question from my hostess was "do you mind if there's a guy in your room?" since I had booked an all-girls setup. As it turns out I only booked the girls room because it was inexplicably cheaper than the mixed dorm, so I could care less. Frankly I'm not a big fan of girls only dorms - out of the many room mates I have now had in my travels the girls have without fail been the most difficult (in general - of course I have also met some wonderful gals as well!). I'll happily take a little snoring over passive aggressive bullshit any day, thank you.
So, onto a new city. I know nothing about Zadar but I intend to find out what this place is about.
~Swan
The word for "pouring snow" (for your edification) is "blizzard." However, there must also be a kind of in-between word, because in a blizzard you couldn't have managed those gorgeous pictures. So beautiful! Different subject: your cousin Kirsten always found male roommates easier to get along with than female ones. It could be a genetic anomaly, or, more likely, just plain true. Who can say?
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