Plitvice lakes - then a night in Zadar.
19/7/12
It was another late start today as we needed to have a little rest after yesterday's effort.
Suzanne went downstairs and painted the girls as promised. In a lot of small places like this the kids have never been painted, but the best part is Suzanne lets them have a play with her paint and paint each other. You would be amazed at how good some kids are after a little tuition.
Plitvice Lakes are well worth a visit if you are anywhere near there on your travels. Get there early in the morning as they deserve a full day to do them justice.
So after about an hour and a half ride we arrive in Zadar, Croatia. On the way to our hostel we saw a supermarket and decided to buy a few supplies for the night. We walked in the front door of the supermarket and there was a bar there! Yes, a bar in the supermarket. We were both pretty tired and definitely thirsty, so we sat down and has a drink. Because we only had a few hundred yards to go to get to our hostel I weakened and had a beer (a standard 500 ml stubbie) and Suzanne had a G&T, for under $5 AUD. Then the fun began.
(Sorry, these photos were taken with a phone, then messaged to a friend, then emailed back to me, so the resolution isn't that good).
19/7/12
It was another late start today as we needed to have a little rest after yesterday's effort.
Suzanne went downstairs and painted the girls as promised. In a lot of small places like this the kids have never been painted, but the best part is Suzanne lets them have a play with her paint and paint each other. You would be amazed at how good some kids are after a little tuition.
Suzanne's handiwork evaluating some new test paint for a manufacturer. Sisters Ana Maria & Katarina.
Insert Suzanne here : " Helloooo everyone, I rarely get to use the computer! I have to say here, for all my painty friends, this is the new range Kryolan are developing. It is very different to anything I have used. I adore the original Kryolan range, so I was very keen to try this out. It is highly pigmented, they are trying to compete with the other brands in terms of linework. Yes the white covers black!!!! I am trying it out in different countries/conditions. So far it is a challenge using it in windy conditions, it dries soooooo quickly, you have to be super speedy to get a clean crisp line no matter how much water is used. I haven't had much of a go blending as it's drying too quick. I will let you all know how it goes further on . . cheers". Suzanne out.
Future face painter at work. Katarina trying her hand at body art.
Insert Suzanne again: "Katarina showed me her art folio the previous night, she loves drawing and is quite good, so I made a mental note to let her paint the next morning. I couldn't follow what she was saying but she was babbling away in obvious excitement. This is the part of face & body painting I love, seeing young people discover it and enjoy it." Suzanne out.
After a quick ride we were at the entrance to Plitvice lakes. This is a layered system of lakes that have formed by karst hydrography. Short version, the water contains contaminants that build up and create walls and waterfalls. The result is a system of lakes connected by waterfalls and it's spectacular. Check out http://www.tzplitvice.hr/ if you want to know more. A photo speaks a thousand words so...
Yes, we walked all the way down there, and climbed back up again in our motorcycle boots and pants.
No, it's not an aquarium, this is the lake. Crystal clear water and an abundance of fish and wild life.
It's a good work out walking around the lakes. The longest lake walk was between six and eight hours.
So they have Unimog road train buses to transport you from one end to the other...
...and ferries to carry you across the large lakes.
We spent hours walking around here, it's truly beautiful. The colour of the water (OK, I know the water is clear etc., etc.) is the most amazing blue in some areas while it's green in others. It made my eyes happy! We had to laugh, this is a National Park and we noticed the following:
- You can take your dog there, and lots of people do.
- There are no railings on the paths along the cliff tops.
- You can buy a beer and walk around drinking it.
- The paths are made of bits of tree branches cut and nailed in a rough line, complete with gaps in between, as are the small bridges over the lakes - and they have no handrails.
Plitvice Lakes are well worth a visit if you are anywhere near there on your travels. Get there early in the morning as they deserve a full day to do them justice.
So after about an hour and a half ride we arrive in Zadar, Croatia. On the way to our hostel we saw a supermarket and decided to buy a few supplies for the night. We walked in the front door of the supermarket and there was a bar there! Yes, a bar in the supermarket. We were both pretty tired and definitely thirsty, so we sat down and has a drink. Because we only had a few hundred yards to go to get to our hostel I weakened and had a beer (a standard 500 ml stubbie) and Suzanne had a G&T, for under $5 AUD. Then the fun began.
(Sorry, these photos were taken with a phone, then messaged to a friend, then emailed back to me, so the resolution isn't that good).
A bar in a supermarket. Check out the stubby. 500 ml.
We walked into the supermarket and everything was so cheap. I was running around going "Sue, look at this. Sue, look at this. Sue, look at this. Sue look at these." and taking photos because I didn't think anyone would believe me. So here are the photos:
The range of fresh seafood was very tempting.
Our dinner came out of this cabinet. Chicken salad, seafood mix (delicious), anchovies, stuffed olives, and some Pringles for later.
We had Kinder Pingus for desert. I don't know if these are available in Australia yet, but go and look, today, now. They are just the best thing. Suzanne described it as "Like eating a cloud".
Now the drinks isle:
Now the drinks isle:
About $5 AUD for a six pack of 500 ml stubbies, and it's nice beer.
Heineken for about $1 AUD each.
Red Bull, about $1 AUD each.
We then loaded up and wobbled off to our hostel. It was now about 9.30pm and getting dark. Do you think we could find our hostel? Not a chance in the world. After about an hour we gave up and booked into the first place we saw that had a room. We dragged all our gear up into another super clean room, but his time it had air conditioning (which Suzanne has set on minus four penguins). Air conditioning is unusual over here, but with the temperature around 30 degrees we were happy. Especially Suzanne. I decided that tomorrow needs to be another rest day. We need to do some washing, and we MUST get rid of some more stuff we are carrying on the bike. It's time to get serious.
Will we be successful? Check back and find out.
If you want to tell friends about our blog the easiest way the'll find it is by Googling:
"thewrongwayround" bmw simon
Where's Rex's Buff?
If you want to tell friends about our blog the easiest way the'll find it is by Googling:
"thewrongwayround" bmw simon
Where's Rex's Buff?
This is Jarrod. Jarrod heard we were taking photos for a mate in Australia and wanted in on the fun. This is his best Blue Steel look. You'd never guess he's an Aussie would you. They're bloody everywhere.
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