Croatia

We arrived in Croatia on Monday after a grueling, 7-hour train ride from Budapest.  I say grueling because the temperature was in the high 90s, and there was absolutely no water on the train, and we were not allowed to get off the train to buy drinks.

But once we arrived in Zagreb, things turned around right away.  We were captivated by the city's beautiful historic buildings, shady public squares and fountains, and lively cafe scenes.  Locals strolled city streets in the dusk, enjoying the relative cool of the evenings.  We loved the large fruit and vegetable market near our hotel, and enjoyed excellent meals, from Italian pasta dishes to fresh seafood.  Zagreb has many of the charms of Budapest, but on a much smaller and more manageable scale.  Locals seemed friendlier, maybe because not as many tourists hang out there.

From Zagreb, we visited Plitvice Lakes National Park, a bus ride about two hours away.  The park consists of a chain of lakes with crystal clear water, that shines turqoise and emerald green in the sun.  Visitors tour the park on trails, and a system of raised wooden walkways.  The lakes are interspersed with dozens of waterfalls, some towering, some just a few feet high, which fill the park with the soothing sound of rushing water.

Here are few photos from Zagreb and Plitvice.