Six years ago we fell in love with the country of Croatia having explored the Istria Peninsula as a family. That vacation continues to hold the #1 spot for our most relaxing family vacation. At the time we knew very little about the country and its diverse beauty. Years ago when I was researching places to visit I came across the breathtaking photos of the Plitvice Lakes and immediately this national park went on my bucket list.
When we realized that the MK camp was only two hours away from this hidden gem of nature, it was a no brainer for us to spend a week vacationing in Croatia with Luca while the other two kids were at camp.
This was a very particular family vacation to not have all of our kids with us. For Luca, it was not desirable to be the sole child and there was sadness, jealousy and longing to be at camp with his siblings. My heart was sad for him but we tried our very best to make it fun and memorable for him. By the end of the week we heard less and less comments about his life being depressing, because in true Luca fashion his responses were always over the top. Just like when he was a toddler and his angry faces were so incredibly over the top that they were comical and just made us laugh...that was kind of how we felt at times in conversation with Luca. If we got a "I could do that" or a "whatever" response to any proposal we knew he was somewhat enjoying himself. haha! We played board games each night, watched silly movies, ate buckets of ice cream and got to see some pretty amazing sights together. He even visited a new country that his siblings cannot claim to have been.
A two hour drive south of the camp on country roads led us to the town of Rakovica. We stayed three nights in the countryside. Green rolling hills and fields painted the landscape. It was a very peaceful and enjoyable stay in our little airbnb apartment. The escape from the record breaking heatwave back in Italy was most appreciated as we had much more tolerable temperatures to deal with in Croatia.
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| The countryside |
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| Sunset view from our apartment |
The first day we thought that Luca might enjoy the morning at an adventure park with a ropes course, zipline and other activities. However, when we were the sole vehicle at opening time he changed his mind and requested we not go with tears in his eyes. It was for sure a heartbreak moment for us. We altered plans for the morning and did some scouting for the next day, went to the grocery store for special treats and then had lunch at the apartment before heading off to the Caves of Barać for the afternoon.
It was very
hot and the allure of going into caves where it was 9°C sounded good to us all.
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| We tried to coax Luca to get a photo with one of us, but his response was "I'm already in the picture. See that baby bat in the corner, that is me with a frowny face." |
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"If I smile that means I'm having fun and I'm not..."
(But right under the surface he is holding back a smile.) |
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| Cave that is closed to tourists because of an insect that is only found in this cave in all the world |
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| Inside the cave |
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| Cave bear skeleton. This one was reconstructed from various bones found in the cave. |
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| The Barać park was so peaceful...hammocks, soccer field, batmiton net and a stream. We convinced Luca to partake in a badmiton challenge and we all had some good fun and laughs. |
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| The spring source coming from another cave |
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| Wildflowers make me happy |
We got an early start to our second full day, arriving at the Plitvice Lakes National Park just before 8am. Getting in to the park early was a must to beat the crowds and tour buses. There is also a limit to the number of people they allow into the park each hour. The day was absolutely perfect for hiking through the UNESCO World Heritage Site with temps in the upper 60s and low 70s. We walked over 10km in our six hour visit.
The hardest part of posting pictures is to choose between the hundreds that we took. No picture truly captures the experience and beauty, but one must at least try. By the end of the day Luca was literally pulling my arm or pushing me past photo ops of more waterfalls. haha! All I know is that if vacation had ended here I would have been happy...the beauty of God's nature completely refreshed my soul!
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| The adventure begins over miles and miles of boardwalk across lakes |
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| Still not convinced about this only child vacation thing |
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| First big waterfall |
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| Zooming out, the first big waterfall is on the right |
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| Zooming in |
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| The sound of rushing waterfalls was so peaceful |
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| Crystal clear blue lakes |
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| Canoe at the bottom of the lake |
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| What a fun or maybe frustrating place to fish |
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| At the half way point we took a boat ride across Lake Kozjak to reach the upper lakes |
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| Cheering up with ice cream |
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| My favorite youngest son |
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| "Seriously, do we have to take a selfie at EVERY waterfall?!" |
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photo edit credit: Samuel
A photographer's paradise...we will have to return with S&E in the future |
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| photo edit credit: Samuel |
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| Waiting for mamma who is lagging behind again |
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| Heading to another gorgeous waterfall... |
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| ...and always so much more impressive up close |
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| Last selfie of the day!! And what a day it was!! |
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