When we left Trogir it was 80 and sunny. By the time we arrived at Plitvice, via an unexpected detour off the A-1 highway that resulted in our taking the old, winding, nail-biting route over the mountains, the day had turned chilly and was steeped in fog.
We fortified ourselves with lunch and hot tea at Lička Kuća before heading out to the trails. Once we oriented ourselves and chose our route, an 8 hour trek covering nearly all the main trails, we were delighted to discover that even without the sun, the lakes and pools were beautiful shades of emerald, cobalt, and sapphire. The cascading waterfalls, tittering small streams, and the burbling of calmer water created a backdrop of sound that was truly unique, and best captured by video. The trails through the park consisted of natural wooden walkways and dirt paths that meandered along lakes, ponds, streams, and bog areas. At times, the walkways became crowded and we had to dodge and skip around clusters of slow moving people. We skipped a small portion of the walking trail for the sedate, but lovely, ferry ride across the lake, where we were content to rest a bit and gaze at the passing shoreline. After finishing our hike and taking a bus back to the parking area, we headed back to Trogir using the faster and more direct route. On the way, we stopped at Šibenik for dinner at Pelegrini where we sat outside and toasted to the incredible start of our vacation!