Biking the villages around Plitviče

We set off from Korana village on hybrid mountain bikes to cycle rolling backroads through small farms and villages. At one point we were around 6 miles from Bosnia-Herzegovina. After about 10 miles we stopped to tour one of the approximately 10,000 caves in Croatia. Our young, but obviously knowledgeable and very enthusiastic guide told us the cave is 60-65 million years old and that there is evidence of use during the Ottoman Empire, and remains of a prehistoric bear and other animal bones have been found, as well as a 3,000-year old bronze bracelet. It takes 100 years to grow a centimeter of stalagtite.

We carried on with our 20+ mile ride, occasionally seeing bombed out homes, but mostly fairly newly-built alpine-style homes--many for rent because it is so near the park. Micha, our REI guide, told us the homes not reconstructed were because the owners don't have paperwork to show ownership and so they were not able to get government aid.

Again, many home cooked meals, including Trahana a Bosnian soup.Read more