Diane & Darryl in Europe 2017

Today we hiked about 10 miles in another of Croatia's national parks--a river canyon in the Velebit mountains. The trail was rocky and steep for 5 miles--about an 1,800 foot elevation gain--but always wide and safe with no threats of slipping off cliff edges. Much of the trail was wooded and shady, a relief from the continued heat. The views up the limestone cliff faces were spectacular, and it is a popular area for rock climbers.

There is no camping in the park, but there are several mountain huts where climbers or visitors can stay the night and get a meal. We stopped at one of the huts perched high on the mountain with spectacular views. We were greeted with a table full of a variety of flavored homemade grappa--all very smooth, not like the firewater we'd had before. It seems strange to drink hard liquor in the middle of the day after a strenuous hike, but that's what they do here!

On the porch overlooking the valley, we were served a special traditional lunch--Peka, which translates to "under the bell." It was prepared in a smokehouse they call a black kitchen (because of the soot-covered walls). On a raised platform is a tiled pizza-oven-like surface. This is where they would prepare their own prosciutto and other smoked meats. Peka is a way of slow-cooking: chicken and veal pieces are placed on the hot surface and covered with vegetables, herbs, wine, and some bacon, then covered with a heavy flat-topped metal dome, and coals placed on top of the "bell." Midway through, the meat is switched to the top of the vegetables and cooked until tender. It is served with homemade bread (all the baked goods here are freshly baked and delicious!) and salad with vinegar and delicious local olive oil.

Somehow after that wonderful lunch we kept hiking higher up the mountain until we reached a 400 year old homestead. The overhanging cliff provided part of the roof and all of the back wall of the stone home.

Back in Novigrad, we enjoyed a late dinner of risotto with mussels--a local specialty. We had seen the muscle "farms" in the sea on our drive earlier.Read more

After leaving our harborside town of Novigrad, we drove south past an agricultural area with olives, nectarines, grapes, cherries and a field of yellow Chamomile flowers for making massage oils. This was a mainly Serbian area, and again there was evidence of bullet-riddled homes and some vacant ruined stone homes. These days they are rebuilding with red brick-like cinder blocks, then covering with stucco. The stucco is painted with earth tones or white, which fits in with the limestone surroundings. Roofs are always red clay tiles. There are signs of rebuilding everywhere, with the aid of EU grants. Also along the drive we passed some 15th century castles from the time of the Ottoman Empire.

When we got to Krka National Park, we could see why it, too, attracts 1 million visitors a year. Similar to Plitviče, it has a series of lakes connected by waterfalls. It was very beautiful, but so much more crowded because all these visitors had to fit into a smaller area. One of the highlights was an "ethno-village," which was less crowded. A woman was weaving on a loom (sheep wool), there was a blacksmith forge, and we walked through a reconstructed hydroelectric plant and grain mill. This was the second hydroelectric plant to come online in the world, just two days after the first one--on Niagara Falls--in 1895. Both plants were based on the designs of Nikola Tesla, born in Croatia. The Krka plant was in operation until WWI, when it was dismantled for armaments. Only in 2006 did they do archival research to reconstruct it.

Another delicious traditional lunch was enjoyed by a rushing river: prosciutto and something that was like thin bacon that they called ham, local cheese, salad and bread, and wine or beer (grappa at the beginning of course). There was plenty of time for a relaxing swim in the cool river.

We ended the day at Skradin, a harborside town with pedestrian-only streets. We hiked a short distance to the remains of a 14th century fortress (about the size of our house). Nice cool breeze and beautiful views from there.Read more