Our first adventures in Croatia went like this....Days 5 - 9

Day 5 - this morning we hiked up one of the rocky mountains opposite the old town of Omis, getting gorgeous views of the city, bay and canyon. On the way up we passed a church made into the side of the mountain, it is still used for sermons today. The kids were certainly not at their hiking best today so it took a lot of bribery/rewards to get them up the mountain. It got hotter and hotter and, after getting lost on the way down, we were all glad when we finally reached the van. We headed into Omis town for a swim to cool off followed by some ice-cream (one of our bribes for the hike). We had decided on a lakeside camp for the night so we headed towards the Bacina Lakes region, where we camped for the night on the edge of one of the lakes. One of the other men at the campground was a keen fisherman and Jackson watched him intently whilst Emilia enjoyed a swim in cool water.

The view from the church built into a rocky mountainside.

The rocky path up the canyon.

A gorgeous view for our break.

The kids enjoying their reward after the big walk, some freshly cooked mini donuts.

A dusk swim at Bacina Lakes.

Day 6 - it had stormed all night but the clouds looked like they would hold off for awhile so we decided to walk a few kilometres of the walk around the lakes. It was very picturesque and abundant in bird life but the dark clouds started rolling in so we headed back. We had time for a quick swim and while we were packing up the man who'd been fishing came out again. Jackson immediately ran over to watch and the kind man actually made Jackson a fishing rod out of bamboo and some line, sinkers, floats and lures he had spare. Much to his delight Jackson caught a tiny fish on his first cast. After a few more turns Emilia helped him catch a second fish. The rain began so we left with two very excited children and 1 new fishing rod that would end up being used in several different countries. We had decided on a radical change to our plans, a few days in Bosnia & Hercjgnovia. But alas it was not to be. After sitting for an hour in the border control queue I went for a walk to try to find what was going on. I walked for at least a kilometre of bumper to bumper cars and the trail of cars kept going for as far as I could see. I met a lovely Bosnian lady who explained that today was the end of the summer holidays for Bosnia so everyone was heading home from the seaside of Croatia and this was the major border crossing taken. The queue went for at least another 3 kilometres and she estimated it would be several hours more. Disappointed, we left trying to come up with another plan. As luck would have it we met an amazing couple at a roadside fruit stall (which happened to be on top of a mountain with incredible views) who enjoyed camping and exploring and had some great tips of places to visit. We spent about an hour with them and, in between being fed tidbits of fruits, dried figs, nuts and jams, we got information on some wonderful places to visit and a plan of where to head for the night. Our first stop was a small town called Ston, famous for its salt works and for the incredible fortress walls built up the mountain. These walls are the world's second largest uninterrupted walls (after the Great Wall of China). After ice cream (for some extra energy) we climbed one side of the old walls, reflecting on how challenging it would have been to build such a structure without modern machinery. Afterwards we headed further into the Peljesac Peninsula, famous for its wine. It was getting too late to stop at any of the hundreds of wineries along the way so we went directly to Orebic and our camp for the next two nights. It was too late to cook so went to the camp restaurant, not expecting much, but we had one of the best meals of the trip. Lovely fresh food, beautiful wine and the waves crashing into the rocks below. 

Coffee with a view.

Jackson's fish!

On our walk around the lakes......the storm clouds rolling in.

Where we stopped to buy fruit, what a incredible place to have a shop.

The lovely fruit seller (whose dog wanted to be in the photo too).

Climbing Ston fortress.

Climbing to the top of the fortress.

Hot and sweaty after our walk.

Day 7- it rained all night and we awoke to Emilia saying, 'I think Jackson wet the bed but it's on his head'. The poor thing hadn't wet the bed, the van had leaked near his head and wet the mattress! We spent a few hours in the van, waiting for the rain to subside. The kids didn't mind as they got to watch movies whilst Daniel and I made more plans. Mid morning we walked into Orebic to catch the ferry to the island of Korcula. We were waiting on the foreshore for the ticket office to reopen when the kids went exploring. Emilia spotted a crab under some rocky steps. Jackson went to investigate but as he leant over he toppled head first into the ocean, getting soaked and bruised! It was 2.5 kms back to the camp and the ferry was leaving in 10 minute so he ended up exploring Korcula in a dry jumper (thankfully we had just taken it off), wrung out shorts and sloshy wet boots with no socks! We wandered for an hour through the tiny, steep streets of Korcula old town before lunch in one of the laneways and dessert and coffee overlooking the ocean. After a play back at the camp playground we had some lovely local wine at a roadside winery on top of cliff overlooking the ocean, certainly a wine with a view.

The stormy skies over Orebic.

The narrow streets of Orebic.

On the ferry to Korcula.

Some of the relics in the old town of Korcula.

The steep, narrow streets in the old town.

This storm cloud stayed over this mountain all day.

Enjoying some local red at this incredible wine bar.

Day 8 - we left early to get to Dubrovnik. We had heard how insanely busy it gets so we had decided to do an evening and early morning to beat some of the crowds. We arrived at the camp by lunch and spent a few hours swimming and cooling off in the nearby bay. Jackson actually spent most of his time fishing with his homemade rod, much to the amusement of locals, many of whom took photos of him. We headed into Dubrovnik about 4pm and enjoyed getting lost in the narrow streets, taking turns at choosing the next direction to follow. We had a lovely dinner in one of the cobbled laneways, where I tried black risotto - very delicious but quite staining on the teeth!

We had a yummy ice cream and people watched before taking the bus back to camp about 9pm.

The sun was finally coming out the morning we left.

We stopped off for a swim at this gorgeous beach and the kids spent the whole time trying to catch fish with their hands.

Getting lost in the steep streets of Dubrovnik.

Looking over the rooftops of Dubrovnik  (and into each others eyes).

I loved the out of window washing lines.

Waiting for dinner in a Dubrovnik laneway.

Dinner selfie with a photo bomber.

Black risotto....mmmmm.

Full and tired after our delicious dinner.

Ice cream in the main square.

Day 9 - we got the kids up early, 6am, to return to Dubrovnik and see the town without the crowds. It was lovely seeing it so peaceful. We walked the town walls at 8am, glad we had done it so early as it was already heating up. We left Dubrovnik just as the tour buses were arriving, satisfied we had made the most of our time here. Now onto Montenegro!

Early morning back in Dubrovnik, notice the missing crowds!

Looking out towards one of the forts on the Dubrovnik wall.

Trying dried figs and sugared almonds.

Dubrovnik port.

Looking out from one of the windows in the town wall.

Chilling on the town wall.

Our first adventure in Croatia went like this.......Days 1- 4

Day 1- we crossed the border from Slovenia early then meandered through the Croatian countryside towards Plitvice National Park. We stopped in several small villages to buy vegetables from a roadside stall (the couple were very pleased to have some Australians purchase their produce) then at a house for some homemade smoked sheep cheese. We arrived at Plitvice in the afternoon and found a room for the night. It was predicted to be around 5 deg that night and our van was not set up for cold nights. After getting our room we wandered through the forest around the National Park. We were in a really quiet part, away from the lakes and the tourists, when Daniel spotted a deer. We watched it, whilst it watched us, until it got spooked and ran off. It was so great to see one reasonably close in the wild.

Jackson's middle name is a town in Croatia.

The lovely couple we got some vegies from.

Day 2 - we got the kids up super early to arrive at Plitvice at opening time (7am). It was freezing but we were so glad we came early and missed the huge crowds that gather here during the day. We decided on the 8km route through the park, which took us past each of the 16 lakes that cascade into each other down hundreds of waterfalls, beginning with 'Veliki Slap', the big waterfall. It was all exceptionally beautiful and very picturesque. As the day went on the tour groups and day trippers arrived so we were glad to have finished our walk by midday and miss the huge amounts of people who were now snaking their way around the paths. It was so much busier than when I had been here 16 years ago! We left headed for the coast. After a few failed tries we found a beachside camp in the small town of Petracane, where we walked along the beach and treated ourselves to a dinner overlooking the small harbour. 

Overlookong the big waterfall, trying to stay warm.

Daniel took this beautiful photo.

You could feel the mist from the gushing water.

I'm nearly as big as the waterfall!

One of the many cascading lakes in Plitvice National Park. 

It was worth getting up early to enjoy the serenity of this beautiful place.

Everything was so green.

Thanks to the recent rain the waterfalls were flowing spectacularly.

Admiring the beauty of nature.

The colour of the water is incredible.

Enjoying a cold beer after our big day.

Pizza selfie!

Ice cream at sunset in Petracane, a small seaside town.

Day 3 - we walked to a park near the harbour at Petracane and had breakfast whilst the kids played. We met a lovely couple from Canada who moved here 4 years ago and now run tours and rent apartments for tourists. They have 4 kids, 2 of whom were born in Croatia and 2 who go to the local school. We had a lovely time chatting with them and they gave us some great tips on places to visit. We left late morning headed to the nearby town of Nin, with its quaint walled old town and beach where you swim looking out to a huge mountain range. Nin is also known for the medicinal mud located in the inlet, so of course we trekked off to cover ourselves and reap the benefits! The kids got in to it with me and we covered our bodies with the sulphur smelling, black mud. We walked up the beach, letting it dry, and enduring the grins of the locals as yet another group of tourists cover themselves in the stinking mud. After the mud was dry and cracking on our skin we washed ourselves in the ocean and, though the smell still lingered for a day or so, our skin was very soft. We wandered around the old town that evening then had dinner out before walking home in the dark tired after our fun filled day.

Enjoying the harbour playground.

The beach at Nin overlooks a huge mountain range.

Rubbing the medicinal mud all over us!

Some of the Roman ruins in Nin old town.

One of the many traditional fishing boats in Nin harbour.

The entrance to the old town of Nin.

Day 4- we left Nin and headed south, ending up at Omis, a town at the base of huge mountain range, at the start of a large canyon and on the beach. We swam, walked up to the old fortress, Mirabella, on the edge of the rocky mountain the town is built against and explored the narrow cobbled streets, marvelling at the houses built into the rocky walls. We didn't go inside any but from what we could see the rocks made up some of the walls of the houses. Absolutely incredible and fascinating. The kids were exhausted so they went to bed early and Daniel and I sat up with a cheese platter and red wine (cheap but delicious) and listened to the waves crashing on the beach in front of us.

The beach in front of our camp.

Looking actoss to the old town of Omis.

A part of the old fortress that we climbed to.

The view up the gorge from the fortress.

Before taking this photo I actually said to Daniel, 'wow, the windows are so clean', clearly the walk up affected me!