Split, Croatia

Next we ventured into Croatia. The excursion took us into Krka National Park well known for its waterfalls. Once the bus arrived we interpreted for about 5 minutes and then had 2 hours to ourselves to walk around the falls. It was so calm and nice. Wonderful to be out in nature and to not be working. The hike went down one side and up the other. There was a wooden path through much of the area since it is so wet. It’s funny, every single tour guide talks about how beautiful the weather is here, hot and sunny, and yet with land is so soggy. When we were almost back we met a local kitty. She just moved from tourist to tourist getting love and pets. I got a very nice kitty fix. Here is a shot of the falls and of my friend.




I rounded one corner and this last picture came into view. All I could think was “Hilde should be here.” It reminded me of the kind of place she finds for us to hike to. When I got hungry later I knew that if I was hiking with Hilde she would have snacks for us both. I love you Hilde!



Split is in the Dalmatia region. It is made up of the main land and many islands. Our guide said that the Dalmation dog is from there. Folklore says that the spots on the dog are to signify all the islands of the region. The land is hard and rocky. The original people of the land were farmers and the area relied heavily on agriculture. Everywhere you look there are short rock walls. It seems that the farmers had to move the rocks to be able to grow anything so instead of piling them up, they made rock walls. Although most people have since moved towards the waterfront, the rock walls remain and inside them the ground is covered with greenery.
Due to war in the late 1900s there was not much tourism in Croatia. In the year 2001 only one cruise ship visited Split. This year there has been over 230 so things are looking up.