Sonja: Our final time in Croatia was in the mainland part of the country. We hired a 9 seater people mover that Uncle Matt drove with us all crammed in. Our destination was the Plitvice National Park- a Unesco World heritage site. It is this amazing area of lakes and waterfalls that has been formed over thousands of years with water that is high in minerals flowing through limestone rock. The minerals makes the colours of the lakes a very intense azure and also calcifies the mosses, algae and plants along the edges forming natural dams and the myriad of different waterfalls.

Mark: It’s seems to be the same process as leads to formation of geothermal terraces in Rotorua or stalictites/mites in caves where minerals in the water precipitate out forming limestone structures. But in this case, they precipitate out on mosses and dead branches and leaves etc, eventually forming a dam. There is continual battle between the water eroding through and the dam formation, which leads to these waterfalls, but eventually the dam wins and a lake forms. We managed to walk around the lakes in the evening, in perfect light and out of the heat of the day. So lucky. Especially when later that night a storm moved in and the heavens opened for the whole next day.

Adam: The lakes were beautiful and it was very interesting how they were created.

Tessa: The lakes were super clear and turquoise, and filled with small fish.

Elise: Everyone has said what I wanted to say.