Day 2

Woke up and had a cappucino at a coffee bar. It seemed no one ate any food at the restaurants but smoked a ton of cigarettes with their coffee and chatted with friends. Needless to say Pete and I were raring to get out of there.

We had our blue VW rental car dropped off to us during the peak of traffic in Trogir. Pete and I hadn't driven a stick shift in 10 years or so. Neither of us were eager to get behind the wheel. I won- Pete drove (he drives everywhere for me in the States so why would I change in Croatia?). We stopped at a gas station and neither of us could figure out how to open the gas tank. So Pete drove forward to go and park and get water and he stalled. Then he stalled again, and again. We had a nice crowd watching us stupid Americans try to operate the car. Funny to us now.

So we got moving on our way to Plivitce Lakes. (At one point we were driving up a windy hill and the truck in front of us came to a complete stop. Needless to say we stalled again.) The toll highway cost us $9 on the way up and nearly $17 on the way back. Yowza!

When we arrived at Plivitce Lakes we had some crappy sausages and fries which we continued to burp up all day. Then we hiked into the protected lake park. It was very hot and very crowded. There are all these funny little wooden paths with no handrails, lots of people, and you are not allowed to step into the water. I was amazed that we didn't see anyone fall off the path all day. But let me tell you, it was jaw droppingly beautiful! And totally worth it. If you are ever considering going to Plivitce I would recommend that you go in late September or later. But if you have to go in August like we did, it's worth the trip. And you might possibly get the best apple strudel of your life.

We drove back, showered, had a decent dinner but it certainly wasn't great. Again more smoking everywhere. The first thing they do when you arrive to your table is place an ashtray. Walked around the secret passageways of the city, had some ice cream (daily ritual), and finally had a wonderful good night's sleep.