Croatia (Part 1)

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We drove on the lovely toll highway through Zagreb on our way to Plitvice Lakes National Park. This is a beautiful series of untouched lakes which are connected by waterfalls and walkways creating 18km of walkable trails around the green-blue, crystal-clear water full of fish. It is a magical place, especially once you get past all the elderly tour groups and families with small children stopping in the middle of the path. The park was great, but unfortunately Croatia's tourist infrastructure is very developed and it offers much less value for money and is more over-run than most of the countries we've been visiting. We drove straight on after a very poor night of sleep to Split, where we intended to leave the car and depart to see the Balkans on public transport (insurance companies do not cover these countries as a rule and it is senseless to spend the fortune they demand to get special cover). The coast of Croatia is undoubtedly spectacular and there are a great many nice places to visit. Split, sadly, is not really one of them. We spent a long afternoon seeking secure long-term parking at a reasonable rate in a town that is notable for its graffiti and ugly building. After getting a speeding ticket and nearly being lampooned on some naked wires we found an absolutely gorgeous, new underground garage with helpful staff and a small daily fee, which we think is especially secure as no one in the town seems to know about it. Things seemed to be looking up, we found camping on the next headland and spent a really nice evening eating pasta and drinking spirits with the locals overlooking a gorgeous bay. We returned to our campsite only to have another sleepless night as things did not wind down in the town until about 2am and because of the lovely local habit of driving a whining motorbike at great speed around the roads at all hours. We packed our small bags and got on the first bus to Bosnia and Hercegovina. The journey was fantastic, but we were really happy to cross the border! E