Update 14/8/08 Lake Bled, Slovenia (9,464 km) 
We did plan on stopping at Zargreb on the way to the coast but in the end drove straight past as it didn't appeal once we got there! We drove on. Just outside Karlovac heading south suddenly a tank appeared, then another, then an armoured car! Swerving into a car park area we went to investigate. It was a memorial to the Croatian war. There were several American tanks, an armoured car and several tanks purchased from those kind Russian folks and a crashed MIG fighter plane.
We wandered about poking our noses through bared windows and climbing over the tanks. The memorial included a couple of bombed houses which added to the effect. It is always sad to see the results of war, whatever form it might take, and the crashed MIG was extremely moving – I can’t imagine that the pilot survived and, to me, it reinforced the futility of any conflict. What was the point of it really? Is religion really that important – worth killing for?
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We moved on to the Plitvice Lakes. This wonderful natural phenomenon has many different ways to admire the lakes from – several walks and hikes of varying difficulty, a boat trip and a tourist train (more on this later!). We opted for a combination of them all, starting with a long walk. We were mesmerised by the azure water looking like it had been poured straight in from the Caribbean! Lake after lake was crystal clear – so clear that you could see every fish and even a sunken boat. The lakes are within a national park and have been awarded UNESCO World Heritage status which means that no-one is allowed to camp in the vicinity, swim in the water, fish or damage the local flora and quite rightly so as it really is a stunning area. We caught a rather overcrowded, noisy boat across the biggest lake and then carried on with our wanderings. After 4 hours or so we decided that we’d seen enough and waited for the tourist bus at the top stop. When it turned up it was a Unimog pulling two coaches! In fact there were two of them and further down we saw some more! This model was the newer ‘snub-nose’ version so we were interested in the updates on our lorry. We clambered in and managed to get the front seat nearest the cab which was partitioned off by a glass panel. Noses pressed to the glass we admired and compared it to our cab which earned us some rather bemused looks from the driver!! We concluded that our lorry was far superior as it had a pet plastic snake which the new models are deficient in!!
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After spending the night on the edge of the biggest campsite we have ever seen – 1,500 pitches and a whole mass of humanity seething within it – we drove to the coast. Coming out of a tunnel from lush green rolling hills we were confronted with the Mediterranean! Suddenly everything looked very parched and brown. Gone were the pines, meadows and summer flowers, all replaced by rocky coast with olive trees and borgonevilea. Arriving at a campsite we were told we were too big for the pitches all under olive trees and so were sent to the overflow car and boat park... and charged full price for the privilege! Oz wanted to look at the climbing at the Paklenica National Park so we left the campground and drove into the park in the hope of moving on that night to better pastures. Oz ended up completing a long trail after deciding on not climbing after all. It was a strange arrangement as you had to pay the full entrance price to the park before reaching the information on the walking and climbing routes. Still, it was a nice day after a storm that went through in the night.
Searching for a campsite that looked like it would be able to accommodate us in rather more style than the car park saw us driving further and further up the coast and as dusk closed in we spontaneously took a left turn that led down to a small port. We were hoping for a quiet wild-camp spot but found a ferry to Rab Island so we drove straight on to it! Having no idea what we would find on the island I approached an Italian campervan and with much motioning managed to explain that we were looking for a campsite for the night and did they have a book we could look at? They did and pointed to where they were heading for the night. As we drove off the ferry they were waiting for us and gestured for us to follow them. I must admit I was very grateful to them for this kind gesture as we were very tired and the roads were windy and it was pitch black! However, once we arrived at the site it was a different matter as the campground was vast, noisy and very overcrowded. The receptionist told us it was too late to enter the site and we could sleep in the car park for €10 but it did mean we could use their facilities which included great showers and several food shops. The only problem was that there was barely enough room in the car park for the existing cars, caravans and campers so we parked round the side in front of a no parking sign! The next morning, having showered, bought loads of fruit, veg, meat and groceries we went into reception and told them we wouldn’t be staying as the site was too full already and they didn’t charge us at all. We went to catch the ferry to the next island, Krk, to try our luck there but the ferry had slammed into the harbour wall and it was being repaired! Facing a decision of waiting for a few days or driving back across the island and going out the way we came in we decided to find another campsite.
| This is where our luck changed! The only other campsite on the island was still quite big but was less crowded and much better laid out. We upgraded to a set-sized pitch rather than the bun-fight in the general camping area and were just two pitches from the sea. We swam, canoed and met a lovely English couple called George (female) and Tom. |  |
| They were on their honeymoon having married in the South of France a month previously. George and Tom zipped about on a great monkey bike and were heavily involved in making an awning for their campervan... with a lot of help (wanted and otherwise!) from their neighbourhood Germans! We celebrated their one month wedding anniversary with a bottle of champagne I’d been lugging about for several years and a yummy barbeque the next night. | |
More soon... Kate, Oz and the Mog