Croatia > Plitvice Lakes in the rain

Croatia - The waterfalls at Plitvice Lakes

It rained during the night and hasn’t stopped since. Fortunately, the tent is waterproof. We hadn’t had the chance to test that before. There’s no choice but to pack the tent away while it’s wet. To be safe, we place the sleeping bags in the car. Tonight we’ll try to set the tent up again. We drive back to Karlovac and from there to the Plitvice Lakes. Along the way, we pass through several villages. We slow down when someone is signaling us. A little further, a police officer is standing with a laser device. We are allowed to continue. At the entrance to the Plitvice Lakes, it is busy with tourists. Many are dressed in transparent ponchos. The vendor of these is having a good day. It rains now and then. The park has beautiful waterfalls and lakes. Due to recent rainfall, the water level is high, and most of the paths leading downward are closed because they are slippery. In the afternoon, we drive south along Croatia’s narrow coastal strip. The toll road is excellent and, above all, very quiet. This allows us to cover some kilometers quickly. We do have to watch out for gusts of wind on viaducts from time to time. Around half past four, we approach the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. The lady at the booth looks a little concerned at the car. “What is that on the roof?” she asks, pointing to our tent. She gestures for us to park, and the car must be opened. After a few questions about what is what, we are allowed to continue. We wave politely to the second officer in the next booth and want to drive on. This is not allowed. He still needs to check if we received a stamp at the first booth. A hundred meters further, at the Bosnian border, the same thing happens.

Croatia - The old bridge Stari Most in Mostar Bosnia and Herzegovina

“Where are you going?” The answer “to Tokyo” seems not to make sense to him. “In Bosnia?” he asks gruffly. His female colleague speaks English. When she explains that we are on our way to Tokyo, both of them laugh. We are allowed to continue. The streets in Bosnia appear noticeably poorer compared to Croatia. Here and there, damaged houses from the Balkan War are still standing. It’s not the landscape—the nature is beautiful. The road winds through the hills and mountains. For tonight, we have a hotel with a view of the old city of Mostar. The navigation system guides us into the old center. When we are practically at the old and famous bridge of Mostar, we should be at the hotel—but we can’t find it. A lady in a small shop calls the hotel for us. “Stay here,” she says, “someone is coming.” A little later, a man gets into our car and guides us to the hotel. We had already passed it. Since Mostar has mainly one-way streets, it’s difficult to turn back. The hotel is beautiful with lovely rooms and is right in the old city. From the hotel, I can walk directly to the old bridge, the Stari Most. The bridge was built in 1557 over the Neretva River. Twilight is slowly falling over Mostar.