Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia

Today we travel from Zagreb to spend two nights at Plitvice (Pleet-vee-tsay) Lakes National Park. The Park has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is described as Niagara Falls sprinkled over the Grand Canyon. As hard as it will be, Glen and I will walk the straight and narrow path--no land mines for us, thank you.

Zagreb, Croatia

Today we arrived in Zagreb from Frankfurt via Air Croatia, a flight which I appreciate being uneventful. Initiating this post was interesting since in Croatia the blogspot site comes up in--what else--Hrvatska (which as anyone can tell means Croatian in Croatian).

We are staying in the Hotel Esplanade (far left) in Zagreb. We join up with the Victor Emanuel group in the hotel tomorrow.

This afternoon we had lunch in a restaurant about 6 blocks away where locals go to eat Croatian food. First we had a delicious salad with finely grated and seasoned fresh cabbage, carrots, some radicchio and more. Then we had a veal dish cooked in traditional style: it is placed a very large and shallow cast iron pan, covered with a cast-iron bell top, and then red coals are heaped on top. The veal is cooked slowly for a long time. It is tasty, moist, fork tender and served with potatoes. Grilled vegetables that included wonderful eggplant made a perfect side dish. For dessert--I thank Glen for weighing in pro dessert--we had fresh plum strudel with an espresso. See http://vinodol.inet.hr/chooser.html

Frankfurt, Germany

The center of Frankfurt is lovely! Tall modernistic sky scrapers pierce the skyline behind historic old buildings. We strolled along the Main river, walked miles on pedestrian streets with cafes, shops and restaurants and even had our taste of Little Turkey in a neighborhood of Turkish shops, people, apartments, restaurants, newstands, and language.

Lift Off

Today we fly to Frankfurt, where we will arrive tomorrow morning. We spend the night in Frankfurt and then fly to Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, on 15 August. We meet up with the Victor Emanuel group the evening of 16 August.

The Adriatic Sea

The Adriatic Sea lies between Italy and Croatia. Along the Dalmatian Coast on its east side, there are thousands of islands. This coast is renowned for its beauty.

Croatia and the Dalmatian Coast

Tomorrow, 13Aug07, we leave for Croatia and a trip by boat along the Dalmatian Coast. We will combine birding, history and culture from 16-26 August with Victor Emanuel Nature Tours. Then we will island hop and return to Austin on 7 Sept.

Croatia - Statistics:
Capital City: Zagreb;
Population: 4,493,312;
GDP: $60,260,000,000 (USD);
Total Area: 56,542 (sq km) 21,831 (sq mi);
Currency: kuna (HRK);
Controls 1,185 islands in the Adriatic Sea, 67 of which are inhabited; Government: Presidential/parliamentary democracy.

Geography

Croatia is a former Yugoslav republic on the Adriatic Sea. It is about the size of West Virginia. Part of Croatia is a barren, rocky region lying in the Dinaric Alps. The Zagorje region north of the capital, Zagreb, is a land of rolling hills, and the fertile agricultural region of the Pannonian Plain is bordered by the Drava, Danube, and Sava Rivers in the east. Over one-third of Croatia is forested.

Recent History

Croatians declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. Conflict between Serbs and Croats in Croatia escalated, and one month after Croatia declared independence, civil war erupted. After wars over territory with regional factions and three broken cease-fire agreements, in December 1995, Croatia signed the Dayton peace agreement, committing itself to a permanent cease-fire and the return of all refugees. Current President Mesic was inaugurated for a second term on February 18, 2005. Presidential elections will next be held in January 2010.

www.infoplease.com/country/profiles/croatia.html

Safety & Security

Although hostilities in all parts of the country ended in 1995, de-mining of areas along former confrontation lines is not complete. It is estimated that de-mining operations will continue at least until 2010. Mine-affected areas are well-marked with the Croatian-language warning signs using the international symbol for mines. Travelers in former conflict areas... [such as the] more remote areas of the Plitvice Lakes National Park should exercise caution and not stray from known safe roads and areas.

http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1095.html

The French and the English in the Perigord

When we went to the Perigord (some refer to the Dordogne) in France to spend the month of June '07, we knew that there are many English who live there permanently, as well as many who spend the summers in this area of France. I recall reading that there are some 70,000 English in the region. Because of the history of wars and confrontation between England and France, and the two countries' national pastime of recounting mordant jokes at the expense of each other, I expected to encounter animosity between the two nationalities--not usually comfortable for the bystander. We were pleasantly surprised. The resident French had a very benevolent attitude and made kind remarks about the English of the Perigord, and the English we observed there were quiet and obviously made it a point to adopt the norms of French courtesy, including the rituals of greeting and leavetaking. Contrary to what is seen in the Caribbean and in South America as English arrogance and "colonial" style condescension, the English of the Perigord make a great effort to speak the language and respect local custom. Many assimilate well into French life and simply disappear into the social landscape.We saw English with booths at the Friday fair in Riberac selling various and sundry items and integrated into French life. This amiable relationship was just one more welcome and pleasant aspect of our Perigordian experience!

Austin

IN AUSTIN.

Patzcuaro, Mexico

WE ARE IN PATZCUARO: http://mypatzcuaro.blogspot.com/

Ahhh, Austin

Special Austin benefits!