The day after our tour of Ljubljana was mostly a travelling day to get us to Zadar, our overnight stop en-route to Plitvice Lakes National Park, which we were visiting the day after. It was supposed to be a fairly straightforward journey, with only a stop to visit the UNESCO listed Škocjan Caves for a tour before heading across the border into Croatia and onward to Zadar. Being the first and only coastal stop on our four-country trip, where we had also allocated a few hours to explore Zadar while we were there.
The day, however, did not go quite as planned.
What happened was this:
A major mistake with the GPS (Our coach driver was Czech, so he wasn't familiar with Slovenia) meant that we went very far off route while trying to get to the Škocjan Caves, and had to backtrack for an additional hour to get on the right route. Then there was a second stop at the wrong caves, and that added to the delay as well.
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Fortunately, we did find the caves, and had a great tour - Photography was not allowed inside, so I have no photos of the caves' interior, but it was a truly awe-inspiring experience.
The UNESCO Plaque outside the cave's exit.
The Reka River within the collapsed doline
The Reka River entering the Škocjan cave system, where it forms an underground canyon over a hundred meters deep.
We faced some further delays at the Croatian border, but most of the remaining journey was fairly smooth. We also had some great views on the final hour approaching Zadar, though we barely arrived at our hotel in time for sunset, more than two hours later than initially planned.
Views along the highway in Croatia, en-route to Zadar.
Great weather and pretty views, but most of the day was spent travelling.
The vibrant orange glow of sunset upon our hotel on the outskirts of Zadar.
Caught the sun just as it was setting.
Our only actual glimpse of Zadar, the next morning as we were leaving.
A deep canyon linking the Novigradsko More (A deep coastal inlet) to the Adriatic Sea. Viewed from the highway while we were leaving Zadar.
Every trip has it's chaotic days, and this was probably ours. Everything turned out fine in the end, even though we didn't get to explore the town of Zadar itself. Perhaps it's a sign to come back again in the future. Who knows?
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Till the next time,
Raylen