December 2013 #1, Plitvice Lake National Park

Tom, Christine, and Nick exploring some caves at Plitvice Lake National Park, Croatia

With the weather being cold and foggy, we weren't sure if it the park would even be open. So glad we took the chance! It was an amazingly beautiful day - like walking in an enchanted land. Fog had formed ice on all the trees, branches, rocks and grass; the sun made it seam like crystals. 

Psalm 104 - I was in awe of God's (Elohim) beauty!!

  For the 1st hour or so I think we were the only ones for miles around. We hiked down to the lake, across wooden footpaths and over bridges, to the base of the falls. We climbed up the to the top of the falls, along a ridge trail, explored some caves - warm inside, ending at a boat landing (a whole other story). Once we were across the lake, we stopped at a hotel to get warm, eat lunch and drink hot coffee. Then we reluctantly made our way back to our car.

  We were told it would take us 2 hours as most of the park was closed because the ice made it unsafe for travel. So we were only charged 40kn, (1/2 the winter price and way less than the summer price)! We ended up spending just over 5 hours in the park. And although the temperature read -5c, the sun was warm and there was very little breeze. We probably only saw about 1/5 of the area. We did encounter serious ice. In fact (and I really hate to admit this) I had to be helped over a couple of the icy spots! 
For pictures I only had my iPhone with me and I took so many pictures they I ran out of battery before we made it back to the car. The pictures capture some of the beauty, and I could not help but be in awe; Thanking God for the day and the beauty He created in nature for our enjoyment! This brought to mind Psalm 104, an amazing poem about Elohim - our creator!

 "God layed the foundation for order and beauty" Charles Spurgeon.

If you look up Croatia on the Internet, you will find tons of stunning photos of Plitvice. I have looked at lots of them, most are summer, spring and fall pictures and I do hope to get back there on a nice warm day. But I am so glad we went the day we did. 

Click to see;

December 2013 day trip #2

December 2013 Day trip #3