I'm back from Croatia! I had a wonderful time, and one that can't adequately be described. But here are some of the delightful moments we had:
Stopping every day at a local home for a garden-fresh lunch of goat cheese, tomatoes, and prosciutto; reveling in the crystal clear aqua waters of Plitvicka National Park; hiking through granite mountaintops in the middle of a torrential rain and lightning storm; paddling down a fifteen-foot-high waterfall (weee!); waking up to the view of the Adriatic from the porch; cycling through gorgeous sun-blasted countryside that reminded me of Tuscany; sleeping in a cozy home-stay village in the curve of a mountain valley; feeling like a local among the very friendly Croatians; hiking to a 400 year old alpine hut for a delicious homemade lunch and a song from Marijo; soaking in the thunderous waterfalls of Krka National Park; and making sixteen new best friends from around the country. Delightful, all around.
We also had two professionals accompany us on our trip: a photographer and a videographer. Watching them work everyday not only inspired my love for my own (amateur) photography, but reminded me how much I have yet to learn! I took over 1,000 photos in a week, but unfortunately was disappointed in a lot of them. Going from overcast Portland to bright, sunny Croatia made me negligent about constantly changing my iso and aperture settings, and a lot of my shots came out over-exposed. Still, I pared it down to about 50 so that you may fall in love with Croatia as much as I did. The first batch I'm posting today, and I'll put up the second half tomorrow.
Enjoy! Živjeli!
