Croatia

BUDAPEST: Did a whistlestop tour of Croatia. After Venice and Trieste but I want some time to devote to the Biennale so I'll do that later. Caught a bus from Trieste to Rijeka, got to pass through Slovenia, changed on a bus to Karlovace and then through to Plitvice Lakes. Stayed in a Tito era apartment building. Got up, walked the Plitvice Lakes. Absolutely stunning network of lakes featuring aqua water and huge, interlinked waterfalls, wooden walkways that take you, literally, over the waterfalls, stunning views, even some caves. Google it. Words, especially these brief ones, don't do it any justice. Caught a bus from the roadside to Split. Walked around Diocletian's Palace, watched the Champion's League, caught a bus to Dubrovnik. Walked the city walls in the driving rain, ate an amazing meal of calamari, stayed in a house that had been rebuilt after the shelling, walked the narrow streets and was charmed by this beautiful place.

The bus journeys in Croatia, and the bus from Cordoba to Granada, are worth their own post so I'll do that next. Suffice to say that scenery, rugged hills, mountains falling into the soft blue of the Adriatic, bullet holes, endless battle scars, is amongst the most moving I've ever encountered. But I'll say more about that at a later date.

Off to Eger tomorrow to drink wine.