Europe 2014: Croatia

More than a month after I touched down on home soil I'm finally getting around to writing the last post about my trip. A number of things have seen me put off writing over the last few weeks but I guess it's time for me to tie up this series of reflective posts - some might say it's taken me too long! 

So to Croatia and our final stop on a splendid month of travel. After the beauty of Slovenia, this country to the south had a lot to live up to, not to mention the fact that I wasn't ready to wind down on the new experiences despite home being but a few days away.

Zagreb Cathedral in the background.

Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, is nothing to write home about. It has its quirks and nice buildings but I would say that it is the least interesting of the cities I visited in June - maybe I just spoiled myself? Of the nicer sights in the city is the cathedral which was one of the few 'houses of religion' that we went inside on our trip. I'm not a religious person but spending just a few minutes in a place like that still affects me. I suppose its the silence.

Another good side of Zagreb was that our time there coincided with Croatia's final group game at the World Cup. Of all the places we visited, it was actually the only one whose national team was playing in Brazil so it was nice to soak up a bit of the atmosphere. We wore our Scotland strips and bought Croatia flags and scarves to blend in with the sea of red and white which washed across the city. Although they lost to Mexico, I doubt I'll ever forget the atmosphere which gripped the streets of Zagreb that night.

The city was taken over by a huge checkerboard of Croatian supporters.

I couldn't have spent more than a couple of days in Zagreb. Just as well we took another hire car to head out of the city for a day then! One of the highlights of the trip was always going to be the day that we spent in the Plitvice Lakes National Park to the south of Zagreb - it surpassed all expectations. As with my other posts, I don't trust my writing ability to do justice to this wonderful place so I'm going to let some photos do the talking.

We walked along this narrow wooden walkway for what felt like miles.

There was a wonderful sight at every turn, and just look at the colour of that water!

My favourite panoramic shot from the whole holiday - and I took a lot! Doesn't even capture that moment a single bit.

My verdict on Croatia? From my brief experience of the country I wouldn't recommend going to, or at least spending too much time in, Zagreb. You're time would be much better spent taking in the rest of the country, including the Plitvice Lakes. One of my friends took a trip down to Dubrovnik which looks beautiful - I'll add that to the list as well! 

So there we go. After almost a whole month of travel, tonnes of new experiences and a fresh perspective on a continent that I thought I knew so well, I came back to Scotland feeling enriched. We all enjoy our fondest and most exciting memories, but without stepping out the door and having new experiences those memories can never exist. I'll never forget this summer for a number of reasons, and this mammoth trip will be right up there near the top.

I would like to say thank you (again!) to the three people I travelled with, and to those who gave us the perfect start to the trip in Estonia. An important part of travelling is the people who you travel with, and the experiences I shared with them would not have been the same had they not been there.

Thanks for reading this post - and the other six if you've kept up to date! - and I'll be sure to get back to writing about other things as this long summer rolls on.

Martin