Croatia: On Wars and Waterfalls...Part 14

After a rather ordinary start to the day -  breakfast, cappucciiiino, a drive to Ostarije to see the parish priest about information regarding my great grandparents, and a return to Ogulin with a visit to Darko's "office," the wonderful outdoor caffee bar Stari Grad...where I had another cappucciiino. It is a bit amusing to me that we will have coffee, take a brief field trip, then go have another coffee. This is nothing that I would do at home, but the cappuccinos are the equivalent of $1.25, so "when in Rome" or Croatia...

We parted company after coffee just in time for a trip to the tourist office to look for some brochures written in English. Despite the two cappuccinos, it was nap time. (Last night's late night capp had kept me awake till the wee hours.) We shared an order of "pancakes with zucchini" for lunch and took care of some emails. So far, pretty routine.

It was our afternoon outing that turned the tide. Darko and Ivanka met us at the hotel at 3pm and we set out for Rastoke, in the city of Slunj. Wikipedia describes this area: "Rastoke[ˈrastɔkɛ] is the historic center of the Croatian municipality of Slunj. This old part of Slunj is known for its well-preserved mills and the picturesque little waterfalls along the Slunjčica river, which flows into the river Korana at this place. The Korana river originates at Plitvice Lakes National Park." It is quite picturesqe indeed. Plitvice is apparently 10 times bigger, but would have required an entire day and a 5 mile hike. The falls at Rostoke are terraced and some run right under some of the houses, which are built up on stone pylons. There were once very many mills built in this area, taking advantage of the water flow. We did get to see one such working mill. It dated back to the 1700s, and though under repair, was still in use. Darko bought some fresh ground corn meal and flour from the friendly older woman who lived there. Like the Spokane, the Korana river runs very high in the spring. It would be spectacular to visit Rastoke that time of year.

We hiked up a road, then down closer to the river. There are several caffees and a restaurant at the bottom. It is all very rustic with old houses, lots of flower gardens, and a small area near the restaurant where you could literally catch a trout and have it prepared for dinner. We did not do this, but saw many fish and a very odd looking black and white speckled duck.

As great as all this was, the ride out was also memorable. To get to Slunj one must travel a VERY winding road. Other than the larger "autobahns" all the smaller highways and access roads are quite narrow, add continual S curves and hairpin turns along with Darko's speedy driving and, let's just say it was an adventure. I did fine, I think Mom was a bit unsettled. (He very graciously agreed to drive slower on the way back.) The countryside that we traveled through was so beautiful, rolling hills, small farms, trees and brush. Everything here is still very green.

It was about halfway through our ride that Darko said something about the area we were traveling toward. I caught the word "mine" but was not at first sure what he was talking about. Finally he said "bomb" and I realised that he was pointing out to us areas that were marked by warning signs because they were still filled with land mines put there by the Serbian Army during the Bosnian war in the 90s. He explained that from that area, the Serbs had bombed Ogulin. When they entered Croatia, they burned out and destroyed thousands of homes and churches. As we continued to drive through this otherwise lovely rural area we saw many partially or completely destroyed homes and buildings. In some cases, newer homes had been built next to or very near the old bombed out ones. There were a couple of marked memorials to fallen soldiers along our drive as well. It made "that war" that I'd only paid a bit of attention to as I raised my, then, small children seem much more real...and very tragic. Ogulin and other areas were bombed many times and, as I mentioned in a previous note, many people sent their children to live elsewhere during the fighting. Darko served in the army during this war, as well. He talked with pride of his country's heritage of brave soldiers who throughout the centuries had fought to defend themselves against the Romans, the Turks, Napoleon, and others. The castle that stands right next to our hotel was built by a very the very powerful Frankopan family as a garrison of defence after the Turks invaded centuries ago. Like the town, the castle is over 500 years old. Seeing history up close and personal has been a highlight of this trip.

Fall seems to finally have arrived here in Ogulin. I noticed on some of my friend's Facebook posts the weather seems to have turned in Spokane as well. We have noticed through conversation with the locals, that the weather and seasons here are much the same as the Spokane area. As I was looking up how to spell the name of the village we visited today, I noticed that it was described as been along the 45th latitude line. The Canadian border is about 49 degrees north, so we are situated very similarly. I had been wondering about this and now it is confirmed.

So now that you've recieved this travelogue with the bonus history and geography lesson, I'll sign off. I hope to get a good night's sleep tonight so that I'll be ready to meet Darko at the "office" tomorrow morning...for a cappucciiiino! Laku noc! (good night!)

Bok!

Bernadette