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Leaving Dubrovnik, we traveled back up the Dalmatian Coast before heading inland and in a northwest direction, past valleys with large farms and into the mountains bordering Bosnia.  Temperature was in the 40s with a report of snow in the park the night before..

As we headed over the mountain away from the coast, there was a quick stop to view the ancient Plane Tree alongside the road.  We continued until our lunch stop at a nice restaurant on the banks of the Krka River.

We arrived at our hotel, which was in the park, after dark.   There was indeed 3 or 4 inches of fresh snow.  Our hotel had a huge buffet dinning area - the best of our trip.

The next morning was a full day enjoying the park.  We initially received an orientation in front of the park headquarters then saw a short film on the evolution of the park before hiking along the Lower Lakes.  The first of many waterfalls was the 72 meter (210 feet) Sastavci Falls.  We then walked down to the lakes through Šupljara Cave.

Plank walkways allowed us to walk next to the lakes and waterfalls.  We needed a boat to cross the largest lake, Lake Kozjak.  Most of the group then went back to the hotel while 5 of us crossed the lake again to hike the Upper Lakes.  I'm glad we did because the area and waterfalls were spectacular.  We were the first to put our prints in the fresh snow.

That afternoon 5 of us (from Florida and Arizona) decided to build a snowman.  As we rolled the snow into two balls we realized we could not pick either one up to place on the other.  So we decided to build 2 snow people.  The hotel was kind to furnish some carrots for the nose and fruit for the eyes.  We supplied the hats, scarf and gloves.  It was fun!

Our final day in Croatia finally arrived.   The drive back to the Zagreb Airport would take about 2-3 hours.  There was a rest break and the bus broke down.  Within about 20 minutes another bus arrived to take us to the airport, arriving in time for our flight to Frankfurt.  The flight to JFK Airport went smoothly.  We stayed overnight in a Queens hotel and continued our last flight home the next day.

It was a wonderful trip in spite of the bad weather.  With the help of our guide we found Kirsten's grandparent's villages.  When we return to Croatia we now have the confidence to rent a car and visit her ancestral relatives birth villages.

The End