The 2nd of June is a national holiday in Italy to celebrate and remember the day in 1946 that Italians voted to become a republic.

It is also great to have a day off just as the weather is starting to get warm and sunny. For many of us living here, the second of June marks the opening of the summer season.

This year the 2nd of June fell on a Monday, giving us a long three-day break to go somewhere new.

We decided on the PLITVICE LAKES NATIONAL PARKhttp://www.np-plitvicka-jezera.hr in Croatia, in the region between the coast and the capital of Zagreb.

It’s the oldest national park in Croatia and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
And it’s famous for its beautiful blue-green lakes, streams and waterfalls, surrounded by forests of conifers and beech trees.

The area of the whole park is 296.85 square kilometers. There are 16 lakes in total, divided into the Upper and Lower lakes. These were formed by barriers of tufa (also known as travertine), a porous rock.

Between all these lakes you can find streams and waterfalls and a rich vegetation and many different wildflowers.

Once inside the park there is a choice of different walking routes to follow from the easy ones to the more tiring ones, to help you explore the park at your own pace.

You will also find benches dotted around so you can sit down and appreciate the view in front of you and listen to the birdsong.

As we discovered, it’s a place where you can do a lot of walking and outdoor activities and really connect with nature.

SLEEP: We stayed half-board at Hotel Jezera, a big hotel complex directly above Entrance number 2. This means you can park your car at the beginning of your stay and and leave it there until it’s time to go.

WHAT YOU NEED TO BRING

When we visited in June it was sunny and warm, around 30°. It never felt too hot because most of the time we were shaded from the sun by trees. Plus the cool breeze blowing off the waterfalls kept us cool.

We wore shorts, vest top/t-shirt, regular trainers, suncream, hat and sunglasses.

For our hike, we took a small backpack each with our packed lunch: ham and cheese rolls, hard boiled eggs, nuts and a sports bar. And water, of course.

There are some places to buy food once you’re inside the park. These can get busy when groups of tourists arrive en masse and you’ll find sixty people queuing up for a coffee instead of three or four. Anyway, hiking life is all about picnics and eating your sandwiches sat down on the earth!

SATURDAY AFTERNOON: ROWING ON THE LAKE

The access to the park is directly below the Hotel Jezero. It was just a few minutes’ walk from our room to the park entrance.

It was quite busy with people getting on and off the electric boats which cross to and fro across the lake all day, so we escaped the crowds by hiring our own wooden boat for a romantic boat trip.

Neither of us had been in a boat in a while so we were excited and a bit apprehensive at first as we stepped into the boat and felt it sway to and fro.

After rowing into a jetty by mistake, we started to get the hang of rowing. You need strength in your arms and good coordination. We took it in turns to row out into the lake and close to the waterfalls.

And it was a great first experience of the national park. We found peace and quiet on the lake. Saw how crystal clear the water is. You can see to the bottom of the lake and watch the fish swimming around close by and unafraid.

SUNDAY: HIKING THROUGH THE PARK

After an early breakfast we set off for our first hike in the park around 8am.
We began with the trail which leads to the Big Waterfall. It was peaceful in the early morning and we had the place to ourselves. We heard frogs croaking in the reeds by the pathway and passed a quietly sleeping duck.

By the time we got to the Big Waterfall, the place was really busy with coach loads of tourists who had arrived through Entrance Number 1.

So to find a quieter place, next we took the more difficult and remote hiking trail K which led up to a viewing point at 600 m. Hardly anyone was on this trail. It was tiring towards the end but so worth for the awesome view over the lakes and beyond.

By the time we’d finished and made it back to the electric boat which took us across the main lake and to the hotel, we’d done 18km.

And for me, that was enough! Time for a shower and chill time.

MONDAY: HORSEBACK RIDING IN THE CROATIAN COUNTRYSIDE

This was the big surprise that Mr CA had prepared for me. All he said was: “Wear your jeans and trainers.” Mmmmm, what could that mean?

And then we drove to RANCH TERRA.http://ranch-terra.com A family-owned ranch that organises horse riding trails in the beautiful Croatian countryside.

We did the 2-hour trail for ambitious beginners, which probably sums up our approach.

First we met our lovely horses: Luna for me and Kal for Mr CA. My Luna was clean with a beautiful golden brown coat and a strong mane with a cute fringe at the front.

Then we mounted our horses. So far so good. Now it was time to get serious. Our guide told us some basics like how to hold the reins correctly and how to keep your feet in the stirrups.

She told us how to command our horse: pull back with the reins if they stop to chew on some grass; kick back with your heels to get them to walk on; steer them left and right with a pull of the reins.

So that was the theory and watching someone else to do it was the easy part. Now we had to put it into practice so we set off in a line with our guide at the front, Kal and Mr CA in the middle and me and Luna closing the group.

We went along stony paths. Walked through forests and dipped down to avoid the low branches. Passed knee-deep across fields of ferns. And always with the two dogs from the ranch running beside us and keeping company.

It was a perfect experience: it was hot and sunny; the landscape was beautiful; it was great to be with the animals.

Commanding a horse isn’t easy when you’re using your voice but about half way through I got the hang of it and started to relax more.

Would I do it again? Yes! So watch this space for the next time.

I BROUGHT HOME…

Some lovely memories and two jars of delicious Croatian honey.
Made with the pollen of all those wildflowers which decorated this trip.

Dorian, the beekeeper, is super friendly. You can find him at his family’s stall in the countryside of Kukaća where you can try the honey for yourself, or visit their website: https://zumzz.com/en