Šibenik and Krka National Park, Croatia (Oct. 22)

By some miracle, or because I’m in better shape than I thought – a miracle is more likely – I woke this morning with nary an ache (other than the usual reminders that I’m somehow 66 years old). 

So, despite yesterday’s strenuous hike, I was raring to go on today’s trek through Krka National Park.

Today’s hike was far gentler.  Less than half an hour by bus from Sibenik, Krka National Park is a paradise of waterfalls with a wooden footpath winding through the woods.

The path offers views of the cascades from different perspectives, each one glorious.

Unlike the dramatically plunging waterfalls in Iceland, the streams in Krka flow furiously around  mid-water islands before tumbling over boulders, often in three or more tiers.  

It’s a superbly photogenic place, so much so that I’m including my own cascade of pictures.  In several cases I shot the same scene on the camera’s Auto setting and then with a dramatically slower shutter speed.

In contrast to the wolves, bears, and snakes we were told about on yesterday’s hike, the denizens of Krka included ducks, swans, trout, and stealthy, silent predators with sharp claws, a/k/a cats.  

An altogether less threatening fauna, though swans can be less than friendly.

This afternoon I wandered the old city of Šibenik, which is almost unfairly photogenic in its own right.  Unusually for a city on the Adriatic coast, it was founded (some time in the 11^th century) by Slavs, not Greeks, Romans, or Illyrians. 

Built on a hill next to the water, it’s filled with steep steps, slender lanes kept in deep shade by the abutting buildings, and – bathed in brilliant sunlight – a church in a little square at the end of each lane (or so it seems).

This city of 31,000 people has 25 churches (24 Catholic and one Orthodox), the most famous of which is the Cathedral of St. James, built in the 15^th century. 

The downside of cruising is that you only spend a brief time in each port.  Šibenik and the surrounding areas would be a wonderful place to explore more fully.