Croatia
Plitvice National Park


This is Croatia's most popular tourist attraction and was granted UNESCO World Heritage Status in 1979.

Signs?

Before we entered the park there were many signs scattered around informing us of the rules and regulations. This reminded me of the sign at the Diana memorial in Hyde Park which also made me feel restricted. The signs in the National Park were also very confusing as the symbols were unclear in what they were trying to communicate.

The topography of the park was hilly and the walk was dominantly downhill (as the sign shows below), which created opportunities on the upper levels to look down at some spectacular views. The park was very water orientated and consisted of long winding pathways built over lakes and streams with waterfalls in the distance. This was very effective as it made you feel close to nature.

The park also provided an environment that allowed for a wide variety of wildlife including many fish and ducks.

Euro Trip - June/July 07

Over the summer I travelled to several countries in Europe with five friends in a van. I joined my friends late in Czech Republic where they picked me up. This is the route we took.

Austria
Eisriesenwelt

Our first stop of interest was the Ice Caves, 'Eisriesenwelt', in Salzburg. The Eisrisenwelt is the largest system of ice caves in the world.

To reach the ice caves we needed to take a cable car up the steepest part of the mountain, which meant that we were at a total height of 1,500m.

The final stretch of the route to the ice caves was a pathway under a shelter consisting of a series of columns, which aesthetically blended into the mountain side creating an inviting entrance.

When we entered the ice caves it instantly turned cold. As you walked through on the man-made path it was stunning to see the huge ice structures, all formed into different shapes. We were lucky to have a small group and a tour guide who could speak English and he told us some interesting facts.




The Eisriesenwelt was discovered in 1879 and is a labyrinth of caves with a total length of over 40km. The guide told us that in some areas of the cave the ice was at least 20m thick. We also found out that the ice caves are thousands of years old and each layer on this ice wall was a year old, similar to tree rings. It was very dark in the cave so for us to be able to see the guide he used a magnesium strip which created a bright light, and enhanced the dramatic atmosphere.