Tuesday we departed Budapest for Croatia in the capable hands of our driver Roc, a Slovenian who is utterly charming, funny, and a steady hand at the wheel. I don't love all the long bus days, but we have been completely comfortable as he steers the huge rig safely on busy highways and mountainous terrain.
Roc travels with a BMX and a mountain bike in the hold of the bus. We had fun geeking out with him on bike tech.
At a mid-morning pit-stop, Barry ventured into a workout corral and inspired more of our group to try out the apparatus. Not a bad way to move the blood around.
Our destination was the Hotel Jezero in Plitvice Lakes National Park. It's tour bus central here so there was a huge crowd in the buffet-style dining room. The set up handles the hordes pretty well. Our group is very enjoyable to travel with. There's always someone to sit down with and get to know over a meal.
The park's system of boardwalks and trails connect 16 lakes and countless waterfalls. The Rick Steves tour folks are experts in how to beat the crowds. Instead of starting at the bottom and walking up like many visitors, we took the tram to the top and hiked down.
The park had the feel of a rain forest as we walked through on the wooden boardwalks. Waterfalls were small and somewhat hidden at the start, but we heard the water rushing everywhere.
