The Beauty of Krka

With those golden moments of early evening approaching quickly, we once again find ourselves in the freshwater lake of Skardin. This is the anchorage we were at early in the summer where the swans swim right up to the boat and like stray cats, look longing at you for something to eat. We enjoy feeding them some bread. Each time they catch a piece their little tails waddle back and forth like a puppy dog. So cute. Dan tells us that a group of swans is called exaltation. Thanks Dan. I didn’t know that. The next morning we take the dingy into the town of Skardin where we purchase tickets and board a shuttle boat to the national state park of Krka. This is a natural wonder with travertine pools spilling down from one to the next in cascading waterfalls. It is a Readers Digest version of the national park of Plvitza, where we were earlier in the year. The falls are not as dramatic and the area not as panoramic, but the effect is still pretty magical. We spent most of the day there walking raised wooden pathways where each turn opens up to some spectacular display of nature. The day is sunny and the trees shade the pathway with dapples of sunshine through the leaves. Croatia really has so much raw natural beauty. In the afternoon we return to the picture postcard village of Skardin for a late lunch of lamb and potatoes. The waiter is a cute young guy with dark hair and dark eyes whose family is from Split. He works at the restaurant each summer. We start talking about Croatia and our waiter shares with us some of the horror stories from the war in the early 90’s. Though he was only 12 at the time, he knows too well the brutality of that war. This small hamlet that looks so peaceful was actually at the center of the conflict. It was the last town between the Serbs and Sibernik. Armies on all four mountain ranges surrounding the town fought tooth and nail for this little bit of real estate. The Croatians were fighting for their lives and the Serbs fighting for control of Sibernik, a key city on the coast. You only have to look up from the restaurant to see the bullet holes and grenade damage that are still visible on some of the buildings. The fronts have all been repaired and repainted, but the backs still have the scars of war. I think the Croatians don’t want to repair all of the scars. To do so would lessen the sacrifice made by so many men and boys from this village. They have moved on with their lives, but that doesn’t mean they have forgotten those that gave their lives for their families and loved ones. It is a much more poignant memorial of war then some obelisk set in stone in some park or town square.