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Friday, March 29
The Indiana Daily Student

arts travel

Hiking through and understanding the national parks of Europe

The Veliki Slap, the largest waterfall at Plitvice Lakes National Park, is 78 meters high. It is the culminating view of the five-hour hike around the park and the main attraction at Plitvice.

Europe, apart from its cities, culture and people, is also a beautiful place for those interested in nature.

Hiking is one of the most common activities in Europe, as mountainous regions and national parks surround many of its cities. Earlier this semester I hiked in the popular areas around Madrid, but none of the usual places in Spain can compare with the national parks in Croatia.

There are several beautiful landmarks one can travel to. Croatia stands out amongst them, however, for its strange but beautiful mix of culture and nature. Croatia is a Slavic nation in a Mediterranean climate, so while we could lie on the beach like we were in Greece, we could also eat Russian food.

But more than the usual tourist activities, we were also able to see the national parks, Krka National Park and Plitvice Lakes National Park, which are two of the most popular. Both are protected areas, and, according to the Lonely Planet, 10 percent of Croatia is protected land.

The majority of the attraction is the waterfalls, which are absolutely massive and stunning. Krka, being the smaller of the two parks, only has one, but Plitvice is a series of lakes in the middle of a very dense forest. There is also an option to hike inside the forest, which we took advantage of after touring the park area.

The minerals in the lakes create an extremely distinct blue, and park goers are not permitted to swim in the waterfalls or lakes, which makes the water clear at nearly 15 feet deep. It was, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful places I’ve been in Europe.

The rest of the time was spent beachside. Dubrovnik beaches are world-famous, with warm and clear water. I regretted somewhat my lack of water shoes, as getting to and from my beach chair was a little painful, because they are pebble beaches. But sore feet aside, Croatia is unique and beautiful, and I was happy to have my last trip there a departure from the typical sight-seeing.

I learned there is much, much more to Europe than I thought, and I’m excited to plan more trips in the future, after this program ends, so I can see it all.

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