We are now in Croatia and have arrived at our guest house. We are greeted like long-lost friends by the hostess Zrinka who introduces us to her daughter Barbara. We are then given tea and cake to refresh us after the journey. Zeinka is obviously a baker of some considerable skill as this is simply the best piece of cake I have ever eaten. It's the sort of cake God might serve to welcome you to heaven. It was made with almond flour and has a wafer thin crispy base, a luscious layer of rich forest fruit puree topped with rich cream dusted with chocolate powder. I have a deep sense of loss after I finish it. That sort of experience comes only rarely in a lifetime. 

Much to our delight it turns out Barbara is a huge tan of the 'Derry Girls' series. We are amazed she can understand it as we have some difficulty with some of the characters. She tells us she watches it with English subtitles and uses an internet Urban Dictionary to translate some of the abstruse Norther Ireland idioms.

Breakfast the next morning is composed almost entirely of Zrinka's and her daughter's cooking. Home made yoghurt, breads, scones and cakes. It turns out Barbara is as good a baker as her mother as the scones have a thin crispy exterior and delicious semi sweet interior. They melt in the mouth. As if all this were not enough we are served freshly cooked scrambled egg and bacon. As if this were not enough we are then brought a place of sliced ham and sliced cheese. As if this were not enough we then get a plate of prosciutto and salami. We are encouraged to make up a picnic from all the many delicious options on offer to take with us to the park.

We went to Plitvice Lakes Narional Park.  This is Croatia's major tourist attraction and is a UNESCO world heritage site. It is a vast park with 16 lakes and around 90 waterfalls. Gill and I were both affected in quite an emotional way by the indescribable beauty of the place. The only other place we have been which affected us in this was was the Grand Canyon. We surprised ourselves by walking  for the best part of five hours past topaz colored lakes ane breathtaking waterfalls. We wandered through sun dappled beech forests with tall majestic trees towering above us on the slopes.  Water would thunder beside us and then we would enter the silent forest. 

We crossed one if the lakes on an electric boat which we shared with a group of school children. The boy sitting next to Gill was brave enough to start up a conversation with her much to the amusement of his class mates who  gave him a good natured ragging. However soon they were trying out their Englishas well. By the end of the trip we were firm friends and took a photo before we parted ways.

We reached the end of the trail and were sitting waiting for the road train to take us back to the entrance when we spotted two children crouched down studying something on the ground. We wandered over to look and saw that it was a tiny doormouse busily feeding and oblivious to everyone around.  This tiny creature lived in the huge splendor of a magnificent  landscape. It was a fitting end to an unforgettable day.