[TRAVEL] CHAPTER 30
ENG
DISCLAIMER: This story that follows is almost two years old. Why am I only writing it now? Because after this story my life changed a lot. Let’s start from the beginning …
We packed our stuff for a 3-day adventure and we set off. Where? Chasing lakes. Zulu was here too. It was getting stormy and before we knew it; storm was chasing us. We were in a hurry to escape it. South it was.
HRV
DISCLAIMER: Ova priča koja slijedi je stara skoro dvije godine. Zašto je tek sada pišem? Zato jer se nakon ove priče moj život uvelike promjenio. Krenimo ispočetka…
Spakirali smo naše stvari za trodnevnu avanturu i krenuli. Gdje? Loviti jezera. Žućko je bio s nama. Oluja se spremala i prije nego smo shvatili; oluja je lovila nas. Žurili smo da joj pobjegnemo. Pravac jug.
Night was approaching, the storm caught up with us. We were looking for a place to spend the night, even though we didn’t know where we were. We knew we were on Velebit mountain, that was all. We came to a small clearing through a narrow forest road. We parked Žućko and went to sleep. Now the storm was already in full force, the rain was falling like crazy, Žućko was shaking, lightnings were flashing. I have never experienced a storm like this in Žućko. After the storm calmed down, we managed to get some sleep.
Noć se bližila, oluja nas je sustigla. Tražili smo mjesto za prenoćiti, iako nismo znali gdje smo. Znali smo da smo na Velebitu, to je bilo sve. Na mali proplanak došli smo kroz usku šumsku cestu. Parkirali smo Žućka i otišli spavati. Sada je oluja već krenula punom snagom, kiša je padala kao luda, Žućko se tresao, munje su sijevale. Ovakvu oluju u Žućku još nisam doživio. Nakon što se oluja smirila, uspjeli smo i odspavati.
The morning was calm. Only now we saw the beauty around us. Only now could we explore these colors and the views that Velebit offers better. Zulu was enjoying himself, Žućko was getting ready for the road.
Jutro je bilo mirno. Sada smo tek vidjeli ljepotu oko nas. Tek smo sada mogli bolje istražiti ove boje i poglede koje Velebit pruža. Zulu je uživao, Žućko se spremao za cestu.
The landscape was perfect for photos. We used a small narrow road and perfect Velebit colors, set up Žućko and managed to take a couple of great photos. Of course not without Zulu’s photo bomb.
Krajobraz je bio savršen za fotke. Iskoristili smo malu usku cesticu i savršene velebitske boje, namjestili Žućka i uspjeli okinuti par super fotki. Naravno ne bez Zuluove foto bombe.
It was time to move on – to the south and only to the south!
The first lakes are waiting for us.
Vrijeme je bilo za krenuti dalje – na jug i samo na jug!
Prva jezera nas čekaju.
The first lake on the list was Lake Kruščica. This artificial lake was created by building a dam on the river Lika in 1971. It was named after the village of Kruščica, which was submerged due to the dam and is still under the lake. This was a big test for Žućko as the road around the lake is muddy and difficult to pass, we drove slowly for more than an hour and made our way through the mud and bushes. We finally, tired, found the right view for a late breakfast. Look at this:
Prvo jezero na listi bilo je jezero Kruščica. To umjetno jezero nastalo je izgradnjom brane na rijeci Lici 1971. Ime je dobilo po selu Kruščica koje je zbog brane potopljeno te se i dan danas nalazi pod jezerom. Ovo je bio veliki ispit za Žućka pošto je cesta oko jezera blatna i teško prohodna, vozili smo polako više od sat vremena i probijali se kroz blato i šikaru. Napokon smo, umorni, našli pravi pogled za kasni doručak. Pogledaj ovo:
These are the best moments of the trip. Far from everyone, beautiful view and good company. The day slowly languished and it was time to leave. At least one more lake before dark.
To su najbolji trenuci putovanja. Daleko od svih, predivan pogled i dobro društvo. Dan je polako kopnio i vrijeme je bilo za polazak. Još barem jedno jezero prije mraka.
We found our next victim: Lake Ričice. Another artificial lake on our trip, each beautiful in its own way.
Pronašli smo našu sljedeću žrtvu: Jezero Ričice. Još jedno umjetno jezero na našem putovanju, svako predivno na svoj način.
We moved on to new lakes. Next on the list was Peručko lake. Hidden deep in the Dalmatian hinterland, it is not always on the tourist lists. Peručko Lake is also an artificial, accumulation lake, created on the river Cetina. It is the third largest in Croatia! At the bottom of this lake are also hamlets that were flooded during the construction of the dam.
We arrived at the lake at night, so a surprise was waiting for us again in the morning
Krenuli smo dalje na nova jezera. Sljedeće na listi bilo je Peručko jezero. Skriveno duboko u Dalmatinskoj zagori, nije uvijek na listi turistima. Peručko je jezero također umjetno, akumulacijsko, nastalo na rijeci Cetini. Po veličini je treće u Hrvatskoj! Na dnu ovog jezera su također zaseoci koji su prilikom izgradnje brane potopljeni.
Na jezero smo došli već u noć stoga nas je ujutro ponovo čekalo iznenađenje.
This place is not only important because of its appearance and attractiveness. It is also important because it marked the end. And the beginning. Lana and I broke up.
I know it sounds weird, how can someone break up in such a beautiful place. Yes. It happens. We realized that this relationship could not be maintained, we got along much better as friends. Also it was not the end of our journey. We didn’t go home. Our journey continued, of course, to the south. We left behind this wonderful place, and with it many wonderful memories.
Ovo mjesto nije važno samo zbog svojeg izgleda i privlačnosti. Važno je i zbog toga što je označavalo kraj. I početak. Lana i ja smo prekinuli.
Znam da to zvuči čudno, kako netko može prekinuti na ovako predivnom mjestu. Može. Desi se. Shvatili smo da se ta veza ipak ne može održati, puno smo se bolje slagali kao prijatelji. Također to nije bio kraj našeg putovanja. Nismo se vratili doma. Naš se put nastavio, naravno, k jugu. Ostavili smo za nama ovo predivno mjesto, a s njim i mnogo predivnih uspomena.
We didn’t give up on our plan. We were looking for the next lake. South, further south, we arrived in Imotski. A place where, at great depth, Red Lake hides. Unlike the previous ones, this lake is real, natural. The depth of this lake is an incredible 255 meters which makes it one of the deepest lakes in Europe!
Od našeg plana nismo odustali. Tražili smo sljedeće jezero. Južno, južnije, stigli smo u Imotski. Mjesto u kojem se, na velikoj dubini skriva Crveno jezero. Za razliku od prijašnjih, ovo je jezero pravo, prirodno. Dubina ovog jezera je nevjerovatnih 255 metara što ga čini jednim od najdubljih jezera u Europi!
This lake is not accessible, so we had to find another place for today’s lunch. In addition to Red Lake, in the vicinity of Imotski there is also Blue Lake and Green Lake. Green Lake was our destination. Restaurant with a view. Lika potatoes we bought from the locals and some meat by the lake. Another day in paradise.
Ovo jezero nije pristupačno, stoga smo morali naći neko drugo mjesto za današnji ručak. Osim Crvenog jezera, u okolici Imotskog postoji i Modro jezero ali i Zeleno jezero. Zeleno jezero je bila naša odredišna točka. Restoran s pogledom. Lički krumpir kojeg smo kupili od lokalnih žitelja i malo mesa uz jezero. Još jedan dan u raju.
Zulu was swimming in the lake, Žućko was cooling off and we were resting in the shade. We thought about where to go next. Our initial three day plan took longer, there were so many places to visit, beauty to see and roads to pass. Looks like we’ll make it to the end, let’s go to Dubrovnik! We packed our things and moved on.
Zulu se kupao u jezeru, Žućko se hladio a mi smo odmarali u hladovini. Razmišljali smo gdje dalje. Naš početni plan od tri dana se odužio, bilo je toliko mjesta za posjetiti, ljepota za vidjeti i cesta za proći. Izgleda da ćemo do kraja, idemo u Dubrovnik! Spremili smo naše stvari i krenuli dalje.
We finally arrived in Dubrovnik, a city with a rich history, immense beauty and countless stories. We didn’t have time to engage in deep exploration of the city itself (we will do it another time), but we climbed the mountain Srđ, which rises in the hinterland of the city and simply enjoyed the view from there. The sun was slowly setting and the weather was perfect for a couple of photos and enjoyment.
Napokon smo stigli i u Dubrovnik, grad bogate povijesti, neizmjerne ljepote i bezbroj priča. Nismo imali vremena upustiti se u duboko istraživanje samog grada (to ćemo neki drugi put) ali smo zato se popeli na planinu Srđ koja se izdiže na samom zaleđu grada i jednostavno uživali u pogledu koji se od tamo pruža. Sunce je polako padalo a vrijeme je bilo savršeno za par fotki i uživanje.
When choosing a place to sleep, I am usually guided by the thought that in the morning, from my bedroom, I have the best possible view. Although this night the view was not as perfect as the previous ones, we still achieved something significant, we slept on the southernmost point of Croatia!
The plan for the next day was simple. Swimming and exploring abandoned, war-ravaged hotels and resorts in Kupari, a place south of Dubrovnik.
These magnificent buildings still stand today, after more than 25 years after the war, in ruins, abandoned, on the one hand even beautiful, if you look into them enough and see deeper than empty rooms and bullet-riddled walls. You feel some nostalgia for better times, good old music, warm summer nights with friends. In your mind you are there, in reality you are here:
Pri biranju mjesta za spavanje najčešće se vodim misli da ujutro, iz svoje spavaće sobe, imam što bolji pogled. Iako ove noći pogled nije bio toliko savršen kao prijašnjih, i dalje smo postigli nešto značajno, spavali smo na najjužnijoj točki Hrvatske!
Plan za sljedeći dan bio je jednostavan. Kupanje i istraživanje napuštenih, ratom razrušenih hotela i odmarališta u Kuparima, mjestu južnije od Dubrovnika.
Ta velebna zdanja i danas, nakon više od 25 godina nakon rata stoje razrušena, napuštena, u jednu ruku čak i predivna, ako se u njih dovoljno zagledaš i vidiš dublje od praznih soba i metcima izrešetanih zidova. Osjetiš neku nostalgiju za boljim vremenima, dobrom starom muzikom, toplih ljetnih noći uz prijatelje. U mislima si tamo, u stvarnosti si ovdje:
That was it from our trip, we got to the very south, 5 days of travel, we had to go home. We had only one more station, the town of Omiš, a place without which there would be no Žućko, travel, this. The place where I saw and bought Žućko for the first time a few years ago. Same parking lot, same parking space, I came back. This time, Žućko was not a stranger to me, but my best friend with whom I go through all the troubles. I love you.
To je bilo to od našeg putovanja, došli smo do samog juga, 5 dana putovanja, valjalo se vratiti kući. Imali smo još samo jednu jedinu postaju, grad Omiš, mjesto bez kojeg ne bi ni bilo Žućka, putovanja, ovoga. Mjesto gdje sam pred nekoliko godina Žućka prvi put ugledao i kupio. Isti parking, isto parkirno mjesto, vratio sam se. Ovog puta Žućko mi nije bio stranac, već najbolji prijatelj s kojim prolazim sve nedaće. Volim te.
Until then,
explore more.
Žućko & Filip.
9.-13.9.2020.
Do sljedećeg puta,
istražuj više.
Žućko & Filip.
9.-13.9.2020.