Determined to see everything there’s to see here, we’ll go back to the park before leaving for Zagreb today.

Breakfast at the hotel is followed by a quick pack up and loading of the car. We drive to the entrance at 10, the same time as yesterday. Not bad, considering it’s a travel day! Although no one was super excited yesterday to return today, we are feeling refreshed and glad to give it another try. It’s a beautiful morning, too.

We feel like old veterans when we buy our tickets and walk directly for the boat. Today we will go up to the interconnected lakes instead of the big waterfall we saw yesterday.

As soon as we approach the lake where we will take the ferry boat across, we immediately notice the difference. There are significantly fewer people here than yesterday. I’m so glad because it was too much yesterday.

We take the boat, then follow path “E” up steps as they wind through forest, over rushing water and by gorgeous waterfalls. All the traffic flows in one direction here, so it is way easier than yesterday. And there aren’t even half as many people! We can actually stop and take some photographs, so I take full advantage and snap a ton today. We can now see why people told us to come here.

There are so many waterfalls as one lake spills into the next. It’s incredible. Lillian is a real champ too, walking the entire way without complaining. Oly complains every time we ask him to walk. He’s getting entirely too comfortable up on Stefan’s shoulders.

We walk for about 2 hours until we reach the top. There’s supposed to be a cafe here, but everything is closed. So glad we packed sandwiches and water! We take the bus back down through the forest to the main entrance. I can’t believe we walked all this way!

We are back in the car around 1pm and ready to go to Zagreb. Oly takes a well-needed nap, and Lillian gets to play on her iPad.

We arrive in Zadar and find a spot to park within a block of our Airbnb. Luckily it’s Sunday afternoon. Our Airbnb hosts meet us at our car. They are so nice. They explain the parking situation (the meter runs on weekdays, so it gets more complicated) and help us carry in our bags. The Airbnb is on the fourth floor of a beautiful old building. Lots of stairs, but our hosts are so helpful in getting us up there. It’s a very small space, but it fits our needs perfectly here. It’s also the least expensive Airbnb we’ve ever stayed in. Amazing value.

//Stefan note: my terrifying bed

We stay at the apartment for an hour, then we walk 7 minutes to dinner. Vinodol is recommended on TripAdvisor and in my Lonely Planet. It’s a large beautiful restaurant, but we quickly realize it is all business dinners, American and Chinese. Oh well. I’m sure they’ll love my two rambunctious kids.

The kids are actually very well-behaved tonight, and I feel like we have a little bit of a date sitting on the other side of the table. The food is really good, and we enjoy some great Croatian wine.

On the way home, we walk through the park by our house. Our hosts told us there will be a film played in the park each evening. We get there just before the movie starts and decide to sit for a bit. It’s a very fun experience to sit outside on a blanket, watching a movie on a big screen. This is a first for the kids, so they’re happy even though it’s an adult movie. (They usually refuse to watch anything but cartoons. Even Mary Poppins is too much live action for them.)

There are food stalls set up everywhere. It’s the Food Film Festival. Great idea. Stefan gets us a bottle of red wine, and the kids get a cup of small doughnuts. The movie tonight is about a chef who finds his way through cooking Indian food. It’s actually a decent movie, and we stay for the entire thing! Even though we don’t get home until 10, it’s a fantastic night, and I’m happy for the novel experience.