Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia

Aside from the reason the water is the color it is, the pictures pretty much speak for themselves. I walked more than 12 miles yesterday in the park, unfortunately much of it with crowds, but also some good time walking around the large lake rather than taking the ferry with the masses. I'm pretty pleased with the outcome of the photos considering it was a very cloudy, bit hazy day. I think I have the color of the water to thank for that!

The color, as I understand it: The very pure water that has run off from the mountains into the lakes erodes limestone rock. Algae and moss, as catalysts, turn the dissolved rock (which is calcium carbonate) into travertine (a porous stone), which is then deposited in the lakes. The travertine coats the vegetaion and floor of the lakes with a fine mineral dust that reflects sunlight and the color of the sky. What's also very cool: As the travertine builds up, it develops barriers between the lakes (there are currently 16 of them). Those barriers over time get tall enough to create waterfalls.

quiet!

When I was away from the crowds, typically the only sound I could hear was water, if I was near a waterfall. Very few birds, but I did hear this woodpecker!

The other birds were ducks.