Zagreb's downtown is full of white-stone architectural wonders. [Photo by Wang Shanshan/China Daily]

Plitvice was like an alien planet. It was easy to forget that we were still on the earth. There are 16 lakes arranged in cascades. The lakes are the result of the confluence of several small rivers and subterranean karst rivers.

Nature was undisturbed here. We followed one of the trails and walked four hours in the park. The nature that we saw was stunningly beautiful, sometimes to the extent of being horrifying.

Plitvice boasts many plants that are rarely seen in other parts of the world. We met several groups of scientists and science students on our trail, and they were taking pictures and collecting samples.

We were exhausted when we reached the end of the trail, but had to walk another hour and get to the gate of the park before we could find a small cafe. I had a most delicious apple strudel there. The mountainous part of Croatia is famous for its apple strudels. The country is full of delightful surprises.

If you go

GETTING THERE

There is no direct flight from Beijing/Shanghai to Zagreb, but a connecting flight in Vienna or Istanbul would be a good choice.

GETTING AROUND

If you travel to both Austria and Croatia, inter-bus is most convenient, as it takes five hours from Vienna to Zagreb, and if you stays at Graz, the daily bus to Zagreb from there only takes three hours. In Zagreb's downtown, the tramway and bus cost 10 kuna per ride. From Zagreb main bus terminal there is a handful of daily buses to Plitvice Lakes during winter season, and about 10 daily buses during the summer season, price for a one way ticket is about 100 kuna.