Slap: Croatian for Waterfall

Today was a near-perfect day for traveling. It shouldn't have been. The odds were stacked against it.  We woke up to pouring rain and thunder. The car was still in the shop and we were waiting for the verdict. Luka, who rented us a small apartment in Split was very accommodating, let us stay as long as needed, and called us a cab to get to the car. Mario, at the BMW dealership, said I must have a guardian angel. The car could have been damaged so much worse, and in the end, it cost me less than expected. I was just glad he took my credit card and gave me a working car.
I quickly programmed the GPS and we were on the road again. The gas station took our credit card, and even the toll booth accepted cards. Everything was working today!
We arrived at Plitvice Lakes National Park, at 3:30 pm, a little later than expected, and in the rain. We wound our way through the large tour groups preparing to leave, and almost expected to be told we were too late. But we found we still had an hour or two before the park closed. The mist rolled in, I pulled up my hood, and put away my iPad. I did not expect to be able to see much through the fog, and was sure my photos wouldn't look like anything.

Imagine my surprise and delight to walk down into the valley and find myself surrounded by water. Blue green water, clear water full of fish, dripping water from the trees, and waterfalls and more waterfalls. The mist and rainy weather made me feel like I had just discovered some hidden valley. It was quiet and calm, because most of the tours had left and the rain kept others away. I don't know how I was able to take pictures, but the low light caused a slow exposure which added to the fluid look of the rushing water. All unplanned and unexpected.

We did not have a hotel booked for the night, because we did not know when or if the car would be ready that day.  We asked about this at tourist information, and the lady, Kristina, just happened to have a room at her bed and breakfast down the road. We stopped on the way at a nice restaurant for pizza.  And the hot shower at the end of the day never felt so good.