I miss travel. I long for new places and the unusual, vibrant feeling that comes along with travelling. As it is more difficult to travel today than a year ago, I believe many of us have missed more than one opportunity to go somewhere they had planned.
For my birthday, I had this one wish – to go somewhere. Somewhere not too far from home, but it had to be somewhere in nature.
We decided to visit the source of the River Kupa.
The source of the River Kupa is a part of the Risnjak National Park. It was proclaimed a hydrological natural monument in 1963. In general, natural monuments are natural features of outstanding ecological, scientific, aesthetic, or educational value.
The shape of the spring reminds of a small lake, from which the river starts flowing in all of its glory. The spring is enclosed by mountains and surrounded by beautiful greenery.
The first thing I noticed were colours. Every shade of blue and green and everything in between – it looked like those photographs that we stumble upon and think: “It definitely does not look like this in reality”.
But the colours were real, and nature showed me once more that it was the greatest artist.
Recently, several diving expeditions were organized in some Croatian karst springs.
The source of the River Kupa has been explored to the depth of -155 metres, thus being one of the deepest karst springs in the Croatian Dinaric karst.
The depth of the spring is still unknown, as the bottom hasn’t been reached yet.
Although it was visible that the Park was well arranged, the paths were well marked and secured, the feeling of real, untouched nature was present. I rarely feel that in national parks. Maybe the reason lies in the fact that the Kupa valley is the only inhabited part of the Risnjak National Park. There are several settlements in the valley, and only around 20 inhabitants altogether.
Coming there was like going into the past. We stumbled upon some old little houses that were standing there just the way they were built – not newly renovated versions for showing visitors how it all looked like before, but houses with small wooden doors and space for drying hay on the first floor.
The most beautiful meadow I have seen so far was right next to those houses. It was vast, beautifully green and perfectly mown – not by a lawnmower, but by goats.
Sometimes, visiting certain natural sites makes me sad, or worried, or just makes me think.
Some places really do not look like they are presented in pictures. Sometimes I see a place in pictures, and after visiting, I understand that people love to filter everything. We love to present ourselves, our lives, and even our environment better (what we think would be better), more beautiful, or more exciting than in reality.
Sometimes I see trash and other signs of human unconcern in places that are supposed to be the heart of nature.
Many times, I go back from nature worried, instead of fulfilled.
A day spent here was, however, a beautiful day. Nature still had its freedom here.
There are not many tourists in the Risnjak National Park, compared to some other Parks, and that is probably one of the reasons for a healthy and clean environment.
Whatever place you decide to visit in the future, please go there with care and respect, enjoy being there, and then leave it the way it was before you were there – or even better 🙂
Literature
http://www.bioportal.hr/
Garašić, M., Garašić, D. (2017): The new insights about deep karst springs in the Dinaric karst of Croatia. U: Moore, K. & White, S. (ur.) Proceedings of the 17th International Congress of Speleology, July 22–28, Sydney, NSW Australia, Volume 2
Parkovi Hrvatske. Ministarstvo zaštite okoliša i energetike, Zagreb, 2017.
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