For me Athens is a big city without much character.  Yes, there are the many beautiful ruins, but it is still a touristy city with restaurants, cafes, souvenir shops and lots of people.  That said I thoroughly enjoyed my time there.  We had some magnificent food, accommodation, and sight seeing, but after a few days we were ready to move on.

After a slightly uncomfortable taxi ride we arrived in Thessaloniki, Greece late at night.  The train station was closed.  Shops were closed.  There weren’t people on the streets.  The French couple had a tent with them so they offered to camp with us in a park.  That way we could put our bags in the tent with them and not have to worry about someone trying to steal them.  We started to trudge up the street to look for some sort of green space to set up camp.  Luckily, we didn’t have to go too far.  The tent was set up.  Remy and I unrolled our sleeping bags, tossed our packs into the tent, and climbed in for what we didn’t think would be a very restful sleep.

Opting to take the overland route from Zagreb to Belgrade to Thessaloniki, we arrived in Belgrade (Beograd) late on a Saturday night (Click here for other options on how to get to Greece from Croatia).  Because we wanted to go to Greece as quickly as possible, we hadn’t researched Serbia at all.  The city immediately impressed us with its blend of old and new architecture.  The hostel we found (Hostel40) was clean, modern, cheap, and courteously staffed.  A beer festival with cheap beer was in full swing that weekend.  The city also has a giant castle with nightclubs and an open-air theater.  People were out and about everywhere, socializing in trendy bars next to colossal buildings.  We are still kicking ourselves for leaving the next day.  We really short-changed Serbia.  

Croatia is a ruggedly beautiful country no matter where you look.  We were fortunate enough to visit two national parks that showcase this country’s natural wonders: Plitvice and Krka.  This is a comparison of the two so that you, dear traveler, can choose wisely if your budget is limited.