Archive for May 14th, 2009

We caught our bus to Rijeka from Trieste early the next morning. We were headed on into unknown territory, using the advice of the VirtualWayfarer as our guide to Croatia we thought we’d try a few places on our own and then make our way down into Zadar, Split, and Dubrovnik. We crossed into Slovenia and then down intro Croatia, visiting the Croatian countryside we had the pleasure of stopping in every little town along the route, taking time to drive through the city and explore by way of our bus driver. A perk of taking a longer bus route. Surprised by the green and open beauty of Croatia and reminded of Greece in its nuances we pulled into Rijeka and hiked to the Information center.

The information center helped us find a great little private apartment on the edge of the port. Our host was a newer mother dealing with a hyper energetic young boy. Adorable and frayed she helped us in and offered us café and Grappa. We settled in for three nights and began to explore Croatian culture. Rijeka has some of the most attractive people I’ve ever seen. An industrial center and third largest city in Croatia Rijeka isn’t a tourist destination it’s a reserved city focused on its industry. Even so its night life and the activity in the central square could only be described as chaotic. People wandering from every which way, intersecting and interacting… the city was a hub of activity. We wandered through the main square and meandered around seeking internet (which we didn’t find).

After our wandering we continued to explore the city and get a feel for our options. We decided that the next day we would head out into the island of Krk and then go from there south to Baska (Bashka) a small city on the Adriatic at the very southern tip of the Island of Krk. Our decision made we wandered to a small fishing restaurant down the street right on the port. They brought forth a plate containing the day’s catch and asked us to make our plates from the selection.

The fish (caught that day) was some of the best food I’ve ever had. It was deep fried Adriatic squid, salmon, risotto with scampi and boiled shrimp. The food was amazing, with polenta fried in clarified butter and garlic with onion. The flavors came together in a cacophony of taste and experience flooding our palates. After the meal we were exhausted and stumbled out to take a passigata a small walk through town. The central square was still hopping and we headed back to our apartment to spent the night in bliss.

Next up – Bashka and Rijeka Pt. 2

Venice Part two and on to Trieste!
Venice was beautiful, but not a city that you can spend more than a weekend in. Our two nights up we grabbed the big regional train to Trieste… a sprawling industrial and dismal port city known for its heavy eastern European influences and sea food.
In Trieste we found private accommodations at the Rittmeyer apartments. Expensive at 100 euro per night but comfortable. We grabbed our keys and hit the town. The city itself was dark and difficult to get a feel for. There was an active Corso (central area) and the farther we got from the train station the better the city got. We decided to hike up to the castle at the top of the hill and discovered a beautiful view of the architecture and colors of Trieste. Something we’d never have expected from our street view experience. The castle itself was built on the ancient roman ruins and has been carefully rebuilt and excavated to exhibit the artifacts from its past. In the upper floors of the castle were the remains of the armory, halberds, swords, pistols, cannon and then more intricate carved and etched weapons. Then the private chambers of the lord with wood releifs of the leading political men of their time. From there we delved into the catacombs and down into the dark, moist and cool areas below the castle. We were the only folks in the entire castle and the combinations of crushing silence, cold humid air and ancient artifacts left us with chills. We hiked out of the catacombs and returned to the humid seaside air. The sun bright on our shoulders we headed up onto the walls. From the view on the castle battlements (a hefty walk through the city and up the long costal mountains) we could view the entire city and decided to delve down toward the roman amphitheater. We wound our way down from the chapel outside the fortifications. As we decended the steep cobblestone streets we chanced upon the ruins of the amphitheater and a small market. We got some lunch from the Co-op and then marched back toward our hotel. Hungry and worn out from our long hike we meandered around seeking charitable fare. We found our meal at the Trattoria Cittá di Londra – a cute little place with renaissance paintings depicting Buckingham palace. We bought spaghetti and a mixed seafood plate and had a wonderful dinner. Stuffed and ready for bed we returned to our apartment and crashed.
Day Two Trieste: A little worn out and definitely in need of a break we took day two in Trieste slowly. We paid our land lady and commenced to wander out to Castle Miramar the home of Emperor Maximillion. We took the bus out to the castle and wandered through the park. Salami from the store in hand we hiked down to the first open garden overlooking the ocean, from there we wound our way through the trees and undergrowth around to Max’s house. A little castlesque home built of Istrian white Marble overlooking the bay and entry into Trieste. From there we hiked down and along the seaside path back toward Trieste. Filled with sun bathers and swimmers the hike was entertaining and enjoyable. We passed Triestes hostel and its residents enjoying the pebble beaches. The beauty of the gardens coupled with the stark contrast of the blue ocean and white marble of the palace evoked images of beauty and wealth. The hike along the protected pebble habitats full of sea life and humanity enjoying the gifts of nature was also a wonderful gift.