Rijeka — To the Croatian coast by train
I love travelling by train. In fact, it's my second favourite mode of transport after cycling. You don't have to concentrate on anything. You can read, listen to podcasts if you're tired, get up and walk around, and even have a buffet car if you're lucky.
I've always dreamed of travelling on the Orient Express or taking a steamboat down the Nile. I suppose it's some kind of subconscious Agatha Christie obsession. *Actually, I could still do it, because there are the Belmond trains and the SS Sudan ship.*Admiring the scenery from the dining car while enjoying a delicious lunch sounds like a pretty great experience.
Well, the train we had just boarded was nothing like the dream version. It was filthy, uncomfortable and didn't even have a dining car. The destination we are heading is Rijeka (Fiume), Croatia. Having survived the night — which, of course, involved only traces of sleep — we had left Hungary and Slovenia behind and were now travelling through the Croatian countryside. Leaning out of the train window in the morning sunshine, we could smell the salt air coming in from the sea.
"We arrived and the vacation just started."
Rijeka is a city that most people simply pass through on their way to the beautiful Croatian coast. But its history and Hungarian connections were what attracted us So we spent a few days here and also visited Opatija (Abbazia).
During the 20th century, Rijeka was under the control of six different states.
The most important industry here has been shipbuilding for centuries, so it is an industrial region that makes tourists prefer to go to more beautiful beaches. But that's not a problem at all, so let's explore.
DAY ONE
Just walking and looking around
When we arrived, we left the station behind and were greeted by familiar-looking buildings — almost as if we hadn't just crossed several countries. After a quick breakfast, we found the apartment, unpacked and set off on our adventure. With a welcome glass of Aperol Spritz, we planned our first two days. It wasn't really difficult, we just wanted to walk around and go to the beach. We relied on our feet and had no real plan — just walking around and watching the locals go about their daily lives.
One room had a view of the sea, the other of a rustic old house.
Fish markets always attract me for some reason and we just happened to come across one. I jumped at the chance and a big orada (sea bream) was the winner. And behind the fish market was the market where we bought the other ingredients.
Big business is about to happen
I have never eaten fish like this in my life.
Tomato tasting on the way
After visiting the nearby harbour, we headed into the city centre and old town. We sat on the terrace of one of the numerous café bars lined along the small picturesque streets, squares and passages, and just enjoyed the sunshine and the crowds of locals and tourists. The sun was setting and the fish was waiting at the apartment, so we headed back to the apartment.
DAY two
all day on the beach
After a good night's sleep, the sun beckoned through the window, so it was time for Orsi's favourite part — the beach. Sunglasses, sun cream, mattress, local beers and off we went. We found the beach we picked earlier, I inflated the mattress and headed for the water. After a full day at the beach, we chose a small restaurant in the old town for another seafood dinner — you eat seafood when it's fresh, right? — Orsi had a pizza according to her, was the pizza of her life. Unfortunately I didn't have a camera with me for that day, silly me.
DAY three
On the way to Opatija to see the Riviera
After travelling for half-hour bus ride, the contrast between the two cities was already obvious. *From the industrial region to the Riviera. *
Our first stop was the Lungomare, the famous seafront promenade. The name comes from Italian and roughly means "along the sea". The promenade stretches for around 12 kilometres from Preluka, north of Opatija, all the way to Lovran. Along the way, there are elegant hotels and villas such as Villa Minach, Villa Ransonmet, Hotel Miramare, Villa Angiolina and Spa, Villa Madonna and Hotel Kvarner... Maria Theresa, emperors, counts, countesses and other members of the aristocracy spent their holidays here. We ended our walk at the Icici beach, where we stopped for a swim.
DAY four
Containers and cargo ships
After spending the previous day among the wealthy and glamorous Riviera, we went back to the industrial side of the coast to continue the contrast. For some reason, I'm a big fan of giant cargo ships (maybe because my dad used to work on a cargo ship as well and we visited him several times when I was a kid) and in my opinion ports with huge containers are great photo subjects, with the Viktor Lenac shipyard is next door. It was one of the first shipyards in the world to specialise in lengthening ships. Today was my favourite day of the trip, so it's a real shame that the camera's memory card gave up. Especially because I took some of my favourite photos of the whole trip here. Our trip was coming to an end as we headed home the next morning.
"It was nice to see the contrast between the glamorous and industrial areas, and to realise that beauty isn't only found in wealthy places."
