Oosterdam European Adventure, Rijeka, Croatia... Part 1 of 2

Not the best lighting for sail in pictures today but I gave it a try as this was our first time sailing into Rijeka. Of course, I took way too many photos which caused breaking the blog into two parts… Rijeka is a Croatian port city on Kvarner Bay in the northern Adriatic Sea. It’s known as a gateway to Croatia’s islands. We started the day with our guide Tina on a walking tour of the city of Rijeka…First visiting the Rijeka Central Market, the three indoor (fish, meat and dairy) and the outdoor (fruit and vegetable) markets. Next, we moved to the old town along the Next we visited Korzo, the absolute gem of the city, a beautiful pedestrian promenade with numerous colorful buildings built during the Habsburg period. This is where we found the most important Rijeka landmarks: City Tower, City Hall, the National Theatre, as well as some of the most beautiful palaces from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Next, we came upon the Cathedral of St. Vitus, this Baroque style rotunda was built as early as 1638, based on the model of the famous Venetian church of Santa Maria della Salute in Venice. Impressive from the outside, so was the inside with a beautiful baroque marble alter. We stopped at the oldest monument in the city, the Roman arch, next to Ivana Koblera Square…this was in fact the entrance to the old town. Only a few steps further, we visited Principij, the ruins of the military defense complex from the mid-3rd century. Rijeka has its own leaning tower that serves as the bell tower for the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We found Rijeka was a fascinating place to explore. On the way to the car, we crossed the Dead Channel at the end of Korzo. This place was created in 1885 when the final part of the river was diverted to avoid floods. The channel is surrounded by numerous boats and some beautiful buildings, at the end of the channel was the Monument of Liberation. Next, we drove up to the Trsat neighborhood, located on the steep hill above central Rijeka to visit the Trsat castle. The castle dates back to the 13th century and was built in the place where the Illyrian and Roman fortresses used to stand. The location of the castle was strategic with the clear view of the sea and mountains, one could control the whole area. Across the street from the castle we visited the Basilica of Our Lady of Trsat, which is a famous pilgrimage church and the Shrine of Our Lady of Trsat from the 13th century. Our next stop was the small town of Kastav.  A few miles up the coast from Rijeka is this little stone town 1200 feet above the sea. The old town core is entered through Voltica, the preserved town gate. In front of Voltica, the town Loggia stands (Council chambers) proudly in which important decisions were taken. We walked up to Lokvina Square…this square contains two wells and is flanked by the town castle from which the whole Kastav region was ruled. Opposite the castle is the chapel of the Holy Trinity. We climbed further up to the Church of St. Helen the Cross Bearer…with its bell tower, it is the most dominant building in the whole of Kastav and has the best views over the entire region. Making our way back to the car, we stopped at the most famous Kastav monument, Crekvina. Once the Church of the Assumption of Mary, destroyed by devastating earthquakes in 1750 and 1754, the remains of the church and historical square sit an ideal venue for outdoor summer theatre and concerts. From Kastav, we drove to Opatija. In this resort 20 minutes west along the coast from Rijeka you can follow in the footsteps of the Austro-Hungarian Emperor and nobility who established Opatija as a spa and used to spend their winters here. One look at the town and you’ll understand why it was called the, Nice of the Adriatic, in the 19th century, and the Austrians certainly left their mark. Opatija is bursting with stately architecture, palaces and French style gardens. We took a stroll on the Lungomare, a seaside promenade laid out in the 1880s before returning to Rijeka. We covered a lot of ground today and enjoyed it thoroughly…without any expectations of the area, we were pleasantly surprised with the history and beauty of this area of Croatia… As an added bonus, as we made our way back to the ship, I was blessed to have some amazing photo opportunities with reflections...