Rijeka

May 9, 2005-Dreary & Drab
(photos:Octopus in fish marekt,
Unneeded crutches on church wall)

As we closed our drapes last night we caught a glimpse of the glistening lights curving like a necklace along the coast. I’m glad Laura Lee Garfinkel was able to have her room changed to the seaside. She was very convincing and $10 to the desk clerk didn’t hurt. The view is spectacular but the noise last night was raucous. The Israelis were singing and dancing then a local band struck up. We slept like logs but some resorted to earplugs. Judi Cope hasn’t had such luck. We called her room yesterday and got a busy signal. I waited awhile then knocked on her door. She said she hadn’t been on the phone and went to see if it was off the hook. There was no phone at all. She reported it to the desk but learned this afternoon that there will be no phone. There’s a problem in the wall. Bribery will be of no use.

This dreary, rainy morning we drove along the Adriatic past the villas of Communist leaders and the drab concrete block apartments where the masses lived on our way to Rijeka. Romans camped there in the 3rd century. The Hapsburgs planted sycamore trees along the waterfront; it was part of Italy from 1919-43; ruled by Germany from 1943-45; then was incorporated into Yugoslavia. Soccer is the #1 sport and the main stadium overlooks the Adriatic. There is free medical care and education is free through high school. The local newspaper harkens back to the days of Italian domination and is bi-lingual (Croatian & Italian). Rijeka is now a shabby industrial city of 200,000 with a rejuvenated shipyard and 12% unemployment.

Our group was bumped by a shipload convention of international doctors who took precedence so our visit to the Theater was cancelled. In its place Viki led us at a fast pace through the downtown streets as we juggled umbrellas and tried to shoot photos of statues and buildings whose significance will be forgotten by the time the film is developed. Yes, we don’t have digital. We took a detour through a fish market where I dropped my umbrella in the muck but was still able to point David and his camera to a lovely octopus. The rain that fell between the market tour and getting on the bus was insufficient to wash away the smell of fish. I’m afraid my fellow travelers suffered.

We rode uphill to St. Mary of the Assumption in an area called Tsart. In 1291, when the Knights Templar retreated from Jerusalem, they were charged with taking relics with them. The relic this group brought was Mary’s house where the annunciation took place. They brought it to Tsart and it stood on the site of the present church. A pope ordered it to be moved. The people asked for a reward in its place. He gave them the painting of the holy mother Mary that still hangs in the church. In the early 1500’s a church run by Franciscans was finally built on that site due to the generosity of Count Frangipani. Pope John Paul II visited and prayed at the holy painting. There’s a statue of him at prayer and many photographs of his visit around the cloister. Locals call him the Tsart Pilgrim. In a room dedicated to offertories there’s a display of crutches that were not needed after prayers were answered. A couple of people in our group use canes. They were all still using them as we left.

Due to the bad weather our free time in Rijeka was cancelled. We were out-voted and the bus returned to Opatija. We managed to find Restaurante Istranka where David enjoyed veal goulash with gnocchi and I made a meal of the best minestrone soup I’ve ever had, bread, and olive oil. We ventured over to the local grocery store where I tried to ask a question about my purchase. The first person I asked was Finnish and, although his English was impeccable, he was unable to read Croatian. I made a general query as to whether anyone in the place spoke Croatian. They were all foreigners except the cashier who understood enough English to satisfy me. This afternoon Viki is giving us a Croatian language lesson. Wish it had been earlier.

Tonight is a dine-around night. We pick what we want to eat at one of two restaurants and we get meal vouchers for dinner tonight. Nothing exciting. I’m having ravioli stuffed with spinach and cheese. David is having chicken.

Tomorrow we’re going on an optional tour to the Island of Krk.

Toby