Rovinj to Opatija

Friday July 15th, Arrival in Rovinj
Last night we had another great meal in the hotel buffet restaurant. A traditional music group harmonized outside as we entered and later they sang inside. We enjoyed more great food including some kind of trout that was really good. Anita has decided that the buffet ice cream is second only to Cuba’s. A band was playing outside again but it was led by Croatia’s answer to Tom Jones so we weren’t that interested. We did enjoy a moonlit walk through the trees though.
After an early morning walk and breakfast (great croissants, Croatian bacon and fresh eggs that look yellow and real - we’re both gaining weight), we checked out at 9:30 and caught the 10 am bus to Porec. Luckily there were a few clouds this morning so it made it a little easier to stop lazing around at the beach and get back into the business of travelling. It took about 45 minutes to go 12 km on the bus because of the circuitous route, all the stops and the tourist traffic. Local buses are sometimes slow but the highway buses sure are a nice way to tour and see the countryside. Driving on the highway would be fine but with the holiday traffic I’m glad I’m not driving in towns where there is lots of congestion and parking is at a premium.
At the Porec bus station we got tickets to Rovinj on the 11:15 bus, so we only had to wait ½ an hour. For both buses we paid about 124 kuna, or less than $25 for the both of us. Cheap transportation. On the way here we travelled around Limski Fjord, which is quite picturesque, as well as seeing many vineyards and olive groves. We were here by a little after noon.
The directions we had from our sobe (or rooming house) host was “Walk five minutes from the bus station”. That was it. However from our Rick Steves guidebook map and the address, we managed to find the place in about 10 minutes.
We’re staying in the top floor of a 4 storey old house inside what used to be the old walled town on the original island. The family who look after it live on the ground floor and rent out about 6 rooms. We have a fairly large room with kitchenette and ensuite bath. There’s no air conditioning but at least there’s a fan. Still, we won’t be cold. The stairs up here are very narrow and steep. I’ve seen better construction site stairs. However, it’s all been working for several hundred years probably so I guess the stairs will last for a couple more nights. This is a great location and is costing us about $84 Canadian per night.
Rovinj is a peninsula town much like Piran. It used to be a fortified island with a moat separating it from the mainland but the moat was filled in in 1763. Rovinj was part of the Venetian Republic. It’s still known as the most Italian town in the most Italian region of Croatia. Because it was a Venetian trading city yet was a fortified island, it was a desirable place to be to avoid pirates and plagues. Throughout history they were very careful about who they let in and were able to defend themselves successfully.
After we got settled in we found the local food store and bought some groceries. Since we have a fridge we can keep our food and drinks cold. After that we took a walk around the town. It’s all narrow cobblestone streets and old, old buildings - very scenic. The cobblestones seem to be some type of marble, polished by millions of footsteps over the centuries, and can be quite slippery and rough. It’s funny that we now accept 3 to 15 foot wide pedestrian walks with lots of steps as streets. However, we’ve seen at least 4 people with fresh arm or leg casts so we’re not alone in finding it slippery. It’s hot here but there’s a nice sea breeze and the narrow streets stay a little bit cool.
We walked all the way around the town. There are some famous bars like “Valentino” where you can sit on a cushion on the rocky shore and have a drink for $15. We’d seen it on a Rick Steves Europe tv show. However, I suspect we’ll just carry our own drinks from the grocery store and sit on the rocks in public areas. There are also spots where people swim off the rocks but that looks a little treacherous to us, what with the waves crashing in. And we were just spoiled at a beautiful beach resort.
There’s a WWII lookout bunker on the tip of the peninsula and on the north side of the town there’s a monument to the Communist partisans who fought against the Nazis here. One part of the monument shows a line of downcast prisoners followed by a guard in a Nazi helmet who is prodding the last prisoner in the back with a bayonet. This is what Tito’s communist partisans fought against and their success on their own is why Yugoslavia became an independent communist state until 20 years ago.
We walked through a big market where they sell lots of truffles, olive oil, honey and regular fruits and vegetables. The vendors always offer what they’re selling for you to taste, which is kind of fun.
We finally had to come back to cool down. The owner has suggested a restaurant called “Nino’s” that has good seafood and isn’t too expensive. We’ll probably give it a try.
There’s no WI-FI here so we’ll have to post this when we move on.
Saturday, July 16th, 2011
Yesterday evening when we headed out to dinner we asked the guy who lives on the first floor how to find Nino’s restaurant. His English is very sparse so instead of explaining it he got up from his dinner, threw on a shirt and some sandals and walked us there. Good guy.
We had a plate of mushroom risotto with scampi and another plate of (you guessed it) calamari, along with a salad, beer and wine. Including tip we paid 180 kuna or about $36 Canadian. Not cheap but in the range. The meal was okay but nothing that would make us go back. After dinner we had a moonlit walk around the marina and the seaside promenade. It was great looking out at the boats and we even saw some dolphins jumping.
Our room was acceptably cool and quite quiet last night so we had a good sleep. We got up reasonably early this morning, ate some oranges and went out for a walk around to take some pictures. We walked up to the church high on the hill and had a look inside. Great view from the churchyard over the ocean.
After a while we found a bakery and ate some pastries on a bench down by the water. There are lots of boats in the harbour, from small working fishing boats to gigantic yachts and tour boats. The fishermen stand in their boats in the morning after they come in and untangle their nets. They’re either very patient or they drink a lot. There are people drinking beer in the cafes at 9 am but they could be tourists. The other big attraction seems to be ice cream at all times of the day and night.
Large and small boats are moored 4 and 5 deep out from the embankment. People use a stick with a hook to grab a mooring line from one boat, walk the length of it and then grab a mooring line from the next boat until they get to their own.
Anita went into a café for a coffee and I walked down to the bus station to get tickets for tomorrow’s bus to Opatija. The ticket vendor spoke good English and luckily the bus leaves here at 8:45, which is a good time for us, and arrives in Opatija at 11:20. We’ll have 2 nights there which should be plenty. One night in a town is too rushed, 3 nights can be too much unless there’s a lot to see, so 2 nights is often just about right.
After some more wandering, we bought some buns in a bakery and some cucumbers and peppers in the market. We were going to buy some grapes but the guy tried to charge us 24 kuna (almost $5) for a small bunch. We handed them back and he and his partner changed from being really friendly to ridiculing cheap Canadians. We just laughed at them and walked away but I didn’t really like it. However, I’m not going to jail in Croatia over a bunch of grapes.
After lunch in our room we went back up near the church and sat in the shade looking over the sea. We figured out our finances and realized we’re well within our budget. After a short stop in our room, we went on to the mainland and found a restaurant right on the harbour that’s recommended in one of our guides. We’ll go there tonight.
We’ve heard a bit more English today but not a lot. However, Rovinj seems to be more of an international tourist destination that attracts that type of traveller, rather than just vacationers who want to be on the coast in the sun.
Sunday July 17th, 2011 Opatija
We had a better dinner last night at Maestral on the harbour - calamari and mussels, both really good. We were sitting about 10 feet back from the water as the sun went down. Afterwards we walked around and ended up talking to a young American couple while we watched people hop from boat to boat to get to shore. We were speculating on who might fall in. It was the first real conversation we've had in English for quite a while.
Rovinj is beautiful at night but eventually we had to go to bed.
We got up at 7, ate our oranges and yogurt, and were ready to leave by 8. We went to the bakery on the way and were well in time for our bus which left at 8:45. The bus route was down the coast through some small towns to Pula and then east to Opatija. As we left Istria and entered the Kvarner coast region the landscape became more dramatic with mountains and valleys. Eventually we were driving up and down the steep coast about the sea, sometimes around gravel hairpin turns where there was construction. The roads are quite narrow but the bus driver didn't mind. He and the ticket taker just kept talking loudly as though they were driving on a wide straight road with no traffic. It all turned out okay although there were a couple of times that we were wondering.
We got to Opatija at 11:20 and found our hotel, the Imperial, in a few minutes. We're in a stately old resort hotel on the main street among about a dozen or more other stately old resort hotels. Opatija used to be known as the Eastern Riviera because in the late 1800s the Habsburgs and other eastern European aristocrats came here for vacation like western European aristocrats went to Nice and surrounding area. It's very much like that - old, stately and pretty but some hotels are in need of a bit of a facelift.
When we arrived there were young people in period costumes ballroom dancing on the terrace. There were also younger girls doing a baton twirling presentation.
We've gone to the tourist information office and the bus station and figured out that we have to go to Zadar on Tuesday by bus, not boat but at least we can go straight from here, leaving at 8:50 for the 5 1/2 hour trip down the coast. It should be scenic.
We have reservations for dinner tonight at Roka, a restaurant just down the main drag in the boyhood home of the inventor of valium. We should sleep well tonight.
Once again, the internet connection is so slow we can't post pictures. Next time we get high speed we'll post a bunch.