Road Tripping With Friends, Exploring Pretty Rijeka, Croatia

Four Good Friends, One Elderly Car, and a Six Hour Road Trip to Rijeka, Croatia

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And Camera Came Too!📸

Our friends for over 10 years flew out from England to spend a week with us here in Hungary and Croatia. With lots of last minute planning and researching to get the perfect accommodation, we finally settled on a VERY nice Airbnb in the heart of Rijeka.

We first had two days in Hungary and then took a three day road trip to Croatia. Rijeka (the chosen destination) is on the coast of Kvarner Gulf, in the northern part of the Adriatic Sea. The very pleasant drive took around six hours, with no border controls to contend with and the change of currency to the Euro made it all quite simple. Even our Satnav behaved! The port of Rijeka is Croatia’s largest port and our 6th floor apartment overlooked it!

>>> This was our superb apartment

We were lucky that first evening, we chilled on our balcony, listening to the noisy seagulls and sipping welcome drinks, as we watched a beautiful sunset sliding down behind the Croatian mountains.

The sky started changing colour giving a beautifully orange glow to the evening landscape. A perfect start to our mini-break in Croatia.

We originally lived in a city near the sea on the East coast of England. A frequent sound was the constant cawing of noisy seagulls. Hungary is landlocked and there is no sea, so no seagulls! I was thrilled to hear the seagulls in Croatia and it reminded me of my hometown in England. Even the sea air smelt good blowing across our balcony. This chappie and his mates sat on the roof below us.

Another noise generating bird was this one, I have no idea of their species but they were a very noisy bunch early evening, just in this tree below us. They are very well disguised! Click and enlarge to see more clearly.

Inside our apartment were several wall paintings…I mean painted actually on the wall! So original.

Time for our first touristy trip of the day to an area of the old city called Trsat. After a 6 km drive through the busy narrow streets following Satnav’s directions, up and down one way streets we finally arrived and parked up in a car park.

This was the first shop that caught my eye….what on earth are these?? I could not work out their purpose? That shop window made a good talking point though!!

Public transport was evident down the main street, extra long and I am told very comfortable inside. During the summer months I am sure this bus would be heaving.

The main square had this rather colourful Cafe bar with piped music coming from inside.

The wine carrying motorbike made me look twice. Certainly worth photographing.

I loved the quieter streets with not a sole about with their inviting corners!

Very pretty lanterns and shutters outside this wine bar.

We were here to visit Trsat Castle, this was the narrow street that led to its majestic entrance.

The imposing entrance to Trsat Castle on a beautifully warm October morning.

Google states that “this is a semi-ruined 13th century fortress offering magnificent views down the Rječina River to the Adriatic sea”.

This was a welcome sight, information in English about the castle.

I made my way up a stone staircase to the top of this turret to get panoramic views of the city and port.

Definitely worth the hike up to the top.

Amazing views of Rijeka port.

Rječina River.

Many small fishing boats lined up ready for action!

I particularly liked this photo, the contrasts of buildings with the sea and the town behind made an interesting composition.

Cannons, Statues and Sculptures.

Way across the valley and still taking photos from the top of the castle, a fallen down bridge surely has many tales to tell. I could find no information about this sad looking bridge.

Looking out to the hazy Adriatic Sea. There is more to this photo than first meets the eye… you can get an idea of how high up I am by looking at the bottom right of the photo!

This village is on the hill directly opposite Trsat Castle. Directly below there are several tunnels bored into the mountainside. Travelling through them was pleasant enough, well lit and a wide road.

Turret tops looking out over Rijeka town.

After taking photos in the hot sunshine, it was time for some refreshments at the super cafe bar inside the castle courtyard.

Plenty of drinks available at the well stocked bar.

Time for a selfie!

Aimee and Shane deep in conversation.

Past the village pub and onto the next destination.

After a morning of sightseeing at the castle, we wanted to try out the beaches of Rijeka. We drove up the coast towards Preluk Plaza, a small stony beach with free parking and direct access to the water. There were many hidden small coves dotted up the coastline, some had sandy/stony beaches some pebbles/rocks but all of them had inviting crystal clear water, just perfect for swimming….

….Or paddle boarding..

…Or just sitting and sunning!

By now we were all super hungry, sea air seemed to make our stomachs groan. Satnav told us that not far away was a delightful fish restaurant. Shane negotiated the narrow cobbled streets like a pro and found a place to park very close to the restaurant.

Ostaria Veranda Meaning Old Age Veranda in Croatian

A beautiful location to have our long awaited fish meal. As it was nearing the end of the summer season the restaurant was not too busy.

As we waited for drinks and menus to arrive, I took advantage of the fabulous view and put my camera to good use taking photos of boats!

This colourful boat was designed for sightseers but there did not appear to be much business around. Probably the end of the season in this pretty little cove.

The marina was small but packed! The roundabout sign was unintentionally caught in the shot!

Gorgeous hydrangeas and reflections. A selfie of “me” in the ice bucket!

And would you believe…a great big tree in the dinning area!!

The chef brought out a complimentary fishy appetiser for us to try, which was excellent… suggesting the main meal would be equally tasty.

Sadly the meal did not live up to our expectations, the portion sizes were minute and disappointingly some of the fish, we noticed, had been previously frozen. However, the waiter spoke English (bonus) and the location and views were outstanding. This photo is looking up from the quayside onto the Veranda.

The very picturesque fish restaurant we visited in Croatia

Looking across the bay in the hazy sunshine, I spotted this beautiful town with the majestic church of St Anne’s grandly looking out over the Adriatic sea. This town is called Opatija.

Over the other side of the bay stands the city of Rijeka and our holiday apartment.

As we left the restaurant this trio of Fiat 500’s appeared out of the car park…later I noticed there were two consecutive number plates! How lovely! I was so happy I got all three classics in one shot. A case of “right time, right place”. I am sure there is another interesting tale behind this photograph.

Then there were two…then one!

Croatia seemed to have many cats 😻

…and a cat lover😻

Time to make our way back to the apartment. Many of the huge properties had beautiful balconies and colourful shutters.

The next morning we were due to leave our wonderful apartment but not before we did one last touristy thing! Chef Eric had been waiting for an opportunity like this for ages… to buy kilos of the freshest Croatian fish and take them back to Hungary. We managed to hit the early morning traffic making it slow going down to the fish market. Waiting at the junction I realised I had been to all those places on this sign. We turned right to which the Satnav promptly informed us “You have reached your destination”!!

Inside Rijeka’s famous seafood market, a huge selection of fresh locally caught fish straight from the Adriatic Sea.

All the fish appeared really good value for money with lots of varieties on display. “A fish lovers paradise” Chef Eric was delighted 👨‍🍳

We bought a wide variety of fish and shellfish, had them cleaned and prepared at the market and packed them in ice cubes and cool boxes ready for the journey home.

I was a little concerned (but it is probably absolutely normal in Croatia) to see a fish server light up and smoke whilst she continued to handle the fish. As I looked around she was not alone!

Through the fish market and outside for some fresh air. A wondrous display of colourful fruits and vegetables greeted me. The garlic-filled tables were everywhere, groaning under the weight of the bulbs, just like this one.

I LOVED this particular miss mash of paprika and garlic display. Gave the stall a rather colourful rustic look.

Now it was time to return to Hungary, our three day Croatian dash was over until the next time. We decided to stop off somewhere around Lake Balaton, we were spoilt for choice with its many coves and beaches to choose from. We stopped at Balatonlelle Beach to check out the scenery.

It was mid afternoon, the hazy sunshine clouded the lake giving it a mysterious look. The faraway sailboat lined up perfectly with my eye. Such a peaceful serene photograph.

Looking towards the yachts moored up for the night.

The reflections caught my eye here.

Another serenity shot…this man looked sooooo relaxed chilling on the end of the pier waiting to catch his dinner perhaps?

Another reflection photograph…simple but effective, do you agree?

Finally, if you have got down this far, I thank you for reading and looking at my photos. We had such a lovely time in Croatia, we all did what we wanted to do and crammed everything in on our wish list! It made me very happy to create these memories with my camera. Thanks to my fabulous husband Eric, and to our Best Buds, Shane and Aimee for making it a very special Croatian break!

“Photography helps people to see.” – Berenice Abbott

Very true 🙂