Saturdayy, 24 May 

Licki Petrovo Selo - Opatija, Croatia

Paris Hotel 

Weather - Cold in the morning, sunny, warm afternoon - Max 19c

Today was such a contrast to yesterday as it was a clear, sunny day. It was a cold start but it warmed up in the afternoon. It was a travelling day to the coastal, elegant seaside town of Opatija in north west Croatia. We made two stops, the first being to a village called Rastoke at 10.00am and then a roadside eating place for lunch. We drove through a lot of wonderful dense, green forests, open farmland and rustic houses. As we drove further north the style of the houses looked more Austrian. 

Before we left the hotel at 9.15am I walked in the early cold morning around the little place where we stayed. There were a number of abandoned houses and others in a poor state. 

Rastoke Village was a complete delight. The Slunjcica River flows over waterfalls and cascades and joins the Korana River and is sometimes known as the Small Lakes of Plitvice. There is the constant sound of flowing water. The old, isolated village is unique as it’s built on water and used to have 22 water-powered mills. 

During the war Rastoke was partly destroyed. It ended in 1995 when Croatian military forces liberated the areas. At the village there was a photo showing the damage to the local bridge.  

There was a large butterfly in the grounds of the village inviting us to stand in the middle. We all had a go climbing onto the bench and putting our hands behind our backs to imitate the butterfly. 

Over the river was a man busking by walking on a tightrope. He had us enthralled with his antics. There was a collection tin on the bridge.

Lunch was at a motorway eatery. It offered good quality food unlike the greasy food often offered at Australian roadside cafes. After having a fresh roll of local meats, cheeses and salad we all indulged in either a cherry strudel or an extra large Croatian vanilla slice. Henk, Brian, Julia and I shared two strudels. We could have eaten a whole one each.

We arrived at Opatija at 3.00pm. It sits on the Istrian Peninsula and we were immediately impressed. At 4.00pm Sanda took us on a brief walk of the town so we could get our bearings. Our hotel is only a couple of minutes from the town’s esplanade.

It was noisy in the town with a lot of car horns and we soon realised it was associated with a wedding being held in the town. A lot of the guests we passed looked very elegant. Not long after we came across the bride and groom in the park having their photos taken. We took some as well!

Henk, Brian, Julia and I met at 6.30pm to go to the Roko Pizzeria and Spaghetteria for dinner. It was only a couple of doors down from our hotel. It was rustic and had a strong Italian influence which makes sense as we are now very close to Italy. Our meals were delicious. We’re tempted to return tomorrow night.

Tomorrow is a whole day of touring the peninsula.