Rijeka

first impression
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I had never heard of Rijeka before I planned this trip, but I had heard of Fiume, what the Italians call this small (but metropolitan) and pretty city. Now I know they're one and the same and definitely worth a visit. I left Ljubljana rather early to get there, 6:20 am, but I wanted to make sure I had the whole day to discover Rijeka for myself. The ride was long; I only arrived in Rijeka just before 9:00 am.

Part of the length of the trip can be attributed to the border crossing. Customs and passport control in Slovenia and the same again in Croatia. I almost 'declared' my passport, but that's because I couldn't tell right away which official I was talking to. You might as well give the customs guy your passport, because then he can figure out which language to address you in. One might also be able to attribute the length of the journey to the ticket checking methods of the conductor. Whereas the conductors of most trains I've traveled with use a stamp thing to check my ticket, the Croatian conductor handwrote the necessary information on the back. Of course I'm exaggerating the impracticality of this method. Extra souvenir!

City Tower
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I was very excited when I got out of the train and found myself in Croatia! It didn't take me long to realize I was in a different climate; only some trees had lost their leaves in autumn. Many were still green. It wasn't below freezing either! In the morning one thermometer I saw registered a balmy 4 deg C (39.2 deg F).

Mostly by luck, I found my way downtown and joined the morning crowds on Korza, 'main street'. My journey of learning started more or less right away, as most major sights in Rijeka are accompanied by big, informative tablets in multiple languages. After snapping a few photos, I found a map and realized I had my back to the tourist office. I went inside, grabbed a map and asked whether most museums would be closed, because it was Monday. The young woman at the desk checked for me and confirmed my suspicion. No worries. I didn't mind being outside today.

one of the 'cabins' in the City Museum
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I followed the map to the major historical sights in the city and then remembered that I hadn't really had breakfast yet. I went to an ATM to get some kuna and set my sights on food. I entered one bakery, but it was incredibly crowded, so I left again. Near Rijeka's 'Roman arch', I found a smaller but less crowded bakery and went inside. I mumbled the name of two things that looked good and pointed to what I wanted. One of the items was a strudel type thing that I thought tasted kind of like a cheese danish. The lady behind the counter asked if I wanted it warmed up (I assume), and I said yes. It was greasy and delicious.

I don't think photography is actually allowed in the Maritime Museum, but I didn't realize that until too late...
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I wandered around a little more until I found the City Museum, which I knew would be open. The guard at the front door didn't understand English, but she was friendly and put on an English DVD for me, narrated by a Croatian born, American lady who talked about growing up in the US and about her Croatian heritage. It was kind of like sitting with my great grandparents. After the film ended, I went on to the exhibitions. The entire museum (I don't think I missed anything) was about Croatians leaving Croatia, how they left and where they went. Lots of trunks, articles of clothing, some photos and newspaper clippings, shipping posters, etc. On the second floor, the objects were divided in 'ship cabins', actually pretty well done. Unfortunately I didn't understand a word, since nothing was in English except a few political cartoons about the US accepting and rejecting immigrants. I still looked at everything and stubbornly stared at the explanations, willing myself to understand.

view of Trsat.
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Next door was the Maritime Museum, which I had really hoped to see, but the tourist office lady told me it was closed. The building is very pretty, having served as the old governor's residence, and the garden is strewn with nautical flotsam and jetsam. I'm glad I stuck around, because I ended up noticing a few people exit the museum; strange, I thought, as it purported to be closed. I went up to the door, and it turned out that at least part of the museum was open. I bought a ticket and saw that the foyer was dedicated to an exhibition of nativities from all over the world. Most of them were from Italy. One North American exemplar featured a Native American Holy Family, which I found endlessly fascinating. Gathered around the papoose Jesus were a bear, wolf, buffalo, horse, deer, hare and owl. No camels or sheep here. I think that was the first time I ever saw St. Joseph depicted with a mohawk.

basilisk on Trsat
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After looking at the other nativities, I went through the governor's chambers, which were furnished with all the original furniture, light fixtures, etc. I went on to find a room filled with old guns and swords, but I failed to find anything remotely maritime. Perhaps that was all upstairs. I never really found accessible stairs, so I assume the 'Maritime' Museum was actually closed...

I went on to a park to take notes and wandered around some more. At one point I had to do a double take, because my peripheral vision had picked up a castle on a hill. I hadn't seen anything about castles on my map, but when I turned it over, I found a map of Trsat, actually a part of Rijeka but somewhat separated, which is the location of a castle. Excited to have found something I wasn't expecting, I made my way up, taking pictures of the increasingly more interesting view.

greenery! at Trsat Park
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Trsat is definitely worth a visit, whether on foot or by bus. I was happy to go on foot, because it was the only time during my whole trip that I was able to go anywhere without my downjacket, scarf and hat. The castle has a nice little café/bar, so I decided to take a little rest and take some more travel notes on the outside(!) terrace. I ordered a beer, but the waiter gave me a cup of chamomile tea. I'm not sure how he knew, but that's actually exactly what I had needed; I just didn't know it myself until I had it in front of me. Better for me anyway, and cheaper.

It was amazing to sit outside without my coat, but it got chilly again as the sun began to set. I moved on to a church, to which John Paul II had made a pilgrimage, and then walked around a park, which I thought was public but which actually seemed to belong to the convent adjoining.

Taking advantage of the green everywhere, I decided to go to yet another park, Trsat Park. As dinner time approached, I looked for the direct way down to Rijeka proper, the Petar Kružić Steps. I walked around the harbor a bit, and then, inspired by the sight of a grocery store, I decided to pick up a few necessities. It had been so cold in Vienna and Ljubljana that I had run out of tissues, so I bought a few packs to get me through the rest of the trip. I also bought water and some Croatian chocolate, not because I expected it to be delicious, but because Milka cost three times as much.

I got some fast food for dinner and then had another tea at a café/bar (Hemingway Bar) before I moved on to get some gelato for dessert. Realizing I still had a lot of time to kill, I walked through a shopping center. My first impression was that of a cross between the old Pennsauken Mart and the Cherry Hill Mall. It was nice, but it still had that 'Mart' feel to it. For those of you who can't imagine what I mean, I'm sorry...

Still having some time to kill before my night train to Salzburg, Austria, I went to a bar for two beers and a National Geographic show about aircraft carriers, muted with Croatian subtitles. I wasn't feeling creative or especially open. I think I was mostly tired. Would I sleep on the night train at 8:45 pm?