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We spent our last night in Split and then woke up and did some shopping. The jewelry in Hvar and Split has been beautiful. There are lots of handmade gold and silver ornate jewelry. There is also a lot of coral and turquoise. Every little shop has something a little different. The traditional Pursta or Bursta jewelry is only in Hvar and Split and is beautiful. Jon found a new and clean pair of shorts and a shirt at Diesel. We jumped in the little car and headed north to the Opatija Riviera. We took the highway that was a toll way. There was no speed limit and Jon had our little Fiat Punto going as fast as it would go (150kmh+). The area was so beautiful with lush green pine trees or grape vines. There were many mountains and areas much like Hwy 1 where you could see the sea. We went through the longest 5K tunnel. We decided that we would stop in Zadar for lunch to break up the drive. Zadar is a pretty big city about 250,000 people. There is a good sized harbor with tons of ferry boats. There is an old town area with
lots of tiny streets. The feel is a lot like Split but not quite as quaint. We got a slice of pizza and some gelato and headed back onto the toll way to Senj. Here we got off the Hwy and took a smaller road through part of a national forest and then along the coast. We drove though many beach towns. The little towns reminded us of Carmel, CA. Then we came upon Rijeka which was a big bustling city resembling SF a little bit. Then about 10 min more we found the fabulous little beach town of Opatija. This small little town was started by an Italian man who build the first villa here. The buildings are somewhat Italian with a mediteranian feel. We found the hotel Astoria. This gem of a hotel was recommended by Frommer's. This is by far our favorite hotel yet. We are on the 6th floor with a complete ocean view. It is truely a stunning suite. It pays to have someone who speaks Croatian book your room. We showered and headed out for dinner. We had an amazing dinner by the sea with steak (we were fished out) and the local Croatian
Zader
Zaderwine.
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