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Published: September 9th 2006
Leaving Rijeka for Cres Island
We rode the highspeed ferry, Judita, is in the background.Hoping to take a little vacation from our vacation, we chose to head for the Croatian islands. Because I had heard so little about life in Croatia, I assumed the islands off of the mainland would be remote places and perfect for finding a deserted beach and cheap prices.
Leaving Venice, it required a train trip to Trieste, Italy and then a bus ride to a port city in Croatia where we could catch a ferry to one of the islands. Bryan and I went back and forth over what port city would be best. He pushed for Pula since it was on the tip of a peninsula and seemed close to the islands. I felt we should head for Rijeka, since it was a major city and looked like it had several ferry lines coming off it on the map. The decision was made for us when we arrived in Trieste, because there was a bus leaving for Pula in 10 minutes. We felt like we were on the show ‘The Amazing Race’ as we hurriedly bought our tickets and rushed to find we were the last two on a very full bus. We were unable to sit together
This is the port town Cres, or Cres Island, Croatia
Near where we stayed for four nights. We did our shopping for groceries here. and both settled down for the six hour trip next to little old ladies that only spoke Croatian. Mine managed to help me through the four different check points by letting me know when to pull out my passport and when to put it away as well as providing me with the periodic hard candy to suck on.
We pulled in to Pula late in the afternoon and set off for the port only to be told they had discontinued all ferries from Pula and we would need to catch a bus to Rijeka. On the way back to the bus station we took a wrong turn and ended up walking for two hours, eventually finding the station but missing the 8:00 PM bus to Rijeka by 5 minutes. We spent several hours waiting for the next bus, which arrived with a bus driver that seemed much put out and yelled at every body. All settled in, and happily heading for what we knew was the correct destination, I mistakenly caught the eyes of the bus driver in his rear view mirror which prompted more yelling on his part, this time directed at me. Since it was all in
Gilato Icecream with the reflections of Cres
Bryan's favorite desert. I tasted it and it is truly the best icecream there is. Croatian and I had no idea what he was mad about I just smiled back and tried not to giggle. Somehow, being yelled at in another language softened the blow.
We arrived in Rijeka in the early hours of the morning and were immediately struck by how large and clean a city it was. We walked down the main pedestrian promenade and not unlike other European cities that seem to come alive at night, it was full of people, lights, fountains and beautiful shops. We were directed to a hotel near the port and we spent the following day window shopping and waiting on our ferry to Cres Island.
Once in Cres, we did what we are becoming accustomed to, which is to wander the streets looking for a place to stay. Somehow, we always manage to find a roof for our heads and this time it was in a little one bedroom studio with a kitchenette (this meant we could cook for ourselves, a well-missed treat). The woman we rented from was very sweet and liked to garden so we found little bundles of vegetables left on our doorstep each day. We settled on staying for only
four nights because the island was brimming with Italian tourists and the beaches were very rocky, not a sandy spot to be had. We were also struck by the complete lack of clothing along the crowded shores. Everywhere we looked ‘we saw more than we expected‘. Families reading, sleeping, walking, swimming, picnicking, and camping, all bare as the day they were born. Bryan and I headed for the FAR end of the rocks around several bends before we decided to do as the Italian/Croatians do. A jumbo bottle of Aloe Vera later, after renting a boat, snorkeling, and swimming, we headed back to Rijeka and on to another ferry.
We would spend 36 hours on the Marco Polo hopping from port to port through the Adriatic Sea destined for Bari, Italy and eventually Rome’s great ruins.
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Sandi Sherman
non-member comment
At last!!
What a treat to wake up this morning and see that you finally had the time and the means to get us all caught up. Dave couldn't tear me away for our morning walk until I read all the new entries.