Visit to Trsat

Here's a view of the Kvarner Coast (the region I'm in) from the castle Trsat, which I was able to visit today, our first sunny and slightly warmer day. This is actually from a park near the castle, closer to the church there (called Gospe Trsatske -- Our Lady of Trsat). Next to it there are these steps that lead up to a park, including an ampitheater for outdoor music performance, and a hill that includes monuments to all the stations of the cross, each of which was adorned with at least a rose, and often other plants or flowers as well. And there was a big cross at the top of the hill, along with a platform for taking in this lovely view. You can see some of the port and center of Rijeka, along with Opatija, the town below the snow covered peaks across the bay. Opatija is a resort town, where the Hapsburgs vacationed when Hungary owned and ran this part of what is now Croatia (it was their port). It still attracts a lot of tourists.

I also visited the "castle," called Trsat. It's basically the ruins of a fort that is on a high hill overlooking the region and the Rejecina River, the fast flowing river that helped make this a desirable place to settle. The oldest part is from the 13th century, but much of it was rebuilt much later. There is a kind of little town up there, with cafes, stores, restaurants, and a kind of square, plus the park near the church and another one near the castle. So it's quite pretty, especially today, the first really nice day since I've been here. It was sunny and not quite as cold as it's been. I even took off my jacket.

Then I did a little shopping at the market in the center, near the port. Even though I was there late, just after noon, there was plenty of fuit and veggies left to choose from. I bought tomatoes, celery, broccoli, caultiflower, bananas, pears, a half loaf of brown (whole wheat) bread, and a little apple pastry.