Day 10 – From Plitvice National Park to Opatija

Our route today

Today we left the Park area in the rain so we were pleased to be leaving the area and hoping for better, drier weather. Before long we headed north and rose into a new mountainous area and rose sharply, maneuvering hairpin turns to take us ever upward above the clouds. We always take the backroads to enjoy the countryside and more relaxing roads. Having said that, the roads today were bikers’ bliss. Smooth pavement and twisties within twisties.

The countryside gradually changed introducing us to ever greater numbers of fields of corn and bales of hay. We eventually saw flocks of sheep in the fields and soon herds of cows to explain the need for the hay, we guess. Along the drive we passed many small villages dotting the countryside, often showing disrepair due to age but at other times homes were beautifully maintained. Our eyes were continually drawn to new vistas to enjoy.

Around midday, we arrived back along the coast and calm waters with several large islands just offshore. We stopped briefly at a café for a break to enjoy the scenery, noticing the large number of bikers enjoying the perfect twisty roads despite the drizzle. We also noticed the return of numerous small campervans who found campsites along the Opatija Riviera.

Arriving in Opatija, our first observation was the hilliness and lack of parking. The lack of parking was maybe due to it being Sunday. Opatija does look very intriguing, but we had trouble parking to find a restaurant for lunch before checking in to our place. After a couple tries and awkward reversals, we managed to find underground parking with room to spare. We had lunch overlooking the sea and relaxed while waiting to meet our host for the next few days.

We made a second attempt to locate our apartment having called the host and had adjacent parking. Without too much difficulty, we backed up an alley to park, hopefully, for the duration of our stay! We are in an excellent beautifully spacious 2-bedroom lower floor apartment of a 3-storey house, walking distance to what we should need while we’re here. First impressions suggest Opatija is a city with much charm. We look forward to exploring it further.

Incidentally, we're only 2 or 3 hours by car from Venice, Italy.

An interesting bush with berries we've never seen before- poke weed

Views along the road

An interesting bridge to the adjacent island 

Views around Opatija

View from our lunch spot

A pair of strangely ornate chimney stacks

Got to be the gnarliest tree 

Maiden with a seagull
1956 statue by sculptor Zvonko Car overlooking Kvarner Bay

A view looking East

The red sunset reflected in the East