2025-05-13 Opatija, Crikvenica
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We stopped in Opatija. The settlement along a lake along a steep hill
reminded me of Lausanne or Neufchâtel in Switzerland. There were
hollow ruins as well as fancy new Grand Hotels, some with an ancient
Viennese flair. To me, that’s weird. To chase the colonised past for
tourism cash? 🫤 Didn’t the Austrians use Croatian troops to out down
Italian revolts and the like? Well, after the Austro-Hungarian empire
fell apart, the Italians took over Opatija but then the communists
pushed them ought.

Visiting former Yugoslavia is dreadful from a history perspective
because when I was a teenager the civil war and the breakup of the
country was always there, in the back of my mind. Watching Warriors
many years later was the worst, though.

Hearing so many Austrians on the streets is weird.

I guess I felt a little bit of Austrian empire shame. 😳

a very traditional hotel by the sea

Statue of young women looking at the sea – sounds like a meme.

statue of a woman on a rock, looking to the sea

The natural rocks are supplemented by artificial structures. No sand,
though.

many stoneworks project out into the sea for people to lie on

Claudia supporting Miroslav Krleža, whom we do not know.

a statue of a bulky man leaning dangerously to the side, apparently
supported by Claudia

The feeling when you need some water and you imagine ice cold
sparkling water. 😍

a glass of cold water

Claudia also decided to contribute some pictures, seeing how I hadn’t
noticed that the lens had gotten smeared with sun lotion.

We had parked the car in the parking lot of a crumbling hotel ruin.

Alex in front of the sea Claudia in front of the hotel Abandoned
structures leading down to the sea The original harbor from 1900 or
so, still in use, for a handful of tiny boats

Crikvenica is very different, with sand beaches, many cafés, pizzerias
and ice-cream parlours. And everything is so green.

the sea is visible behind the trees

Weicher Akanthus
Acanthus mollis

a flowering plant

Strauchiges Brandkraut
Phlomis fruticosa

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Herbst-Salbei
Salvia greggii

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Hardy aloe
Aloiampelos striatula

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And another sunset. 😍

sunset

The hotel room was 27°C or more and we tried to turn on the air
conditioning. It was only at 3:00 that our foggy brains thought of
opening the window and leeti g the cool sea breeze in. 🙄

#Croatias #Pictures