The Opatija Riviera

Today Caroline and I went with my department chair, Maja, and her 5 1/2 year old daughter, Mia, to the Opatija Riviera on a sparkling day (sunny, in the 50s).  In the nineteenth century, the royalty and upper class of the Austro-Hungarian Empire made this area into a resort, and I guess that Austrians still flock here.  It's very close to Rijeka--just minutes away by car.  Maja and Mia were incredibly kind to invite us to join them.  The four of us spent several hours strolling along the long pathway by the water (Adriatic Sea) and rocky coastline.  As you walk on the pathway toward the town of Opatija itself, a rock wall is to your right and a railing is to your left.  The girls skipped around on the pathway, and we stopped frequently at playgrounds along the way.  Mia is bilingual in Croatian and Italian (she will be learning English, and therefore trilingual, in the near future--not yet though), and Caroline's Croatian, like the rest of our family's, is currently limited, so it was hard for the girls to communicate.  But I think that will get easier as we go along.  Caroline did ask Mia's mother, Maja, how to say "sarcastic" (a commonly used word in our family : ) in Croatian.  FYI, it's sarkastičan. Here are a few photos from this beautiful area:

Fishing village of Volosko; note the fishing nets hanging  

Entrance to a resort

A resort

Looking back at Rijeka from the pathway

Laura