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| Sunrise around 6:00am this morning from my hotel Balcony |
What a gorgeous day and when I woke up around 6:00am the sun was already awake and happily situated just above the mountains in the distance across the sea and I had the perfect view of it from my balcony.
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| Water coming up over the wall (a progression of waves in 3 pictures ) |
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| Water coming up over the wall (a progression of waves in 3 pictures ) |
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| Water coming up over the wall (a progression of waves in 3 pictures ) |
I had a lovely breakfast in the huge dinning room down on the promenade level where they have everything to please German, Austrian and Italian palates and since I enjoy food from all those places I could have eaten for days and not actually tried everything. I settled for a few of my favorites and then headed out for a very long 2 hour walk in the opposite direction then yesterday. I walked the whole way along the seaside promenade past all the villas and hotels, restaurants and cafes that line the seaside.
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| Marina at the far end of town |
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| Abandoned old villa on the seashore but still so beautiful despite the neglect and oddly gleaming and perfect flower ceramic tile boarder just below the top railings |
The water here is so clear no matter where you are you can see the bottom and in some cases all the beautiful fish gliding too and fro.
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| Fountain in the center of town |
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| Me outside the Villa Angiolina |
The beaches here with the exception of one or two small alcove ones are rocky but looked so inviting for a swim if only it wasn't so frigid. The sun helped warm things a bit but there is a distinct nip in the air. I have shed the heavy winter clothes over the last few days and am wearing my pretty bright red rain jacket with black hat and gloves but still keeping on the woolly scarf for added protection. I've also shed the winter boots and have my simple black Mary Jane flats. I feel so much more comfortable and less bulky but I probably jumped the gun as they say by a day or two but I just needed to feel springy!!! And by tonight things had warmed up a bit and the staff here tell me this cold spurt is very unusual for this time of year so hopefully by the weekend it will be around 55 or 60 degrees which would be perfect for Easter. But all the sunshine is so fabulous for everyone's emotional well being you can just see how much lighter and happier everyone is here.
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| Bronze model of church/abbey just outside it's front door |
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| St. Jacob's Church Bell Tower |
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| Gilded statue Madonna, that once stood here but was demolished by communists after the end of WWII, now stands in front of Saint Jacob's Church. |
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| St. Jacob's Church |
I stopped in at the hotel for a little rest and some computer work around 2:00pm and the off again for another long walk in the other direction past the town square. I went to St. Jacobs' which wa
s built around 1420 as a Benedictine colony. This abbey later gave its name to the whole city (Opatija = Abbey.) Little is left of its original form because it was rebuilt in 1506, renovated at teh end of the 18th century, and expanded in the 1930's. A replica of the "Pieta" relief by the famous Croatian sculptor Ivan Mestrovic is kept here. The statue of the Maiden with the seagull, by Zvonko Car (1956), which is positioned on a promontory by the Juraj Šporer art pavilion is the symbol of the city but a gilded variant of the statue Madonna, that once stood here but was demolished by communists after the end of WWII, now stands in front of Saint Jacob's Church. Since earliest times, when it still stood isolated, the abbey was a site where court trials were held and served as a fairgrounds that on St. Jacob’s Day attracted visitors from the surrounding countryside to dances and sales and purchases of goods, and located in its vicinity were the first burial-ground for the dead of Opatija, whereas in the 19th century this was also the site of the first school in Opatija. The building passed from hand-to-hand of a whole series of religious orders, from the Benedictines and Augustinians to the Paulists and Jesuits. Today, besides prayers and masses, chamber concerts are also held here.
The fountain Helios and Selena is located in beautiful park opposite the Imperial hotel near the church of St Jacob. It's the work of the sculptor Hans Rathautskog from Graz, by Madonna, and to Theodor Billroth. The fountain represents the Sun and the Moon, the personification of the mythological characters brother and sister.
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| Marina near the stairs going up to the Park |
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| Beautiful spring flowers already in bloom in the park |
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| Plant maze in front of the Villa Angiolina |
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| View of the plant maze from the Villa Angiolina steps |
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| View of the city from the Park |
Villa "Angiolina" is the building that certainly marked the beginning of the tourist epoch in the history of Opatija. Saint Jacob’s Church Pending its building in 1844. (actually a reconstruction of an older building owned by baron Haller von Hallerstein), Opatija was a relatively large settlement with about 120 houses, clustered mainly around plots further away from the sea coast and chiefly oriented towards fishing and seafaring. In 1844/45 Rijeka's patricians Higin and Paolo Scarpa began the construction of the Villa Angiolina on the foundations of an existing facility. Besides being used for their own family holiday needs, the facility was used for hosting numerous family friends and business partners so it is considered the starting point of Opatija's tourism. In 1875, the Villa was bouht by count Viktor Chornsky who in 1882 sold it ot the Southern Railway Company from Vienna. For decades it was the centre of the tourist organisation and today the Musuem of Croatian Tourism can be found there.
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| Interesting trees with wall of the outdoor theatre decorated with pictures of famous people like Albert Einstein |
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| Great tree leaning out over the small cliff to the water (near where the old oak stood) |
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| Villa Angiolina |
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| Pavilion with Sculpture by Tatjana Kostanjevic of violinist Jan Kubelik in Angiolina Park
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The Angiolina park is a bit of a botanical garden and beautifully maintained and a perfect place for a stroll or to just relax on one of the many benches and admire the sea in the distance or the flower gardens or even visit the open air theatre which is of course still closed for the winter season now. The park was packed with lots of tourists and locals some jogging, some strolling some walking dogs and playing tag with their kids.
On the edge of the park right along the small cliff that goes down to the sea stood an oak tree which was planted in 1831 and was only recently cut down in 2010 due to weather deterioration but a large stump of the tree still exists there with a ruler showing you the lines of it's growth from 1831 to 2010. They also have a wonderful plaque with a history of the major world events from 1831 until 2010 including wars, the landing on the moon, Elvis's rise to fame, Darwin's publication of "On The Origin of Species and so on. It also lists significant events that took place during that same time period right here in town as the tree continued to thrive like the formation of Opatija as a thriving tourist town, the visit of Albert Einstein, World War II and the town being occupied by Nazis and then the communist regime. I was hoping to find the list online because it was really fascinating to read and put all the events into the context of the birth and death of this mighty oak tree.
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| Poster dedicated to famous Oak Tree |
I walked back through town to the hotel to rest a bit and then headed out for dinner near the hotel and overlooking the sea which was so lovely I couldn't read more than a few pages of my book for constantly wanting to stair out the large picture windows.
Another walk to aid in digestion and a stop at the little crafts fair going on near the port entrance and the up the small hill to the neo-Romanesque Church of the Annunciation with it's pronounced gree cupola that can be seen from pretty much anywhere in town and which had it's foundation stone laid by the bishop of Trieste, Franjo Nagl in 1906.
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| Portion of the oak tree with ruler showing it's growth over the years in the ring formations |
A nice older lady was just getting ready to close the church when I got there but she let me finish my prayer and kindly let me know that mass would be held there tomorrow, Holy Thursday at 6:00pm and at St. Jacobs on Good Friday at 6:00pm and on Holy Saturday at 10:30pm for the very special Easter vigil with bonfire or at least that's what I'm pretty sure she told me from what I understood of her Italian.
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| Pink/orange moon in the distance when I got back to my room. It disappeared behind clouds just moments later. |
Now warm and comfortable in the lobby of the hotel I finish my blog and get to go to bed. The sea air really makes you feel so good but also takes a lot out of you. "At the end of 19th century town of Opatija was proclaimed a climate health resort, which means that people from all over Europe came here to recuperate from different respiratory and coronary illnesses. Moderate temperatures, fresh sea air and a some exercise is sometimes all your body needs to feel healthy." And in my case really, really tired.
On the edge of the park right along the small cliff that goes down to the sea stood an oak tree which was planted in 1831 and was only recently cut down in 2010 due to weather deterioration but a large stump of the tree still exists there with a ruler showing you the lines of it's growth from 1831 to 2010. They also have a wonderful plaque with a history of the major world events from 1831 until 2010 including wars, the landing on the moon, Elvis's rise to fame, Darwin's publication of "On The Origin of Species and so on. It also lists significant events that took place during that same time period right here in town as the tree continued to thrive like the formation of Opatija as a thriving tourist town, the visit of Albert Einstein, World War II and the town being occupied by Nazis and then the communist regime. I was hoping to find the list online because it was really fascinating to read and put all the events into the context of the birth and death of this mighty oak tree.
