Day 4: first glimpse of the sea: Rijeka

The sun rays that made their way through our terrace door woke us up from a restful sleep. We enjoyed our breakfast, prepared by the host and already stored in the fridge, on the huge terrace overlooking the sea. At first, the breakfast seemed a bit meager, but it sufficiently fulfilled its purpose.

We packed our things and headed to Trsat Castle. From there, we enjoyed a magnificent view of the city from high above. After that, countless steps led us down to the center of Rijeka. To lighten the load on our shoulders and backs, we stored our travel backpacks at the bus station for a small fee. With light luggage, we explored the tourist-filled streets of the city center. Apart from a few churches and a military tunnel from World War II, the sights were limited.

Spontaneously, we decided to take an earlier train to Zagreb than planned. We quickly rushed to the market to buy fresh fruit for the train journey. After about five and a half hours, including a delay, we reached the slightly larger train station in Zagreb. To reach Plitvice Lakes the next day, we organized bus tickets at the bus station and then went in search of a restaurant. We chose an Indian restaurant that served us excellent food even at a later hour.

Next, we took an Uber with a friendly driver named Josip to our accommodation. There, the mother of our actual host warmly welcomed us and showed us the room. Communication with her was limited to sign language, but everything worked perfectly. We were immediately impressed with our small room, including a small bathroom. After a refreshing shower and updating our blog, we went to bed to be fit for the visit to Plitvice National Park the next day.