The Scampi of Opatija

Food is one of the true joys of Croatia, seafood in particular. So it was that we stopped in Opatija (Oh-pat-ee-ah) on the Kvarner Gulf of Istria as we made our way from Zadar to our next home in Pula. 

We’d followed the scenic coast road north paralleling some of Croatia’s larger islands; Pag, famous for its delicious sheep cheese, Krk (Kirk), the cradle of the Croatian language, and Rab, famous as the birthplace of naturist bathing in the country: in 1936, just months before he abdicated, Edward VIII convinced the Rab authorities to allow him and his future wife Wallis Simpson to swim naked there, starting a trend. Nudist beaches are now widespread in Croatia, but not for us - we hadn’t brought the right gear.

Lunch at the Elita

Opatija was once an illustrious seaside resort; grand hotels still tower above the seafront, ever hopeful. We’d come here specifically to savour the local delicacy, scampi. Restaurants all along the lungamare (promenade) advertise scampi as their primary offering. But, naturally, our guides had a specific restaurant in mind, the buffet Elita. We were ushered to a table on its veranda where we could look across the bay.

We ordered our scampi. Although the menu translation called them shrimp, the creatures that came looked more like miniature lobsters. And, the waiter insisted we could suck meat out of the legs, but good luck, they were like cribbage pins! For $70 (£40) a kilo, enough to feed two, we ate like kings; well Carol did!

And, of course, there was wine. I haven’t spoken much about wine on our travels, but Croatian wine is very good and inexpensive, even though you don’t see it much in wine stores at home. Many people don’t realize it but, although often thought to be Californian, Zinfandel originated in Croatia.

Maiden with the Seagull

After lunch we sauntered along the riva (seafront) and down to the statue for which Opatija has become famous – Maiden with the Seagull – standing on an outcrop. In the late 19^th century, the town was a winter retreat for royalty; Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I wintered here. In early 1891, Count Arthur Kesselstadt disappeared near this point while swimming. His distraught family erected a statue of the Madonna in his memory but this site is open to the worst of the elements and weatherworn it was eventually removed. The Maiden was erected in 1956 and, with her arm stretched out to guide the gull on its way, has become a landmark of lost love and hope.

 As the clouds gathered we left the seaside and headed northwest with a heavy heart. We were heading for the city of Pula with its famed Roman relics. Our few days there were to be our final days in Croatia.

Clouds gather over the Opatija Seafront