Monday, September 9, 2024

We slept reasonably well last night at the Resort Belvedere in Vrsar.
Today we are going on the first booked excursion, the visit of two towns Lovran and Opatija on the Kvarner Bay and we are going to enjoy local specialties somewhere.
Because we are picked up at the hotel at half past seven, we are already at breakfast at seven. We make a few sandwiches, drink coffee, and the staff gives us a box to take the sandwiches with us, nice and neat.

The bus is on time, a very big bus in which we are the first passengers. We have to wait a few more minutes for the guide who will take care of this excursion. Then the bus drives to a hotel and two pick-up points and eventually there are 23 people in the bus.
The guide now gives an introductory story. Among other things about the weather that is getting worse, it is raining quite hard. We apparently have to drive over or through a mountain range, and the guide hopes that the weather is better on the other side of that mountain range, that happens often he says.
We do indeed drive through a mountainous area on narrow, winding roads, but because of the bad weather we see little. When we are over the mountains we drive along the coast that we occasionally see far down, the coast is very steep here. It seems like a beautiful area.
On the way the guide tells us a lot, about soil types and history and such.

After the ride along the coast we arrive in the first town, Lovran, where we get a tour and where we can taste local specialties. The center of the town is small because it is wedged between the mountains and the sea.
The bus stops along the main road at a bus stop, so we have to get out quickly. The tasting takes place in a small shop, so the group is split in two, one group goes tasting, the other gets the tour, and then it is reversed.
When entering the tasting we are welcomed by accordion music. Then follows an explanation about olive oil and we can taste olive oil, followed by fig bread and a drink. There is always a lot of explanation.
And of course afterwards there is an opportunity to look around in the shop and possibly buy something, not pushy. We buy a herb mixture and pepper sauce.
The tour of Lovran is nice, a beautiful old center, a small harbor and nice views.

We continue to the next city, Opatija. The weather has fortunately improved considerably, it is dry and sunny and even quite warm.
The bus stops at the bus station and we will get a guided tour followed by about 2 hours of free time.
But first a toilet stop, 1 € for the use of a mosquito-infested, foul-smelling toilet.
The guided tour that follows is a walk along the boulevard. Opatija is wedged between the sea and the mountains, the result is a narrow, long city that looks well maintained. The guided tour ends at a former palace that also includes a botanical garden. We will then have about 2 hours to look around ourselves.
The botanical garden appeals to us, so we first go and have a look around. The guide also told us something about a market hall, we go and look for it, but it is a bit disappointing, small and almost everything is already sold out.
We walk back and of course get thirsty, we sit down on the boulevard at Batana Pizzeria and order something to drink. Then we notice that a few people are looking at the sea and pointing. If we look closely we see that dolphins are swimming a little way off the coast.
We walk to the bus station, and we still have time left. At Bar Romero we order something to drink, but the beer is lukewarm and the pipes have not been flushed properly.

We drive back to the hotel, the bus now follows a different route, over the highway and through a long tunnel. This is faster but less scenic than the outward route.

At the hotel we ask if we can get a breakfast package for tomorrow morning, we will be picked up at six o'clock tomorrow.

Then Pia discovers that she has lost her handbag, probably left it on the bus because she is sure that she had the bag with her when we left Opatija. There is not much in the bag, no papers or anything, but €100.
We call the reception to ask if they want to call the bus driver, but they do not want to, cannot or are not allowed to; we have to arrange it through TUI.
Tom sends a message to the TUI tour guide and we get a quick answer, we have to report this on a special TUI site and we do that.
An hour later we get another message from the tour guide, they have called the bus driver and he has found the bag. The bag will be brought to the hotel tomorrow morning. Relief.

We eat something at one of the hotel restaurants, Lovor Real Grill, and it tastes good. Then we walk a bit, buy a bottle of gin and go to bed early.

Written on: 2024-09-11

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