Zagreb and Istria

May 22
Zagreb and Istria
KIM: We left Zagreb on Monday at noon in a rented car. It was just wild trying to navigate our way out of a mysterious city with no knowledge of the traffic rules or language of the directional signs. Fortunately, we made it without incident and headed for the coast. Rijeka is a city in the north coastal region of Croatia and we had information concerning one of Anastasia’s relatives in that city. Since she is particularly interested in the indigenous healing traditions of this country, we decided to go a bit further, into Istria, to an old health spa to sample the cures. The closer we got to the sea, the more excited we all became. The sea air and the potential of meeting Brencick relations caused great anticipation! Mid-afternoon, we reached the spa, called Istarske Toplice. It is in a gorgeous setting in a small valley surrounded by the fortified hill-towns of the region. The location is at the base of a limestone massif, maybe a thousand feet tall, and it was just gorgeous. We had high hopes for the hospitality and the services we would find at this spa! Calling ahead, we found there was an apartment available for all three of us at a very reasonable rate, and that thermal pool soaks were included in the price. Massage services and board could be purchased separately. The building facility was a bit dark and a little bit like a university dorm building from the 50s, but we weren’t discouraged because the setting was so beautiful. There were cats everywhere, the cottonwood trees were blowing fluff all over and birds could be heard singing in the trees. Plus there was a pervading smell of sulfur coming from the thermal pools around the facility. We were really getting excited! After check in, we boarded a teeny elevator for the second floor and found it wouldn’t move until one of us exited. OK, we took two separate elevators! Meeting on the top floor, we found an unnumbered room that corresponded to the location of our room number, if it had been numbered, and tried the lock. Success! Long dark hallway, bathroom, plain bedroom to the right, another basic room to the left that functioned as bedroom #2 as well as kitchen dining living room. And bingo… another door leading to a terrace with a great view of the massif… and a violently barking guard dog. At least we can dry our wet towels and bathing suits on the terrace. We changed into suits and towels and headed for the pool. We attempted to ask the routine, but no one understood our questions. Lots of folks spoke Croatian, many spoke Italian, and quite a few guests spoke German, but no one spoke English. We were also beginning to notice that there were no guests of our ages. No problem. We headed for the pool, passing an empty reception kiosk. No sooner had we passed when the receptionist came tearing after us, frantically asking us for something in Croatian. We smiled and nodded our heads emphatically. No good. She wanted something we didn’t have and/or didn’t understand. Finally, we figured out that she wanted the equivalent of 50 cents each for bathing caps. Fine. We headed for the showers and then to the pool. Stares. Everyone was 70 or older. Fine. The water was green and warm, and HEAVY. The sign said, in Croatian, Italian and German: Please limit bathing to 30 minutes per day - radioactive. What??? Anastasia and Shelley said they felt a bit strange after the swim. I didn’t in particular, but I must say, the sense of heaviness upon exiting the pool was unusual. Massages we scheduled later that evening proved to be uninspired, and dinner was a truly memorable experience. After an incredible lunch the previous day in Zagreb, we had high hopes for a lovely spa dinner. At the prescribed time, we gathered with the other guests at the dining room, and again were chased by the maitre d’. Once he determined that he could communicate with us in German, he ushered us to a table in the back of the room (where we wouldn’t embarrass the other guests?). I think we behaved quite well under the circumstances, because it got very surreal after that. The buffet meal, being greedily consumed by the other guests consisted of hot dogs (no buns), mustard, sauerkraut, salad, pasta with meat gravy, overcooked broccoli and bread. No beverages, although some folks had bottled water on their tables. But only some. We didn’t ask. We clearly were expected to keep quiet about it. Later we went to the front desk with gifts for the receptionist and asked her to help us do some Brencick detective work. She agreed and was very helpful and agreeable (unlike the hotel receptionist in Zagreb, who we initially annoyed and finally befriended). As we got some leads for Brencick relations in the area, live synthesized music began in the community room. A live cover duo playing American music began to play and the old folks began to dance. Colored lights began to flash. Everyone seemed to be having a really great time, so after exhausting our research, we sat down in the atrium to listen and watch. The cigarette smoke was thick, but we tolerated it for a while before retiring. Upon reaching our room, we opened windows to the din of the birds, or so we thought. It was long since dark, but they appeared to have no intention of sleeping, and indeed continued to make noise throughout the night. We got up at 5am, with the intention of checking out and finding a place where we could feel more at home. Anastasia turned on the water for the first shower and waited. No hot water. Ugh. That sealed the deal. We headed for a coastal town called Rovinj, where we have now spent a lovely afternoon exploring narrow streets and tiny medieval shops. More on this later.