Croatia 🇭🇷 – A Journey Home: Exploring Rijeka, Opatija & Zagreb
He almost went to jail. Hi there. We are Dalibar and Tatiana, a multicultural couple living in beautiful Australia. We are doing a road trip around Europe from Belgrade, Serbia to Budapest in Hungary. And we finally made it to Croatia. Started in Sag, Croatia’s capital. Okay, we’re back on the road. We left Hungary. Hungary. We are on our way where? We’re on our way to Croatia now. and we’ll be in Zagreb in an hour and a half. Zagreb is the capital of Croatia and is his home. Pria is where I was born. Yes. And the mom side is from there. Yeah. And that side is from Poris and Montenegro. Okay. What are you looking forward to? Getting what? We’re looking forward to going to Apatia again. I haven’t been there for a long time and the last time we didn’t spend a lot of time but I’m looking forward to palachink which is the special pancakes and also burk of course b I have burk up to here and baklava as a Peruvian I have burk up to here I want my ceviche especially we’re going to be close to the atriatic right but there should be a lot of seafood as well so a lot of seafood and then tomorrow we’re going to drive to opatia 23° hours. [Music] Right in the heart of Sagreb lies Bangella Chicha Square, the city’s central meeting point and the true heartbeat of the creation capital. If you stand by the statue of Bangellaich, the 19th century governor and national hero, you are standing on the invisible line that separates upper town, the historic medieval core, from the lower town, the vibrant modern heartfield with cafes, shops, and life. Where are we going? We’re going to the museum of broken hearts. Broken relationships. Broken relationships. Yeah, we have some DO fans behind us. Cian Crian football team. Did they have a game today? Maybe. Okay. So many stairs to go up here. Maybe. Maybe. Yeah. So, how many hours? Look at that. In a quiet corner of Sagreb, Croatia, there is a museum unlike any other in the world. It’s not filled with ancient artifacts or priceless art. It’s filled with heartbreak. This is a museum of broken relationships. Every object here once meant something deeply personal. A shoe, a teddy bear, a toaster, even a cell phone. Each piece tells a story not just of love but of what remains when love ends. By 2010, the Museum of Broken Relationships found its permanent home in Sag and today is one of the city’s most visited attractions with branches and popups around the world. And that was our only day in Sagreb, a city where history, art, and energy come together in every street. One day wasn’t enough, but we still have a lot of cities in Croatia to explore. The next day, we drove almost 2 hours all the way to Reeka. Reeka is in your typical beach town. It’s a port city with a soul. Here you can find the colorful harbor that earned the title European capital of culture 2020. We just arrived in Reeka, Croatia. Reeka is where Dalivore was born. Reeka is about two hours away from Sagreb, the capital of Croatia. And we’re going to go and explore the city a little bit. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Welcome to Ria. We are in Ria like the boat says. We drew from Zagre about 2 hours and we came to had a delicious meal of potatoes, silver beef, and sardines. Sardines. It’s not as salty as it sounds. It was really delicious. It was very nice with a fresh lemonade. And now we just found this little spot where you can see the sea. You can see the fish and it’s beautiful. It’s warm, but it’s not like in Australia like a 40 Celsius. It’s probably 28 28 29. It’s beautiful. It really surprising this place. This is actually the city where I was born. and my grandmother lived right across the way in a little town, beautiful town called Opatia. This is a very special place for me. I just found out that you were in Opatia when well mom was in Opatia when um she had to rush to the hospital to give birth which is driving half an hour away from where she was from in the little hospital. Right. Yes. little hospital here over to the the right up on the hill because they didn’t have hospital in Yeah, this is like the the central hara. It’s um the largest town in the area with the shipping industry. So, they build boats and have imports and things coming here. Next stop is Opatia. Oatia. Can’t wait. I know it’s nothing new, but it’s so good to see you. I’m so excited. Wow, look at the view. We do this every day. And I’m still so amazed by you. So amazed by you. Wow. [Music] Right down there is where used to have her house. It’s just us two. Me and you. [Music] What is this little gate? That’s the gate tomy’s place. [Music] It’s a little restaurant now. Is it? Yes. Love me. So that little house just there was Tommy’s backyard shed and this was her garden. This was the garden. So this is part of the house. Yeah, it was. [Music] And this was my grandmother’s house just there. They’ve covered the floor in different things. They used to be a little little grate. The neighbor would pinch my Legos and throw them down the hole. Careful with these things. [Music] So hold me tight through the night. The swing down there. I used to blame this the neighbors and uh one time I fell off the swing. Yeah, they hit me in the head and I had to go to the hospital. Oh, that’s the same swing. Yeah, I don’t know. Maybe they changed it, but yes, still there. Oh. Oh. I just feel so lucky. Oh. Oh. Still can’t believe you love me. M. Falling into your arms. Dancing up in the stars. We finally arrived in Ria and this is our Airbnb for the next 3 days. Here is the bathroom. It’s quite small, but it’s nice. What I really like about this bathroom is this window up here. It gives you a nice view of the mountain. I think it’s pretty cute. You get to see other houses as well. It’s very nice. A small closet there. a TV as well on the left side. That’s the bed. It’s on the third floor. They had no elevator, so we had to carry all our luggage up here. This is the best part of the apartment. The best one. A look at the view. Look at the view of the Adriatic Sea over there. Beautiful. That’s a very nice view. Then we have the kitchen. The kitchen is pretty nice as well. Quite coy. I like the decorations that they have there. There’s a TV. And this is the kitchen view. It’s quite pretty. I like it. It’s not normal to see this. You only get to see this landscape and this view in Europe. So, this is it. This is Opatia in Croatia. The view of the sea. So beautiful. It makes it really special. Very nice. I will definitely come back here. Very nice place. The story time. Story time. Okay. Everything happens because you don’t read. He doesn’t read. I don’t know what to do with this guy. So, I can read. I can read very well, but I can just skim through things. Okay. What happened? We arrived in Opatia. Opatia. We went to visit my grandma’s house. Yes. And a lovely lady let us in. And well actually we didn’t knock on the door or anything but the grandson was running around outside and he said can we can I help you with something? He said can I help can I help you search for something I he’s going to kick us out of here. He’s 14 years old right? Yeah turning 15. I explained to him that we used to that was my grandma’s house a long time ago and he was surprised. He said oh let me let me go and tell my grandma one minute. And then he went to go and tell her and then she came out and started talking to us. invited us inside, showed us the house, even the attic upstairs, and then told us her story and everything else, and even part of my grandma’s story of why she sold the house. So, that was quite interesting. And then afterwards, we went for a walk along the coast around Volosco, which is the part of where my grandmother had the house or the apartment. And then um and then finally we decided, okay, after an ice cream, we’ll go to our Airbnb. So, parking here is not very easy. So, I had to leave the car in the street for 15 minutes, grab our bags, and take them. So, this Airbnb is on the very top floor. Beautiful view, but there’s no elevator. So we brought the bags up one by one and then and then you went upstairs first. I went upstairs first and I thought okay open the apartment in the messages that I received on on WhatsApp as you scroll down a lot of messages and then uh a photo of the door and then another photo of the door and that’s the for this Airbnb anyway. So, I didn’t scroll down all the way. I just saw the photo of the door. I said, “Okay, it must be this one.” So, the time they’re trying to open the door. Thank you. I tried one key, then the next key, and all of a sudden, little Ben opens the door. What are you doing? What are you doing? I was like, “Uhoh, I’m sorry. Um, I thought this was the Airbnb.” He said, “I was going to call the police.” And I said, and I was and I was and I was downstairs on the second floor. You were on the third floor. I was on the second floor listening to the whole thing as I was coming up with the other luggage. Yeah. And I just went like, what did he do? The first This is the photo with the door and the brown door is his door. So I showed him this photo and I said, “I’m sorry. I thought this was the Airbnb.” And then I scrolled down. This was the Airbnb that you needed to break into. Yeah. And then I scrolled down and I saw no it’s actually this one. So um he kind of come and I said I was about to call the police. No, please don’t call the police. Please don’t call. I thought it was a serene. That was a serene. But yeah, we got in and it’s quite nice. It’s cozy after almost being put sent to jail, arrested. That’s you see people you have to read carefully. Okay. How I read, but not too carefully. So that’s that’s um a story from Opatia. They had a little adventure in Opatia. Here you go. He almost went to jail. Look at that. Oh, this is welcoming us. Huh? Looks like a little dot. Thank you, Patia. restaurant. We’re going to go and get some breakfast. [Music] I don’t know. Let’s see how we go. We went to check out the Opatia local market. It’s a small but full of life. colorful stalls selling fresh Adriatic fish, local olive oil, homemade cheeses, and seasonal fruit from the nearby hills. You will meet friendly vendors who are always ready to chat. And it’s the perfect place to grab some authentic local flavors before continuing your day. Opate has been a getaway for royalty and artists since the 19th century, and you can still feel the old warm charm as you walk along the sea. the stunning seaside prominade that stretches for more than 10 kilometers. One of Apatia’s most famous landmarks is the Lady of the Seagull, a graceful statue standing on a rock above the waves. She’s often seen as a symbol of Apatia watching over the town and the Juratic Sea. The statue was built in 1956, replacing an older memorial that once stood there. Over the years, she’s become more than just a sculpture. She’s part of Apatia’s identity. Almost everyone who visits stops here for a photo with a lady of Apatia, the blue sea, and the Riviera coastline in the background. [Music] We finally got our pachink from the best place, a very kind gentleman called Tesal here in Apatia. They sell ice creams and pachinki. He gave it to us for free. I didn’t expect that. He knows my uncle. He used to come every year. He said, “This one’s on the house, but if you come tomorrow, tomorrow you pay.” That was very nice. So that was a good way to finish our night here. These ones are with palachinkke and plasma cakes which is a Croatian biscuit. Croatian biscuit. So palachinka translated into English is palachinka is crepes. Crepes. Yes. Really yummy. Yeah. After days of looking for it. Yes. And apparently they don’t do it in the morning. It’s not that popular in the morning. So they have it after 11. From lunch time onwards you can find balachink. Yeah. And it’s almost 11:00 p.m. here. And it looks like the whole neighborhood came out for the straight to enjoy the view. It turns out everyone comes out later in the morning. We came out in the morning about 8:39. Not too many people out. Not many people out, but they come out from midday. And that’s it for our day in Opatia. Beautiful beaches, great food, and that classic Croatian charm. If you ever visit the coast, make sure Opatia is on your list. Don’t forget to like and subscribe and join me for the next stop on our Croatian adventure.
In this travel vlog, we explore three stunning Croatian cities: Zagreb, Rijeka and Opatija.
From the Museum of Broken Relationships in Zagreb to the Adriatic coastline of Rijeka, and finally Opatija, the beautiful town where I was born and where my grandma’s house still stands.
This trip was more than sightseeing, it was a journey home, reconnecting with my roots, rediscovering the places that shaped my early years, and tasting some of the best Croatian seafood along the way.
Highlights:
🏙️ Exploring Zagreb’s old town & Museum of Broken Relationships
🌊 Fresh seafood & coastal views in Rijeka
🏡 Visiting my grandma’s house in Opatija
🚗 Scenic drive along the Adriatic coast
💭 Reflecting on identity, memory, and homecoming
If you enjoy European travel vlogs, Croatian coastal towns, or personal travel stories, this episode is for you.
🎥 Subscribe to follow our full Balkan Road Trip and to join us on future adventures.