Saturday, JULY 5

Saturday, July 5, = (Zagreb City - Maps)

At awakening, my mood is not the best, the residues of fatigue last night, leading me to idle for a good half hour yet, but the fasting that lasts since lunch yesterday, I recommend that you try to put something under teeth.
For there is plenty of choice, bars and fast food in this city are not hard to find, I make a breakfast call that more extensive snack: bread, butter, jam and a half liter of milk.
Here the route of the road, I bring to the stage.

54 km Karlovac - 45 km Vrbovsko - 56 km arrival in Rijeka -Maps (tot 155 km)

= Rijeka (Fiume) - 144,000 inhabitants

The Istrian peninsula has been one of the most contested of the postwar period. Rijeka, formerly Italian, now is actually a town in Croatia.
However the membership or not of a land, for either nation, it does not matter, the problem arises when people feel they belong to an ethnic group, culture or religion, in contrast...




to others, that men are ambitious and cunning megalomaniac use, relying on frustazioni of those who believe to be discriminated against, creating distrust and hatred against the people nearby.
In this respect it may be thought of a truck driver in this town that I met while I was refueling stations:

"I tour around Europe with my trucks and I must tell you frankly, that all these different characters and cultures, which everyone talks, excluding the various languages, I can not see them.
The differences are only economic, all people want welfare, the beautiful and expensive things, believing in a God or anything, nobody does anything without a profit.
All dream of winning a lottery, everyone would like to have as many friends, but they look so good by themselves, envy and egoism are prevailing.
There are people who on average have much and who has nothing but the famous diversity of characters and the ambitions I have not seen.
In any color, ethnicity, culture or class they belong, the aim of all is happiness and this has no boundaries. "

Arrived in town, I can not go to visit the headquarters of the Italian river in the Palazzo Model, to meet with fellow residents who are around 7000 and have schools and mass media in Italian.
The facade of the building is decorated with neo-Renaissance and neo-baroque forms within stuccoes Room Maggiore, home to the Civic Library and the Italian Cultural Circle.
Some Italian residents in Rijeka, after mutual knowledge, welcome to my journey, one of them invites me into their home, to dine with him and his family and stay with them. I accept gladly, knowing that as I find in my country, because after that I was visiting the Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas, we go to his house.
Hospitality is particularly beautiful, the two sons and his wife, very polite and kind, I make my home and while her husband prepares dinner, step time to tell me and my experiences.
The children are excited, the mother met for the unexpected visit because her husband has taken away the power of the kitchen and while we drink a drink Spritz: carbonated water, white wine and bitter Aperol
Dinner features a menu veneto, in this regard I would remind you that the ultra-fifties of the place speak predominantly a mixture of Italian with Venetian dialect inflections.
In the table, braces for big occasions, a number of starters: octopuses and cuttlefish eggs of sea snails and clams, mussels and fish gratin.
First, Risotto alla Sbirraglia: rice with boiled chicken.
Per second: Aubergines to Judea, then Cuttlefish in black finish and roasted fish.
The cake is a delicacy, and the Creme Fried Biscuits pevarini all with the best wine cellars of Tokai.
After dinner, the children are preparing for the evening of Saturday, will go to a nearby pub where they meet with their friends, me and the landlord will sit on the balcony to smoke, while the lady enjoys looking after a broadcast on TV, Italian of course.
The very affable man I speak of his life and I also confirm that:

"As you know, several flood after the war returned to Italy, who out of fear or because exile, my father emigrated instead is was not the only, the area of Monfalcone in here for his political ideas and opportunity of working at the port. They were not easy years, but now, we are fairly integrated and still accepted by the Slavic population. "

Tiriamo late, so much so that his children, we are still talking when falling.
It 'time to go and relax let us goodnight and go lie down on a fresh linen scented laundry.
> (DIARY DAY FOLLOWING JULY 6 )