Rijeka

After my skipper training course, Alexandra and I do a quick handover in Rijeka. This week it’s Alexandra’s turn to take her ASA 101, 103, and 104 courses, while I get to relax and look after the dog.

Chilling

I really needed a week of downtime in Rijeka. Even though I took it easy and became a bit of a running joke in the skipper training group for insisting on my afternoon nap, I’m honestly exhausted. I guess I’m feeling those 25 years of work in my bones. Sure, anyone who works a physical job would probably just laugh at this office drone, but sitting for 8-9 hours a day, staring at a screen, is pretty much the definition of inhuman. We were made to roam the savannah and keep our brains in energy-saving mode as much as possible.

Punk Rock

There’s not much to say about Rijeka. It’s an industrial city with a port, shipyards, and refineries. Rijeka is also home to Croatia’s first punk rock band, Paraf, and people here are still proud of that.

Rijeka has stayed true to itself and is still wonderfully rough around the edges.

Conclusion

One thing I have to say: I experience Croatians here differently than in the tourist spots. Everyone speaks excellent English and is always up for a chat. Charly is the superstar and the key to everyone’s heart, especially the ladies’. I get to hear several life stories. Really sweet.

Still, I don’t find Rijeka a place I’d want to live. It’s just too dirty, too run-down, too loud, and way too car-centric. I guess I’ve gotten too old and boring for punk rock, too old to die young.

*This blog post has been automatically translated by a Large Language Model.