Berlin & Rijeka

Nestled in the hills above Rijeka, Trsat Castle is a 13th century castle built on a site in continuous use since Roman times. It was used as a strategic lookout over the Rejcine River to the Adriatic Sea. It fell into disrepair in the 17th century, and was refurbished in the 19th century when an Irish nobleman named Laval Nugent von Westmeath was given the property as a reward for his success fighting for Austria and liberating Croatia.

We had a fun time exploring the castle and enjoying the views. We also had a family connection to the castle as Nugent is Jeff's uncle's family name. The family mausoleum and crypt were on the property. We had a lot of fun sending the Nugents pictures of their final resting place. We actually visited the castle twice; the second trip was for a social gathering of the divers. At that event, there was a dance floor atop the crypt. We teased the Nugents about dancing on their graves.

When we visited the area on our own, we also walked around a church and the surrounding park. The church yard had the fourteen stations of the cross, and the park had a second longer circuit of the stations, each with its own statue. The views from the park were great too.

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