Rijeka – Park Lavora and Trsat Castle
Park Lavora is the vision of volunteers from the Kamenjak Hiking club who, along with local volunteers, have turned a derelict city landfill into a lovely forest park. It is one of only 2 green spaces in the city and work is ongoing to reforest and maintain the site for the benefit of the community.
Today was our second day in Croatia and we started day off with a nice breakfast at 8:00. Then we took a one hour bus ride to Rijeka where we then stopped at a beautiful beach while we waited for Boris out amazing tour guide to show us around Lavora community park. At the park we sat down in the classroom which was a few benches surrounded by trees and Boris started telling us about the project. So he told us how Boris’ hiking group asked permission from the city to transform what was once and old military base and was filled with rubbish into a beautiful city park. This project has taken only 4 years to nearly finish which is incredible considering how big the park is. We then went and planted our first tree and at first not a lot of people got involved but by the last tree we planted everyone got involved and helped. We decided to name our first tree Mrs B after Mrs Bedward who unfortunately had to drop out of the trip. Then we stopped at a bench which was actually the quietest place in the whole park so we closed our eyes for two minutes and listened to the birds. After planting our second tree and naming it ‘IB tree’, we walked through the park and could see the various decorations that a local art school made. We then went on to plant our third and final tree after lunch. This final tree is where a lot more people got involved because the ground was mainly rocks so a lot of digging was involved. The last tree we named Meatball Martin – this name was picked out by Jesper, Sammy and Ruari who did most of the work to get the tree planted. After that we walked back to the classroom and said goodbye to the other volunteers with us today. It was a great experience to get to meet them and see the work they’ve been doing along with all the other volunteers. It was truly incredible seeing just how much people are willing to help and make this incredible forest park come to life.
Ines
This afternoon after our arduous trek through the forest, we relaxed on the beach whilst keeping those stuck at school in our thoughts. The water was allegedly warm, though I did not experience such a luxury, Instead, I struggled to force myself into the frigid depths, but I am glad that I did it: I know it will be easier tomorrow (when we go snorkeling), and the views of the Croatian islands were so beautiful.
On the way back we visited a historical castle. I found it very endearing, however as someone who isn’t interested in history, I really had to try to put it’s past into perspective. Croatia has such a rich yet multifaceted culture, it’s a challenge to engage with it entirely. However, as a group I find we are definitely trying our best!
Adam
