When most people think of Croatia, they think of Game of Thrones and of Dubrovnik’s — King’s Landing in the popular television series — famous white stucco houses with red-tiled roofs. For me, the small, coastal country of Croatia is even more special. It is the country my grandmother is from, the country most of my extended relatives still live in, and the country I visit most in my travels.
In my opinion, Croatia’s best feature is not the well-known Dubrovnik, which is both plagued by and reliant on high levels of tourism and cruise ships. Instead, the lesser-known Rijeka, home to my great-uncle and the rest of my family, is the city that most feels like home in a country that is alternately familiar and utterly foreign to me. Wandering the streets eating ćevapčići, shopping in the neighboring town of Opatija, spending days on my great-uncle’s small sailboat — in my mind, Rijeka will always be a sunny city of delicious fried fish, barely plausible family folklore and constant laughter. Although I am currently trapped inside and listening to snow pelt the window of my dorm room, I still can’t help but smile when I think about Rijeka (and begin counting down the days until I feel that sun again!).
