Enjoyable Exhaustion – Trsat: One Step At A Time (Traveling The Croatian Coastline #35)

By the age of 50, the average person has taken 135 million steps. Some of those steps are more memorable than others. While climbing up staircases will make up only a small number of the steps a person takes during their lifetime, a few of those staircases might just make memories which last forever. That can certainly be the case for those traveling in Eastern Europe, where some of the world’s greatest staircases can be found, including one that I discovered leading from Rijeka to Trsat.

Stairways to Heaven – Rising To The Occasion

There are several famous staircases worth climbing in Eastern and Central Europe. Among the most famous are the Potemkin Stairs in Odessa, Ukraine, a massive set of steps that lead from the seafront up to the city. In Berlin, I had the pleasure of winding my way up a staircase to access the viewing platform just beneath the Siegessaule, a gold winged angel also known as “the chick on a stick” that soars above the German capital. In Budapest, it does not get any more lavish than the Grand Staircase found within the Hungarian Parliament. These are 96 steps covered in rich red carpet that leads from the entrance to the Dome Hall, which is considered the symbolic center of Hungary.

A personal favorite is the Scholar’s Staircase that connects the lower and upper parts of the Citadel in the Transylvanian town of Sighisoara. This covered stairwell has helped protect those scaling these heights from the elements since the mid-17th?century. Each of the staircases listed above is well worth seeking out for anyone visiting those cities. The same can be said of another one I discovered in Rijeka. The gritty port city with a down at the heel reputation is a surprising starting point for a staircase that leads to a little bit of heaven rising above the city.

Step it up – The Petar Kruzic Staircase (Credit: László Szalai)?

Paying Respects – A Powerful Pilgrimage

There are two ways to get from the city center of Rijeka to Trsat, one of the most beautiful and historic parts of the city. Gazing up at Trsat from the Rjecina river makes the climb to it look especially daunting. Most people, my wife included, wisely opt to take the bus to Trsat. It is a short 10 minute ride that takes place throughout the day. Others opt to make a more rigorous self-propelled effort to Trsat by climbing 539 steps that start a 5 minute walk from Rijeka’s Old Town. The location close to the river is not a coincidence, since Trsat was placed near the river’s gorge controlling access to the area. Trsat offers a commanding position as it stands 138 meters above sea level and the rest of Rijeka. I got a feel for every one of those meters while climbing the stairs.

Walking up 538 steps rather than riding in a bus was the old fashioned way of getting from one place to another. I still fancied my fitness enough to give it a try. In the back of my mind, I knew that failure was not really an option. This was a challenge to my mental and physical self. Before climbing the stairs, I had to suspend disbelief and stop worrying about whether I could or could not make the climb. I wanted to stay in the moment rather than let my mind wander to the top. I did not have much time to ponder the staircase’s history which I would later research. It was the brainchild of Petar Kruzic, a famous Croatian military leader who ordered the stairs built in the mid-17th?century to assist religious pilgrims making their way to the Basilica of Notre-Dame of Trsat (now known as the Church of Our Lady of Trsat).

A legend states that the birthplace of the Virgin Mary was moved by angels from Nazareth to Trsat during the late 13th?century. Why it was moved to Trsat was never clear to me. The house would only spend a few years at Trsat before being moved again. This time it went across the Adriatic to Loretto in Italy. The location of where the house was said to have stood in Trsat became home to the Basilica Pilgrims from both inside and outside of Croatia have come here for several centuries to visit and pay their respects. When Kruzic first had the staircase constructed it only had 100 steps, this was later expanded to the current number. Many of the pilgrims in the past would climb the stairs on their knees, stopping at the small chapels found along the way. They would pay their respects and then continue the arduous journey. Getting to the top of the stairs was hard enough for me without being on my knees. I found out just how hard after I started the climb.

Stairway to heaven – Procession to the Church of Our Lady of Trsat during the early 18th century

Sweat Equity – Completing The Climb

The stairs to Trsat seemed infinite. The start and finish were memorable, the rest became a blur. It was hard for me to tell just how far I was from the top because the stairs seem to go on forever. There was no use looking up because the stairs seemed to go on forever. I began to understand how Sisyphus must have felt. Predictably exhausting, the climb was made more so by the extreme heat Croatia was experiencing during our visit. Within minutes I was pouring sweat. Halfway to the top, I wondered if the climb would ever end. Every so often I would pause, but not quite stop to catch my breath. By the time I finished, my shirt felt like a wet blanket. I was gasping for air, clutching a bottle of water and in a state of exhaustion fueled euphoria. There was a feeling of accomplishment followed by a singular thought, “I will never do this again.” While my wife was enjoying a ride to Trsat on Bus #2, I had expended a great deal of sweat equity.

Once the climb was completed, I took some time to view the Rjecina River gorge. From high above the gorge appeared fiercely wild, a natural cataclysm lurking in the depths far below. Viewing the gorge made me thankful that I did not have to navigate it. Traversing such a fissure would have been life threatening, a near death experience every step of the way. By comparison, the 538 steps only required a certain amount of physical fitness. I was impressed at just how seamless they had been constructed so near a rugged landscape. Walking up smooth steps with sure footing offered a relatively easy way accessing Trsat. I did not have to clamor over boulders in the gorge or pick my way through terrifying topography. Petar Kruzic had done everyone a favor by having the staircase built. It was there for our enjoyment, as well as for our exhaustion.