Rab: Summer in Review
The end of September and Rab, the city, is still. The tourists have thinned out and those that remain are noticeably older. They huddle in large groups to explore the city. Shops, cafes, kiosks, and restaurants are closing their doors, one by one. The car ferry is running less frequently and the catamaran from Rijeka arrives earlier to catch the daylight hours. It’s all part of the summer unwinding, but I’ve never been here to see this before.
For 30 years, I came here almost exclusively in the summer, for two weeks, maybe three if I could swing it, and experienced the hustle and bustle that is summer here, and planted myself in the shady area of the city beach with books that I otherwise had little time to read, and rode my bike through the cool forests, and just when my body had adapted to the heat here, it was time to go home.
But now Rab is home. It has been home since February when we sold the home in which we’d raised our children, gave away our furniture and household items, and moved here. So now, I’ve had my first chance to witness how the island gradually opens up for tourist season then shuts down. Of course, for those who live here, the island is vibrant and alive year-round, if just a little more quiet in the months outside of tourist season.
Summertime. The time of festivals and celebrations. I live in the old town where there is a string of events all summer. Some of them—such as the medieval-themed Fjera in late July—are typical of many Croatian towns. Others—such as the women’s motorcycle rally in June—were more unexpected, but very popular. There were also quite a few sporting events—a triathlon, bike races, and running competitions—and many, many, many concerts.
Some highlights for me were:
· Rab Jazz Fest: Several evenings featuring some of the best jazz groups this side of the Danube. Night concerts took place in the incomparable Sveti Ivan (Church of St. John the Evangelist) with its tower and Romanesque remains as backdrop. Daytime concerts were held on the pjaceta, a small square on the upper street dominated by a enormous holm oak tree (known as the “tree of liberty”) that was planted on April 23, 1921 to commemorate the departure of the Italian forces from Rab. The view from the pjaceta is stunning. Another great backdrop for some incredible music.
Tony Lakatos Quintet performing in the ruins of Sveti Ivan.
· Rab Film Festival: Really, there is nothing better than watching movies under the stars. Most of the films at this festival—which is devoted to investigative films, both fictional and nonfictional—are shown in Rab’s beautiful open-air cinema. A dozen or so films played over the five-day festival and every one that I watched was a study in humanity stripped bare and left to figure out a path forward. Here are a few: Les Indésirables, by Ladj Ly, took on the deplorable living conditions in a banlieue of Paris and the destruction of an apartment block; The Sky Above Zenica addressed the deadly emissions coming from a coking plant owned by ArcelorMittal and the efforts of a group, EkoForum, to hold the plant as well as the EBRD (The European Bank of Reconstruction and Development) accountable; both My Favorite Cake and The Eternal Memory presented two women reclaiming love on their own terms in challenging circumstances. Every day, discussions on the future of cinema in the face of disinformation, AI, etc., took place and every evening there was live music in the central square to round out the day. Wonderful.
· Kantuni (Corners): We caught the last night of this annual music event which is spread out over four locations in the old town. Each venue is outfitted in a different club style with soft, bean-bag seating or hammocks or café tables all lit up in an array of lights. Music varies from jazz to folk to rock and everything in-between. Very relaxed vibes and you can move from place to place. Oh, and did I mention . . . it’s all free.
· Rab Fjera: For three days in late July, coinciding with the feast days of St. Christopher, the old town of Rab is transformed into a medieval village where metalsmiths, leather artisans, herbalists, grape stompers, fishmongers, weavers, potters, stone masons, and many other crafts people abound. Everyone is dressed for their part including the clutch of lepers who roam the upper street of the old town with their cart to carry those who’ve died from the plague. There is much wine and Croatian specialties like sočivo (a bean soup) and sulčić (a local, fried bread served either sweet or salty). Crossbowmen battle it out on the last day of the festival followed by fireworks and (more) live music at midnight.
A stone mason, perfecting his craft.
· Ča Vrh Arbe: A celebration of poetry written in Chakavian, one of the three dialect groups of Croatian. (Expat in Croatia has a good explanation of these dialects.) This version of Croatian is common along the Adriatic coast and on the islands. It was wonderful to hear so many local poets—and a few from other areas—tell stories of everyday life in elegant verse. Croatian is already a foreign language for me; Chakavian is even more foreign to my ears, so I focused instead on the cadences and rhyming patterns. One poet brought out his gajde (bagpipe), but the instrument was not cooperating fully, unfortunately. This was a memorable evening for me. Another event, like the jazz festival, held in the ruins of Sveti Ivan.
There were all of these events and so many more including a lovely series of classical music concerts held in a small church and also an evening of opera, Magija Opere, featuring students of mezzo-soprano Dunja Vejzović who has ties to Rab. From May until the end of September, there was something going on every week.
Finally, and most importantly, summertime brought family and friends to Rab. All of my children, my new daughter-in-law, our friends from Virginia, New York, California, and Australia, our children’s friends from all over. A great gathering. Get-togethers with our extended family here, boat rides on windy days, and many late-into-the-night dinners.
