Since we woke up in Piran, it seemed like a natural place to start. Unfortunately the church with the obligatory tower was on top of the hill, as well as the citadel wall, so up we went, meandering through narrow winding streets until we found ourselves on the church grounds. The view was spectacular, on one side looking over the town and the other straight down into the Adriatic Sea, with its clear green water. The church and the tower were closed, though, so we could not get a good look inside. On the good side, this freed us from the obligatory tower climb.
There was more climbing to be done after we left the church, though, as the citadel walls protecting Piran from the invading Turks were further uphill. So up we went and found ourselves walking by the parapets, marveling at the structures and imagining what it must have been like to defend that place. There were a few turrets and, according to the Alex rules of vacation, I was required to climb them. One of them had binoculars on top, with which we were able to explore the town's rooftops. Not much to report there, other than it seemed common practice to use metal platforms to create little terraces. I guess it is a good way to get some sun when you don't have the luxury of a yard.
Back down the hill we went, and after fortifying ourselves with some coffee, got in the car and started on our trek to Porec. The Slovenian border agents were nice enough to stamp my passport when we left the country, but the Croatians merely looked at our passport and handed it back. No luggage inspection, so down small side roads we drove, following the Milka signs to Poreč.
Poreč was our first Croatian stop and, in a continent where medieval towns abound, went one step further and is actually over 2000 years old. Settled by the Romans, it maintains many of the characteristics from that time: narrow, two-story stone houses (albeit with satellite dishes now) and straight streets. The main attraction is the Euphrasian Basilica, which contains some mosaic work from the 6th century. What made it interesting to me, though, was that the basilica burnt down several times, each time to be rebuilt on top of the ruins of the old one and you could see this throughout the structure wherever there was a whole in the wall.
After visiting the basilica and wandering through the city we were back in the car for our next destination, Rovinj. Now, Rovinj is as picturesque as can be, with an old town with narrow, windy streets, a basilica at the top of the hill with a view of the town and an atmosphere that is, if nothing else, atmospheric! We decided to follow my travel guide's self-guided walk around town and hit all the interesting spots in about an hour or so. In a place where everything looks old, I kind of liked the monument to the Partisan victory over the Nazis in WWII: very square, very austere and very much what I imagine Communist art from the 50s to look like.
Rovinj is a summer destination, where people come not for sight-seeing, but to enjoy the beach. Like most beach destinations it had something I like, ice cream! Elaborate, huge ice cream creations with multi-flavored scoops, fruit, syrup and enough whipped cream to drown the ice cream in. We couldn't let that pass, of course, and spent some time sitting by the harbor, enjoying the view and gorging ourselves.
And eventually we made it to Pula. Now, Pula does Roman as if the Romans were still there: a still mostly intact Coliseum, arches and fortifications to make anyone happy. But, most important to me, it had our hotel, a relic from the communist era that looked exactly like I expected it to look: wide halls without any decorations, dark rooms, and a sense of faded grandeur substituted with austere efficiency. Apparently it was a major destination during the Hapsburg era and even Tito used it when he went to Pula!
Our first adventure there was trying to find dinner. We headed in the direction of the old town and wandered all over the place, finding cafes and bars but finding no restaurants. We were thinking of giving up when we ran into a nice Italian restaurant and had a very nice pizza. Fed and content we retired to our hotel rooms to get some sleep before facing the next day.
So, what does one do in Pula once one is fed and has had a good night's sleep? Well, leave it of course! We got in our car and drove north to Fazana, in order to catch the boat to Brijuni. We arrived about one hour early so spent some time exploring Fazana, which takes all of five minutes. I did see something I hadn't seen before, though, a Roman house transformed into a very small church. For some reason, whenever I see places like this I think of Asterix, since it was through those books that I learned what Roman architecture from that time was like.
Eventually we found our way back on the pier, got on the boat and fifteen minutes later were docking at the island. Brijuni was Tito's summer residence, assuming summer goes from April to September, since Tito spent about six months of the year there. There he ran the country, received foreign dignitaries, visited local school children and in his spare time did some gardening. We were met at the pier by a guide who was supposed to lead us through our exploration of the island. Again, there was a notable absence of English-speaking guides and I found myself with the German tour group.
So, what is there to see in Brijuni? There is a museum to Tito, still very much loved in this country (the man, not the museum), with pictures of him with several dignitaries and celebrities such as Indira Ghandi, Muammar Gaddafi and Sophia Loren. There are the laboratories of Dr. Robert Koch, Nobel Prize winner and one of the fathers of microbiology. There is a zoo populated mostly with animals Tito received as gifts from visitors including, among many other species, zebras, ostriches and Croatia's one and only elephant (interestingly, there is also a taxidermy exhibit with all the animals that did not survive). There are also the ruins of a Roman villa and the wold's second oldest olive tree, a mere 1600 years old sapling.
The early afternoon found us back in Pula, finally ready to explore the town. We headed to our first destination, a remarkably well-preserved amphitheater that was in use until the 6th century. Wandering about it was fun, and I found myself several times sitting, looking around and imagining what it must have been like when it was in use. The place is currently used for concerts, though they recently banned rock concerts as apparently the vibration caused by the loud music was damaging the structure.
After the amphitheater we opened our travel guide and followed Rick Steve's recommended walking tour of old Pula, wandering down narrow, winding streets and finding between the Roman ruins and medieval buildings, all the restaurants we could not find the night before. It took a little detour from the assigned path, but we eventually found, hidden by a parking lot, a Roman mosaic floor telling the story of Dirce, uncovered during World war II and a very old Byzantine church, the Basilica of St. Mary Formosa.
We ended the tour at the city's central square, drinking beer with a view of the old Roman forum and Pula's City Hall. It was Saturday afternoon, and we got to see a procession of wedding parties going to the city hall to get married. And come they did, in all shapes and sizes. There was the very pregnant bride with her very "uncomfortable in a suit" groom, another slightly pregnant bride with a very proud father, and the very small party with a groom, two witnesses and what I imagine was a mail-order bride. We had a good time observing them all, sharing in their joy and a sunny afternoon.
Eventually we made our way back to the hotel, where we had dinner and took advantage of internet access to make our reservations for our next destination, Zagreb. Then it was off to bed for a good night's sleep and after a hearty breakfast the next morning, we got in the car and said goodbye to Istria.
So, what does one do in Pula once one is fed and has had a good night's sleep? Well, leave it of course! We got in our car and drove north to Fazana, in order to catch the boat to Brijuni. We arrived about one hour early so spent some time exploring Fazana, which takes all of five minutes. I did see something I hadn't seen before, though, a Roman house transformed into a very small church. For some reason, whenever I see places like this I think of Asterix, since it was through those books that I learned what Roman architecture from that time was like.
Eventually we found our way back on the pier, got on the boat and fifteen minutes later were docking at the island. Brijuni was Tito's summer residence, assuming summer goes from April to September, since Tito spent about six months of the year there. There he ran the country, received foreign dignitaries, visited local school children and in his spare time did some gardening. We were met at the pier by a guide who was supposed to lead us through our exploration of the island. Again, there was a notable absence of English-speaking guides and I found myself with the German tour group.
So, what is there to see in Brijuni? There is a museum to Tito, still very much loved in this country (the man, not the museum), with pictures of him with several dignitaries and celebrities such as Indira Ghandi, Muammar Gaddafi and Sophia Loren. There are the laboratories of Dr. Robert Koch, Nobel Prize winner and one of the fathers of microbiology. There is a zoo populated mostly with animals Tito received as gifts from visitors including, among many other species, zebras, ostriches and Croatia's one and only elephant (interestingly, there is also a taxidermy exhibit with all the animals that did not survive). There are also the ruins of a Roman villa and the wold's second oldest olive tree, a mere 1600 years old sapling.
The early afternoon found us back in Pula, finally ready to explore the town. We headed to our first destination, a remarkably well-preserved amphitheater that was in use until the 6th century. Wandering about it was fun, and I found myself several times sitting, looking around and imagining what it must have been like when it was in use. The place is currently used for concerts, though they recently banned rock concerts as apparently the vibration caused by the loud music was damaging the structure.
After the amphitheater we opened our travel guide and followed Rick Steve's recommended walking tour of old Pula, wandering down narrow, winding streets and finding between the Roman ruins and medieval buildings, all the restaurants we could not find the night before. It took a little detour from the assigned path, but we eventually found, hidden by a parking lot, a Roman mosaic floor telling the story of Dirce, uncovered during World war II and a very old Byzantine church, the Basilica of St. Mary Formosa.
We ended the tour at the city's central square, drinking beer with a view of the old Roman forum and Pula's City Hall. It was Saturday afternoon, and we got to see a procession of wedding parties going to the city hall to get married. And come they did, in all shapes and sizes. There was the very pregnant bride with her very "uncomfortable in a suit" groom, another slightly pregnant bride with a very proud father, and the very small party with a groom, two witnesses and what I imagine was a mail-order bride. We had a good time observing them all, sharing in their joy and a sunny afternoon.
Eventually we made our way back to the hotel, where we had dinner and took advantage of internet access to make our reservations for our next destination, Zagreb. Then it was off to bed for a good night's sleep and after a hearty breakfast the next morning, we got in the car and said goodbye to Istria.
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