Rovinj

Rovinj

We spent our final days in Croatia on the Istrian peninsula.  We stayed in a nice little studio apartment in the city of Rovinj.  Rovinj is on the coast approximately in the middle of the peninsula, and from here we could explore the area very easily. Culturally, Istria presents very similar to Italy.   Of course it was once part of the Roman and Venetian empires, but even today, Italian is spoken widely here and road signs are in both Croatian and Italian.  In addition to Pula and beach time, we managed to fit in a little more exploring:

Grožnjan

We visited the hill town of Grožnjan.  Once you leave the coast in Istria, the elevation goes up and there are many hill towns similar to those we saw when we visited Tuscany. This part of the peninsula is known for its high-quality olive oil, truffles, and wine.  If we weren't driving pass a vineyard, then we were passing large groves of olive trees.  We sampled the local olive oils and supported the local economy by purchasing bottles to bring home. We saw truffle excursions offered so people can watch specially trained dogs find the delicacies. 

We experienced another UNESCO World Heritage Site at the Euphrasian Basilica in the city of Poreč.  This basilica was constructed during the 6th century and has stunning Byzantine mosaics throughout the complex.  It's still in use today as evidenced by the wedding taking place as we were leaving.

Hum

And finally, we visited the "Smallest City in the World" -- Hum.  Apparently, there is a metric used to measure this.  Because there are administrative facilities, facilities for public affairs as well as having its own mayor, Hum, with a population of less than 30, is considered the smallest city in the world.  The couple of folks we saw when we visited proudly proclaim that....as do the souvenir t-shirts.  It gets my vote as the smallest as it was super tiny and you really have to want to be there as it is far off the beaten path.  At least the roads were paved.

We've now returned to Zagreb where we catch our flight home early tomorrow morning. Thanks Croatia for the great hospitality. We truly felt it.  

Pula

While evidence of the Roman Empire was somewhat hidden in Split within the remains of Diocletian's Palace, that was not the case in Pula.  Here, Roman architecture and artifacts are front and center. Case in point -- the Roman Amphitheater that is one of the best preserved in the world. While not as large as the Colosseum in Rome, it was completed about the same time around AD 80.  Every summer, there is the Pula Music Festival which holds nightly concerts with various bands and DJs for a week.  That's happening this week, and while we aren't attending, we did pass through all of the festival areas and saw the concert stage set up in the middle of the amphitheater.

Pula has also preserved its Forum (main square).  Here we found the Temple of Augustus built in the first century AD. Immediately adjacent to it is the medieval-era Town Hall, showing the architectural evolution here in Pula.  We also passed through the Arch of Sergius, which actually dates back to first century BC.  It's amazing to see these structures still standing knowing that they are all over 2,000 years old.

Our final Roman find of the day was an old Roman floor mosaic that dates to the third century AD.  It was discovered while cleaning up from World War II bombings.  It has been carefully excavated and is displayed exactly where it was found -- several feet below the current ground level -- illustrating how the City was built upwards over time.

One of the great fortunes of travel is to not only see new places but also experience different cultures and learn about shared histories.  We learned in school about the Roman Empire and how large it was, but seeing the evidence in so many different places that we've traveled to really demonstrates just how large and advanced the Roman Empire was in its day.  Amazing.

Roman Mosaic Tile Floor

Slovenia Whirlwind

Triple Bridge in Ljubljana

As with most trips, we never have enough time to do all of the things we'd like to do. We've quickly learned that with Slovenia.  We only budgeted two days here and it should have been more.  We started our day in Ljubljana at the market next to the river.  For the past few years, Ljubljana has had Odprta Kuhna ("Open Kitchen") every Friday during the warm weather months where a number of local restaurants set up shop in the square and Ljublanans flock downtown to partake.  

The food choices run quite the gamut.  You can get local Thai street food to complement an octopus burger, try ice cream bombs or chocolate bon bons, savor many different local wines while eating paella, or simply have a meat extravaganza with every kind of meat cooked over open coals.  There is live music and DJs and it's a very festive atmosphere.  We had to stop by when they opened at 10:00am and the place was already hopping.  I can't imaging what the atmosphere must have been like later in the day and evening once people were off of work.

We left Slovenia and headed north to Lake Bled.  Lake Bled is a popular resort area at the foot of the Julian Alps.  We've heard how wonderful Lake Bled is and it did not disappoint. There is a walking path that circumnavigates the entire lake and plenty of places to jump in for a swim.  It was another hot day and  many folks were enjoying the cold water.  I was able to fly my drone and get a great picture showing the turquoise water and the little island in the middle with the Church of the Assumption.

Predjama Castle

We only had a short time at Bled before we had to drive south back to Croatia.  On the way, we stopped to see Predjama Castle which is partially built into a cave in the side of a mountain. The visual setting and exterior are very striking.  We decided not to tour the interior, both because of time constraints and because we'd read the interior isn't all that exciting.  The exterior however, was worth the detour. 

From there it was the final push back into Croatia.  We're spending the final days of our trip on the Istrian Peninsula, with our base in the town of Rovinj.  Slovenia was great and we need to find a way to make it back. It definitely had its own unique culture reflecting its varied historical influences.