Day 17 - Pula

The worst of the storm seems to have passed so we made a plan to take a trip into Pula for the day (the largest Istrian city, on the southern tip of the peninsula and famous for its Roman ruins). After breakfast at the hotel, we boarded the ferry across to Rovinj and organised an Uber for the 40 minute drive into Pula. Our driver was a very friendly chap who turned out to be an excellent tour guide and gave us some restaurant recommendations for lunch (always good to get a heads-up for places to eat from the locals), We got dropped off in Pula and headed straight for the ruins of the Roman amphitheater in the middle of the city (a centuries old arena that was built between 27BC and 68AD). To visit something that old is extraordinary - the history is so ancient that it’s a bit difficult to fully comprehend. And, it’s apparently still used for hosting large concerts - Simple Minds, Duran Duran, Andrea Bocelli, and Lenny Kravitz have all played there this year. This structure that dates back to the time of Julius Caesar is right in the middle of the city and everyone just lives with it and uses it every day. After soaking in some Roman history, we followed the Uber driver’s advice and had lunch at the restaurant which we’d been told has some of the best pizzas around. He was right and I think I ate way too much again. To try and walk off some of the food, we had a wander around the city and came across more ancient artefacts - an old Roman Forum that been discovered by a well known Croatian archeologist and turned into a small museum. Two euros to get in and take a look at some amazing granite sculptures and carvings that date back to the beginning of the first century. Extraordinary that anyone can go in and touch two thousand years of art history. Nobody felt much like eating more after getting back to the island so we had a few drinks on the balcony and made it an early night. Sleeping with the windows open and the sound of the sea feels almost like home - except for the rock hard bed which seems to be the standard in Croatia!

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