November 7, 2009

Croatia - Day 8

More rain today. Chilly - not cold. We explored the Istrian peninsula. We visited the Italian influenced town of Rovinj, a coastal town built on land that was once an island but was connected to the mainland by a causeway in the 18th century. The town looks over the Adriatic sea and is surrounded by pine forests.The Baroque church of St. Euphemia presides over the town. A bronze statute of St. Euphemia stands on top of a tall tower on the church.

The street leading to the church is steep and windy. Numerous side alley like streets cross the main road - lots of great photo ops.

The city resembles Venice, however, there are no canals here. We ate lunch at a countryside farmhouse to taste Istrian specialties - minestrone soup, chicken and beef in tomatoe sauce served over noodles and gnocci, thick crusty bread, dessert and plenty of beer and wine.After lunch we went to the town of Pula to see the 6th largest Roman Amphitheatre in the world. It is amazingly well preserved. We even viewed the basement (previously the sewer of the Ampitheatre) which now houses many of the artifacts found from the ancient Roman city upon which Pula is built.


We had dinner at the Yacht Club near our hotel. The rain has stopped. We're hoping it will be dry tomorrow.

2 comments:

Jennifer said...

I've been checking your blog every day ... looks like an amazing place! Love the little side streets and colorful buildings.

Kristy Kiernan said...

Just caught up on all the Croatia posts. What an amazing trip! Travel safe, we miss you!