Crossroads of Adriatic Day 12
Crossroads of Adriatic
May 11, 2007 - Friday - Explore Istrian Peninsula-Tour & Free Time in Pula
We began our day with a relaxed schedule. After our breakfast at 7:45 we went for a long walk along the waterfront taking photos of the once elegant old villas. The temperature was only 67° but the humidity was 74%!
We met our group at 9:00 for our journey along a natural bay on the southernmost tip of the Istrian Peninsula. This area was a part of the Roman Empire as early as 42 BC, and many remnants of Roman cities can be found along the coast and on the nearby islands.
Tammy taught us a Slovenian folk song. We tried to sign along, but it was very difficult. Along the coast we continued to see many beautiful villas, some still private homes, but many are now restaurants and hotels.
We made a 2 minute photo stop at an overlook but as it was very humid today, there was a lot of haze in the air. As we drove to Pula, Tammy explained about the fertile red soil and the incredible agriculture of the area.
At 10:45 we met Nada, our city guide in the Istrian city of Pula, which has been a strategic port since Roman times. Still in use today, the elliptical arena dominating the town center and overlooking the seacoast once accommodated up to 23,000 people for gladiator spectacles.
The amphitheater is the 6th largest and the 2nd of the best-preserved Roman amphitheaters in the world. We truly enjoyed this first stop on our tour as Nada made us feel like we were actually there during the gladiator days!
Pula is now known for its port and we walked all around the city - it was 75° and 52% humidity here in the city. As we continued our walk, Nada pointed out the architecture of the various conquering countries of Pula over the ages.
She also pointed out the best gelato in the Istrian Peninsula. Many of us stopped for a taste and she was right! We ended our tour at the Temple of Augustus which is the only thing left of the forum from the old Roman city.
We left Nada and thanked her for doing such an excellent job. We have had such dynamic city guides who compliment Tammy's outstanding information as we have learned so much about this area!
After leaving Nada and our group we walked back to one of the pizza restaurants she recommended. We enjoyed the company of Clayton and Geraldine. Bob and Susan, Dan and Phyllis, and Judy and Marion soon joined us!
We had about an hour of free time so we went to the market but they were just putting their things away. We did see some very colorful fresh fruits and vegetables and gorgeous flowers. We took lots of photos, and then made our way back to meet our friends.
We met everyone back at the amphitheater at 2:30 and walked together to the bus. We took an alternate route back to our hotel going inland through farm land and small rural villages. The farmers were busy cutting hay and other field crops were lush and green.
We traveled through the Učka Tunnel which is over 3 miles long. We had an opportunity to stroll through Opatija for about 45 minutes. It is a resort town that housed the first villa and then the first hotel along this coast.
We walked along the promenade. A few people shopped but we enjoyed watching people and avoiding the vendors. We boarded the bus and left the city at 5:15.
When we arrived back at our hotel, we took a quick shower and then at 6 PM went to the main dining room for a cooking class. The manager of the hotel along with one of the chefs gave us a demonstration on how to prepare two of the dishes we had for dinner - pasta with shrimp and tomatoes and chicken fillet with honey and lemon marinade.
At 7 PM we had a small reception at the bar and then went in to dinner. A very large group of Swiss travelers were there ahead of us and it was very crowded in the buffet line and in the dining room. The food was excellent, we had another glass of wine and the dessert was a variety of sweets and ice cream.
We returned to our room a little after 8 PM to finish the journal and work on the pictures. We found out that we had walked 15.67 miles in all of our explorations today.
Hotel Park - - - Meals: B, D
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Comments
Lovran Villas on the Adriatic
Pula Roman Amphitheater
Pula City Guide - Nada
Ice Cream Stop
Fresh Fruit in the Market in Pula
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