Bob and Ann in the Adriatic 2012

Roman Amphitheater in Pula

We walked part way down the cobblestones of Motovun this morning, caught the local bus and then got on our bus for a tour of the Istrian Peninsula . Our first stop was in Pula where we had a local guide who lead us through the city's 1st century Roman amphitheater. She then took us on a city walk where we explored the old part of town. She said goodbye at the city's golden gate (this seems to be what the Romans called their VIP gate). Most of us walked over to the nearby market and bought fruit to snack on later in the tour. Ann and I stopped at a little cafe and ate a sandwich for lunch.

Rovinj

Back on our bus, we drove to Rovinj . This is a picturesque city that has been discovered by tourists in a big way. The merchants have discovered the tourists in a big way too. Every spare doorway and sidewalk is either a shop or a cafe. There is an interesting church, though, that is a good viewpoint on the top of the town's only hill. Rumor has it that St Euphemia was tortured on the wheel by the Romans. When she was then thrown to the lions, they refused to eat her. That makes her holy.

Ann brought her swimming gear. While she was keeping cool with her new friends in the Adriatic, I was doing laps around the town in scorching heat. We finally got out of there after spending most of the afternoon.

Garden Dinner

Dinner was at a roadside restaurant on the way back to he hotel. We sat in the garden and ate several courses while drinking lots of wine. We started with cold cuts and cheese along with toasted bread. The we had two types of pasta - one with mushrooms and one with ragu. Next we had a tossed salad. Then we were served grilled meat with potatoes. Finally we had cherry sptreudel and a shot of grappa.

We were happy when we got back to Hotel Kaštel in Motovun.

Here is a link to the photos that I took today.