Pula is quite a surprise. After all the places we’ve seen each with some historical influences from the Ancient Greeks, the Romans, the Venetians, the Turks and all the others, Pula has about the complete set.
A little like Nafplio in Greece, the marina is on the waterfront which it shares with larger commercial traffic. The part of town overlooking the water is not anything special but literally go one block back and it’s a completely different place.
The most obvious feature (which you cam actually see from part of the marina) is the Roman amphitheater.
This is among the six largest Roman amphitheaters in the world and is rare because of the degree to which the original plan and construction is still intact. The town and its Roman ruins date from the time after the death of Julius Caesar when the Roman empire was in some turmoil. (Time to dig out the Shakespeare again!)
For you Monty Python fans, “What have the Romans ever done for us?” In Pula the answer was, as in the TV show, a water supply, a sewage system, roads and city gates. And for you Eddie Izzard fans, “We’re the Romans”, Pula sheds absolutely no light at all on what Latin sounded like.
After the Roman empire eventually broke up and following a confusing period in the middle ages, the void was filled by the Venetians in 1331 and they would rule the city until 1797. The Communal Palace is probably the most notable building of this period.
The main streets are very much as they were in Venetian times.
Tourists are everywhere and the town has a very cosmopolitan atmosphere that in some places is quite reminiscent of Paris. The long ties with Italy mean that Istria is officially bilingual with every citizen having the right to use either Italian or Croatian in official communications. This is a very different Croatia than the areas to the south.
One thing we haven't commented on up till now is the consumption of ice cream (or "sladoled" as it is in Croatian - not the best word from a marketing perspective). There are ice cream shops everywhere and Croatians consume it with a fervor that is daunting. Almost half of the people you walk by are eating it. This may have something to do with the fact that almost half of the people you walk by are really quite fat. I don't know if this is a post-Communist phenomenon or if the sweet tooth is genetic. As with most good things that come from Italy, moderation is advisable.
While we are on the subject of food, those of you who have been paying close attention will recall Lori's quest for her morning pastries. This has been a good place with a fine bakery across the road from the marina.
This is what a pastry looks like ....... And, yes, it is filled with meat!
Another situation where moderation is seriously in order.
The thunderstorms finally caught up with us this evening but we were safely tucked in to the harbor and it was not really a big event.