Pula

Friday 2nd May and Saturday 3rd May

Polari & Pula, Croatia

Friday

This is such a relaxing and chilled spot, we decided to stay for another couple of nights.

Today we ventured off site to visit Pula, about an hour’s drive away.

It was hot so thankfully we had started out early. There’s an official camper parking area just outside the town by the water and the railway. There’s not a lot of shade so we were lucky finding a space near a tree.


The walk in was about 20 minutes and it wasn’t long before the amazing Colosseum came into view. Wow! One of the best preserved, smaller than the one in Rome but still huge.

We were surprised to find out Meg was allowed in, how refreshing and so we paid our €10 each for entry. One side still has the seating in place, so we sat and tried to imagine it full – 23,000 spectators – and cheering for the next show. It is still used for concerts, plays and public events.

The underground level was accessible too. Here they have displays of Amphorae – clay bottles used for oil and wine -that have been found and and an array of olive oil milling stones.

Exiting the Colosseum we carried on to the Cathedral which took us through pedestrian areas with small shops and cafes.

Arriving in the main Square we came across the Forum, another amazingly preserved building. We just love how these treasures are incorporated into everyday life. Just sitting there waiting for jaws to drop in front of it 😊.

We then went in search of a near complete mosaic. It was tucked in a back street with just one little direction sign, and appeared to be in someone’s back yard as there were gates open which also led to the back of shops and properties.

The story is that after bomb damage from WW2, the area was being cleared and the mosaic was revealed. A canopy and fence now protects it but it is open enough for you to appreciate it.

Pula is a lot bigger than we had imagined but all the things we wanted to see were very close to each other, thankfully 😁 as it was very warm.


Coming back into the little lanes from the mosaic we stopped at a small restaurant for lunch. We had a shared platter, almost like cold tapas, fried squid with greens and potatoes, while I had a side salad which was very disappointing. You can’t win them all.

After lunch we aimed for the triumphal arch and a couple of old gateways, one that had been buried under earth! Amazing really when you see it at ground level, you wonder how they actually found it. It hasn’t been relocated, just uncovered!

There is a castle, but after yesterday’s walk we didn’t fancy climbing a hill in the heat, so gave it a miss. The walk back to the van was slow as we tried to catch all the shade on the way 😁.


Thank goodness we have Aircon in the van cab. It didn’t take long for us and the van to cool down 😁.as we made our way back to the site.

Gareth went for a siesta with Meg and I went for a relax on the rocks (sounds like a cocktail 😁) and a paddle in the sea.

Another salad for dinner washed down with a couple of glasses of wine, we sat outside in the dark warmth and melted into the peace and quiet 🥰.


Saturday

Lovely and sunny again today. I took Meg for an early walk to the bakery for croissants and clocked up over 5000 steps! That’s how big this site is.

We had our first cooked breakfast/brunch today too, cooked outside on the grill, yum yum.

The rest of the day has been spent mostly lazing around, doing nothing 😁. A paddle in the sea for all of us and sitting in and out of the sun.

We’re moving on tomorrow, not sure where yet as it looks like the weather is on the turn for a bit but we’ll let you know where we end up xx


Trip Summary

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