Pula, Croatia

We slept in. I needed it since I couldn’t sleep until 1:20am. Yikes! I think this is the trickiest time I’ve had with jet lag. We were on our drive by 10:15 and enjoyed wandering through the Croatian hillsides on our drive to Istria. So many cows, sheep and goats grazing in large green hilly fields. Little orange-roofed homes in every direction decorated with flowers on balconys and door side pots. I had to remind myself I was in Croatia because it could have been any European country. It especially reminded me of Italy and Germany.

We read scriptures together, read a few of our modern manners for missionaries book (We’re doing four mini lessons every day as we travel) and then spent time planning out our day and future days as well.

Our first stop was Pula, a big city on the southern coast of the arrowhead-shaped Istrian Peninsula. The peninsula, which sits at the top West corner of Croatia, is filled with Roman ruins, striking hill tows, quaint coastal villages and breezy Italianate culture. Pula is a bit less romantic and more urban — but we decided to stop and see it’s most impressive feature, the Colosseum.

Chris and Luke found a place to park the car while Matt and I found a pharmacy for a few needed items and then went in search of food. We landed on these big delicious sandwiches and started eating in the shaded balcony and then decided to walk down the main street to start out sight-seeing. Out of nowhere this big bird flew right past Chris’ right shoulder, hitting it with great force and snatching a massive bite of sandwich right out of Chris’ hand. It was CRAZY!!

The Arch of Sergius

The Forum

Chris and the boys in front of the Temple of Augustus with 8/10 gelato from a shop in town. I got Lemon pie gelato and it was delicious.

The Colosseum

Of the dozens of amphitheaters left around Europe and North Africa by Roman engineers, Pula’s is the sixth-largest and one of the best preserved anywhere.

 

I asked everyone to give me their five memorable words/phrases to describe Pula:

  • Chris: frustrating parking, bird attack, circular, Romanesque

  • Lisa: makeup, bird attack, lemon pie gelato, lavender, colosseum

  • Luke: busy parking, gojo glasses, bird attack, amphitheater

  • Matt: long drive, gojo glasses, bird attack, amazing banana gelato, mini collesseum

Lisa JohnsonComment