was awakened by the church bell ringing 23:45, then midnight, then 0;15 ... and so it went on thru the night, every quarter hour!
We left Piran at 08;00 as we had a full day in Istria. We proceeded shortly across the border into Croatia - both Slovene and Croatian agents came aboard in turn to check our passports.
Our first stop was Poreč, a pretty seaside town dating back to the Roman period. The main purpose here was to walk through the ancient narrow lanes and visit the Euphrasian Basilica. This church houses some of the finest Byzantine mosaics in the world, comparable to those in Ravenna. The Basilica is listed among many others a protected UNESCO World Heritage site.
We then continued to the historic town of Rovinj where we visited the church of St. Euphemia and had lunch on the harbour.
Our next stop was in Pula to visit the Roman amphitheater, the 6th largest and best preserved. The amphitheater was designed to host gladiatorial contests and could accommodate up to 22,000 spectators.
We finished our day at 18:30 in Opatija, the oldest established and still one of the most popular Croatian resorts. The first villa was built here in 1844, and after a visit by the trend-setting wife of the Austrian Emperor (Sissi), the town was promoted as a handy health resort for aristocratic Austrians.
We stayed at the Hotel Bristol, a typical beautiful Belle Epoque resort hotel and had supper at a nearby restaurant with most choosing the fresh hake.
-- Post From My iPhone
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