The Istrian Peninsula

The morning light over the bay was fantastic and the occasional breaks in the clouds made me feel somewhat optimistic for the day, despite the rather dire forecast. 

It is good to be optimistic, but sadly we had a day with a lot rain, though temperatures were okay. I have to say that it did not spoil my day, but of course views of the many outlying islands would have certainly been spectacular on a clear day. This view reminded me very much of  the view of Queen Charlotte Sounds in NZ.

The drive over the mountains and through lush forests was lovely but a very windy road. I was pleased to be at the front of the bus. 

In Pula, we met up with guide Adriano, a very interesting and witty man from the area. It was fascinating to listen to the historical background of this region, which has changed nationality so frequently over the last centuries. Being so close to Italy, all signs are bilingual and apparently so is most of the population.

We were fortunate enough to view the 2000-year-old Roman Colosseum without rain. It is a really well preserved arena and very popular with tourists!

The heavens opened , a champagne shower as Adriano called it, and this drove us rapidly back to the bus and on to the city considered to be the most beautiful in Istria. It was very picturesque, even in the teeming rain!

Whilst all the other members of the group sheltered in restaurants, another passenger from NZ, Janey, and I decided that as we might only see this place once, we needed to make the most of it, and we were really rewarded for our efftorts. I guess our Kiwi training of walking through rivers paid off, as we walked along the slippery  cobbled streets with water streaming down them. Luckily, both of us could see the funny side of it!

One huge advantage was that the pretty little  narrow alleys were empty, apart from rather bored salespeople desperate to entice us out of the rain into their shops and art galleries.

Despite having been warned against the 'steep' roads up to the church on the hill, because they would be raging torrents and super slippery, we found ourselves half way up before we saw the sign to the church. For sure the stream flowing downhill was occasionally a bit deep, but we were so wet anyway, we went on. Not steep at all and a magnificent church at the top. 

We found an easier route down and with the rain easing a little, we really enjoyed the lanes and colourful houses and shops.

It was such a pity the others missed out, but I am very pleased I did not give up. I was soaked, but it had been a really enjoyable experience.

On the way home, we stopped off in the middle of an extremely fertile area of Istria, famous for truffles.

I honestly did not know much about this unbelievably expensive mushroom, but the talk we were given was very informative and extremely interesting. We learnt a lot about the training of the dogs to hunt for the truffles. Such fabulously friendly dogs. I think they were a bit bored and thrilled to see us.

We had tastings of truffle beer 🤑, then a platter of spreads and cheeses and olive oil. I can 't say it is to my taste at all. The most delicious thing we had was a scrambled egg with truffle. That was very tasty. The ice cream and truffle chocolate were not for me either, but it was fun trying everything!

Rain and cloud, but it was still a great day with heaps to learn! 

I treated myself, on my return to the hotel, to a spa on the fourth floor terrace - heavenly!