Coming to the End of the Cruise

I spent the last several days hunkered in my cabin getting over whatever "thing" I had.  Last evening, for the first time in four days, I went to the main dining room for dinner and it was great to be socializing again.  I really hadn't wanted to be around people until then.  Thankfully, two of the ports I missed (Split and Hvar) were ones I already were familiar with.  I have fond memories of the 4 days I spent in Hvar in 2019 when the sky was blue and the water a crystal turquoise.  Yesterday was a very grey day there - the sky and the water - so I wasn't even tempted to get off the ship.  Unfortunately, I missed Sibenik but I didn't have much choice as I sure didn't feel up for seeing it.

Today, we are in Pula, our last port of call.  Pula, a seafront city on the tip of Croatia’s Istrian Peninsula, is known for its protected harbor, beach-lined coast and Roman ruins.  Settled in the prehistoric era and valued for its strategic location, Pula has been occupied, destroyed and rebuilt numerous times. The Romans, Ostrogoths and Venetians, as well as the Allied Forces in World War II, have each administered the city.  I had booked a walking tour for 10 am so, in spite of the rain, I decided I needed to make the effort to see this town.  We were tendered into the port and, by the time we reached the dock, it was bucketing down - not a good start to the day.  

I walked up to the amphitheatre where the tour was supposed to start.  Our guide, Sini, was very good and passionate about his town.  He explained the amphitheatre (the Arena) is a 1st-century Roman amphitheatre and the Arena is the 6th largest in the world – others include ones in Rome, Verona, Arles.  

We gradually made our way up to the fortress (Kastel).  The views from there showed clearly how Pula, unlike some of the other ports we’d visited on the Istrian Peninsula, is more industrial and much larger one.  There is a huge shipyard here and no evidence of the touristy resort coast like we have seen elsewhere.  

As we walked up the hill, I wasn’t too impressed with the look of the town.  There was lots of graffiti on cement walls and nothing charming about it.  However, as we made our way down from the fortress to the old town, there were lovely squares and pretty alleys and streets.  We stopped at Pula Cathedral, the Temple of Augusto, the Arch of Sergi, the market hall, the Gate of Hercules and the Twin Gates.  

The Cathedral

City Hall

Roman Mosaic

The Market Hall

Hercules Gate

Twin Gate

The tour took about 2 hours and our guide was very good.  I had no idea of the importance of this city to the Roman Empire as the city is full of sites from that era.  Also, I did not know the Istrian Peninsula had been bombed by the Allies during World War II.

Following the tour, I needed to get back to the ship because we disembark early in the morning and I needed to get my things packed up.  The sky looked interesting as I was doing my packing.  

Then, I headed for dinner.  One of my favourite desserts, Iles-Flottantes, was on the menu so, of course, I had to have it.  With that, my cruise is pretty much done except for the "not so fun" disembarking early tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow, I will begin the next stage of this long holiday:  two weeks on the Cote d'Azur, my favourite destination every year at this time!  This time, I will be with my neighbours (and friends) from Victoria.