A Lazy Day in the Sun

Istria is the largest peninsula to border the Adriatic Sea and is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Kvarner Gulf. The region is shared by Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy, with almost 90% of its land mass part of Croatia. The ancient Greeks named the area by mistake, wrongly believing a branch of the Danube river (previous known as the river Ister) flowed into the Adriatic in this area. So an F for geography for the ancient Greeks.

There is a significant cultural and architectural Italian influence in the region, unsurprising, as Istria was part of the holy Roman Empire for centuries and more recently annexed by Italy for the period between the 1st and 2nd World Wars. While we have welcomed the abundance of pizzerias and trattorias for dining out, I have not found much use for my recently gained basic knowledge of the Italian language. Thankfully Google translate is on hand to assist and by combining my badly pronounced Croatian with some pointing and holding up of fingers, my cheery "dobro jutro, šest kroasana molim" did result in the requisite number of croissants for breakfast.

Today has been designated a down day by the troops, so I have revelled in the delights of an air-conditioned apartment and even found time to consult with Wikipedia over a coffee or two. I did venture out earlier to a shady spot for a game of cards and some lunch and I am now picking up some undercurrents of "get in the pool Bampa". It's hot out there but at least it's only in the low thirties....

One problem with a lazy day in the sun is that nothing much of note happens, which becomes problematic for a fledgeling blogger. So, for your sanity (and in a selfish attempt to try to retain your interest for another day) we can fast forward a pleasant walk through the village in the cool of the early evening and an excellent Italian themed dinner in one of the local restaurants. The rest of evening passed pleasantly playing games around the outside dining table and debating which of the 3 grasshoppers creeping (or is it crawling) around our feet would chase Laura inside first.Read more