105 Pula's hidden treasures!

Wednesday 04/07/2018 Put Danijela Tominica 11 , Lovran, 51415, Croatia

Today we are off to explore Pula...been looking forward to going to Pula..

We started out heading up the range, when I say up, I mean up... we think the Great Dividing Range is Big it’s a baby compared to the ranges in Croatia and Montenegro..so u, u, up we went..... unreal the hairpins.... trying manoeuvre the bends with on coming traffic is fun...not... but the views when you could see them are just amazing over the bay... not too many houses didn’t have a magnificent view over the bay we can see.... fantastic scenery that’s for sure....

So onto Pula on the unreal Hwy that they have, huge bridges, huge tunnels, everything so new and so well done..it all comes at a cost of course at the toll booth... but t be honest for the ease of such fantastic roads it’s worth it..l

Pula is another one of the ancient cities with Roman Ruins... driving in I t dies feel that big actually, but we are expecting to be over run by tourist and again I think we were very fortunate that we are at the beginning of the season... there were. A good amount but it was easy to get around and not be over run by tour groups and 1,000 of tourist...

We arrived and parked right in front of the Amphitheatre... getting there early mean 2 things not many around bonus and it wasn’t open,but to be honest you could pretty much see most of it from outside... so once it did open we opted not to go in... we had by now had an appt with Macca again getting to be a habit... had a quick look at some of the streets then headed back to the car to move it to somewhere cheaper.... pretty xxxy where we had parked in front of the Amphitheatre...

Then off we set again to explore around the town... Alleys, Roman Forum, Towers, ancient church’s, the harbour, then lastly the Fortress we thought... until we could see a smaller Roman Amphitheatre below the fortress... John had been watching the guys doing excavation on it little bit by little bit... not in a hurry to get the job done by any means...

All very interesting all easy to get around and see, Pula old town is not that big..
We accidentally found the Markets after we had, had our lunch... we had gone to see Macca again, but he was indisposed with heaps and heaps of people no room at that inn that’s for sure... So we headed up the main shopping area and had a Pizza... they are ok but nothing amazing a bit tasteless... anyway the Markets were just shitting up as we arrived such a shame..much to John’s delight...l

We wandered back to the car via other streets, the doors here like Rijeka are unreal... I must have snapped over 50 or more...did put any up, I think people are over my doors... but I did get some beauties...

Into the car then off to find some Forts... we could see them on the map from the tourist info centre, now had to find them... the first one was fairly easy. The 2nd much more of a challenge... finding the first one Fort Punto Christo... like finding a movie set... it was all locked up, but we found a gate unlocked so we went in only a little way... I was scared stuff there might be a guard dog in the premises... I don’t know why I thought this but I did..it’s very run down and a lot has vines growing all over it... but a lot of useable area has had restaurants set up kind if in them, pretty rough restaurants, but signs, temporary fences around them, gear every where, quite a mishmash of stuff everywhere..not being game to go too far it did look huge... we walked around it... honestly you could put a movie production here and it wouldn’t need anything to make it look like a lost castle in the jungle... I just loved the whole idea of it all... such a shame it’s not open to the public, it is just awesome....

Then onto Fort Grosso...looking at the map there are about 10or more forts in the area... what a shame we don’t have time to find them all.... we had enough trouble finding this 2nd one it was up a dirt track our poor little car didn’t really like at all... but again what a hidden treasure... it is in much worse condition than the first fort... looks like someone had started doing work to it structure as it crumbling, steps put in and a few areas to make it a little safer... but then stopped... it, also has next to it a Armed Forces building in a bunker into a grassed mound... you could here the aircon going... a bit weird next to a crumbling fort that looks more like a castle... up a very rough dirt track.... anyway we looked around it for a bit just us again like the last one, very exciting exploring these hidden treasures....

Well time to head home, but via as much of the coast as we could... views when seen unreal.... villages here there and everywhere... we found one village that had been abandoned a few years back, but now has people taking over the old homes... many have no roofs or are crumbling, in little alleys here and there... another interesting treasure to find... below the township, way below is a massive coal fired power station and a huge port... very interesting as well...

Up the road was a hotel over looking the bay... the views were astounding... The Croatian coastline is just amazing... rarely any sand but the rocks and pebbles make the water colour even prettier without the sand being stirred up... then we followed the coastline back just beautiful...

I had a ball today looking and finding these out of way abandoned places...
But at the same time very sad to see them falling into disrepair as I know without a shadow of doubt if they were in better shape and opened to the public,there would be heaps visiting them.... so many Aussies are in awe of stuff like this centuries old not 100’s of years.....Great day finished by a leftovers dinner....Read more