17/09/2008
This morning we caught the local bus to Pula. An interesting ride, as we pulled into all the little villages along the way and got a glimpse of everyday life of the people.
Our audio guide tour of the amphitheatre said it was built the same time as the Colloseum but is in better condition . It is a fully intact mini Colosseum which is pretty impressive. The night before Il Divo were being filmed for a DVD in the amphitheatre and the equipment was still there. The roady was packing up and was getting quite frustrated with the locals who weren't taking much notice of his instructions on how the lighting was to be packed and hauling it about there own way.
After the amphitheatre we strolled the circular Old Town which has a roman arch entryway constructed by a woman which was unusual for those times. Michaelangelo lived in Pula for a time and believed it to be the most beautiful roman arch he had seen. We were lucky enough to find a mosaic floor which we beat the tourist groups to - we had it to ourselves.
We got back to Rovinj and I organised by phone our next lot of accomodation in Split with my new best friend, Thomas who sounded very happy to hear from me but not so happy we were arriving at 6am, so is going to leave a door unlocked and the key strategically placed.
The afternoon we spent sauntering around town and enjoyed a coffee at a cafe overlooking the harbour and watched the antics going on between a restaurateur and chef next door. We have learnt not to ask for anything fancy just white coffee and you will get a nice cupaccino.

7pm we were on the bus to Split. Even though it was dark the trip was very spectacular as we travelled the coast road often on a high precipice overlooking well lit coastal towns. It gave the impression you were soaring overhead like an eagle, looking down on a fairyland. It was absolutely breathtaking. I would love to re-live the experience in daylight.
We slept sparodically and would wake to another interesting sight - like an industrial complex at the end of a valley or when we stopped at a town. It was a local bus run so there were lots of stops.
On the bus our el-cheapo fleecy jackets were so versatile, turning int a comfy pillow. After some experimentation, I zipped mine up, then rolled it into a sausage shape and wrapped it around my neck so when my head dropped over to one side I had a cosy cushion. It turned out to be most comfortable.
I awoke a couple of times to find this helmeted head next to me... Bob had pulled half of his over his face to stop the light shining into his eyes.... looked very strange but did the trick!