Pula was a big Roman city, and there are many ruins to see throughout the old city center. We plan to walk the city and see them all today.

Lillian and I get up before the boys and go to the grocery store. What an experience! It’s very small, and we walk through it at least three times to find everything we need. Then in line to checkout, I realize everyone only has a few items. We have a huge cart full. When it’s our turn, the line builds up quickly behind us. All 8 people are exasperated. I forgot to scan and label my fruit (didn’t know to take it to the bread counter to do so). Lillian is super helpful, and we get out of there as quickly as possible. Oly congratulates us when we arrive home with food, particularly apples.

I work in the morning and then put the kids in the bath. They are happy to play in there for a long time because it’s a huge tub with bubbles. While Stefan finishes up bath time, I go on my first run in about a month. It feels so good! The weather here could not be more perfect. It’s unbelievable.

We hang laundry and the clotheslines on the balcony (love it!) and prepare sandwiches with the fresh bread, cheese and salami purchased at the store this morning. It feels good to eat at home.

After a meeting, we finally leave the apartment around 3. Our first stop is the Roman amphitheater since we can see it from our front door. It takes a few minutes to get over there, but we get stuck behind a large tour group, making us wait in the sun to buy tickets. Oyl is pretty much a vampire, and nothing puts him in a bad mood like the sun. So now we are dragging a cranky 3 year old through this beautiful amphitheater.

Massive Attack is playing a show here tonight. Stefan is pretty excited at the idea of sneaking out later and checking it out. They do sound checks that are super loud, and the kids don’t even seem to notice. All they notice is the sun. We do a quick look around, take a few pictures and go to see the exhibit underneath the amphitheater (not in the sun).

The bottom floor is where gladiators prepared for fights, but this room is now full of knick-knacks found in the area. It’s basically a lot of pots. It’s impressive, but confusing regarding the context.

We head up the hill to the next destination on Stefan’s map, but Oly is super cranky. We decide it’s best to stop and change things up. Hopefully we can get him in a better mood because we can’t walk around town like this. We sit down inside at Tappo. I order a glass of Croatian wine (really hope it’s Croatian this time), and our server excitedly brings me one of her favorites. It’s very good. We get a platter of Istrian snacks, including plums with prosciutto and a ridiculous amount of salami and hams. They are so so good. I’m glad we stopped!

With everyone more happy, we continue (or just start) our journey around Pula. There are a lot of tourists here, but nothing like what we saw in Venice. Walking down the street is still quite manageable.

We go underground into a network of caves/walkways that were built before WWI, called Zerostrasse. I expect interesting graffiti from people seeking shelter back then, but instead there are just some strange posters explaining different parts of Istrian history (in Croatian). It’s still a very cool experience. In the very center lies a small wine shop with free tastings of Istrian wine. The boy working is not enthusiastic about his job, and the wine is terrible. There is no spill jar, so we are forced to finish is up.

//Stefan Note: paying tribute to the new great King Augustus Gustaf at his temple

Emerging from the labrynth, we walk to the Temple of Augustus, another Roman site built in the 1st century. It’s amazing. The kids have a lot of fun playing here. They pretend to be statues, they pretend to be runway models, then they just want to jump of super high ledges trusting we’ll catch them.

We walk down a main shopping street until we reach another gateway, this one dedicated to some old Roman emperor who walked beneath it. 

We stop in a square and let the kids pick out glitter tattoos. Lillian gets a cupcake in red and blue and Oly picks a dinosaur in dark blue. They get them on their arms and wear them proudly all night.

The Hercules Gate, another ancient Roman ruin, is in front of a modern bar. You could almost miss it because it’s so well incorporated into the city.

Dinner is on the patio at Kantina. The kids get local pasta dishes, and Stefan and I share a steak and sea bass. The ravioli surprises us with a dill sauce the boys love. The Istrian handmade pasta is a little heavy but tasty. The Istrian wine is the winner though. Our server recommends it, and he is spot on.

When it’s time to leave, our server brings us two traditional plum schnapps. He’s disappointed we don’t drink all of them and wants an explanation. We chat and he tells us where we should spend the day tomorrow: a nature preserve with amazing beaches. He says it’s his favorite place. So obviously we’re going. If we aren’t going to drink his schnapps, at least we can take his beach day recommendation.

//Stefan Note: this is the twin gate, which was cool, one side was a lot thinner though.

On the way home, we pass the twin gates, which we saw earlier, but this time I snap a photo. Another Roman ruin. This city is incredible. The amphitheater looks amazing at night, with lights inside pulsing to the beat of techno music.