Monday
We opted to stay in Rovinj today in order to get some down time. We slept in and then wandered down the hill to Old Town Rovinj. Rovinj is a popular tourist destination for the summer months, but it is very quiet in mid-October! The little twisty streets and narrow alleys of Old Town felt so empty without a lot of people. It was nice and I was able to get a lot of lovely photos of the streets without tourists everywhere. Granted we’re tourists too, we just are traveling in shoulder season … which is awesome!
We did the short walking tour in our Rick Steve’s guide book before looking at some of the little artist shops in town. We also stopped at the market and picked up some dried figs (a new favorite of Kamy’s) and dried apricots. Both kids picked out watercolor prints as souvenirs and we climbed to the top of the bell tower.
We visited the church on the top of the hill and the kids and I climbed the bell tower. The stairs were a bit scary! Lots of daylight between the risers and narrow steps. We all survived though and had a lovely view of the city and harbor.
We ate lunch a bit out of town along the coast line, but the food was just mediocre. We weren’t impressed.
At the apartment, Keller started work and we did some quiet time. After quiet time, the kids and I walked down to the coastline. It wasn’t particularly warm, only about 70*, so I told the kids not to wear their swimsuits. We walked down the gravel road to the forest and then down to the beach.
What did I know, apparently it wasn’t too cold for motivated kids! 😉 They spent the next two hours climbing all over the big rocks along the shore — watching for crabs and creating games. I told them they could take off their shoes and pants. It wasn’t busy so no one could be offended. LOL!
Kamy and Caden were the only ones in the water, as far as the eye could see. It was so peaceful and the kids had a blast playing in the water. Caden fell at one point and ended up with wet undies and Kamy accidentally dipped the tail of her dress in the water, so they were both a bit wet by the time we were heading home. The kids really needed the downtime and freedom to explore.
Tuesday
Today is Caden’s 7th birthday! Hooray! We gave him a couple of options for day trips and he chose to go north to Porec to visit a basilica with Roman mosaics. It is (another) UNESCO heritage site because it is one of the best examples of a religious complex that dates all the way back to the 6th century and the Byzantine empire. Multiple floor mosaics have been discovered in-situ and have been preserved in place.
For lunch Keller gave Caden a list of three restaurants to choose from. As we’re definitely in the off-season, many restaurants are not open any more and it requires some trial and error to find something good that is also open. Luckily Caden’s first pick was open. And delicious! One of Keller’s favorite dishes for the trip so far was a steak with truffle sauce. Everyone really enjoyed it and all the sauce was sopped up with bread and chicken and steak and even french fries. For dessert we picked out ice cream and then walked back to the car.
Unfortunately we ended up with a parking ticket while we were gone (and only 10 minutes before we returned). We had attempted to pay the parking meter but could NOT get it to work. We tried credit card and tap to pay and cash, but nothing worked. We were hoping that if the machines were broken we would not get a ticket, but alas. Apparently the credit card reader isn’t working, so to pay with cash you don’t push any buttons, nor select English, nor choose your duration, but rather start putting in kuna until you have enough time. Not that it was posted anywhere … not even in Croatian!
We went to the station to pay the ticket and were hoping they’d have mercy on us, but the recommendation was to either pay the ticket or submit a protest explaining that we tried to pay the machine but it didn’t work. Our complaint would be reviewed and then we’d know what we had to pay. But the last thing I wanted to have to worry about is an old parking ticket and figuring out how to pay it on a rental car, from Texas, in kunas. So we just paid the 100 kuna ($15) ticket.
For Caden’s birthday, we went just a little further north to the Motodrom for go karting! They had a big range of go karts, including kid sized ones. Typically the kids kart on the smaller track, but since we were the only ones there they got to drive on the big track instead! The “safety” briefing was short and sweet — “Here’s the gas, here’s the brakes, don’t push both at the same time. Good luck!” Caden got a booster insert to help him reach the pedals and both kids were wearing helmets, but otherwise they were off!
Kamy started off pretty tentative, but once she got the hang of turning in the corners, she gradually sped up and was flooring it by the end of their round! Caden started out more aggressive and stayed pretty consistent the whole time. The admission included 10 minutes of driving, which is a LONG time when it comes to karting! Caden was done at about the 8 minute mark, but he finished out one last lap at the end. Both kids had a blast and would happily do it again!
Keller took a turn on the track as well, though he said it would have been more fun if someone else was on the track at the same time.
We drove back to Rovinj and had some down time at the apartment. In the evening, the kids and I walked to a local playground for about an hour and a half. It was a pretty good size, with several climbing elements and a big slide. Kamy and Caden enjoy this down time and a chance to run and play.
Otherwise we ate dinner at home and went to bed tired. Happy birthday Mr. Caden!
Wednesday
Today we headed south to Pula! The most significant attraction in Pula is an old Roman amphitheater! It is one of the largest in the world and is only slightly smaller than the Colisseum in Rome.
The amphitheater is also complete — the walls are still standing all the way around. You can definitely see where repairs have been made, but who knows how long ago it was done. The seating sections had been plundered for building stone for centuries, but the exterior walls and one section of the seating are original. It was amazing to stand in the middle and imagine what it would have been like, full of people. We were also able to go down to some of the catacombs below the arena.
After the amphitheater, we walked down to Old Town, glanced at the former Temple to Augustus Cesar and the remnants of the Temple of Artemis, saw an old Roman mosaic floor that was discovered during construction, and went down to the ship yards. Pula is a major shipping and repair port, so there were many large container ships in port and a line of impressively large cranes.
The kids also found some extra stairs and ran to the top, “just for fun!” Apparently we haven’t worn them out yet!
We took our picnic lunch to a park just outside of town, Sijanska Forest. While finding the entrance was challenging, it was a nice park with a small playground and plenty of room for the kids to run around.
Then we drove back to Rovinj, where Keller started work and the kids did quiet time. After dinner there was still some daylight left, so the kids and I went to the playground again for an hour before dark.
Thursday
Two days left in Rovinj and we opted to spend both nearby. Thursday we walked to Old Town in order to pick up some Christmas gifts we saw on Monday. Unfortunately the store was closed, but we still had one last day to try. We walked by the playground but it was still closed (they were replacing the rubber turf with new rubber on Monday, so it was still curing).
We did not make it to this pizza place though …
Instead we walked along the coast down to Zlatni Park. We found a playground in the middle of the woods and watched the kids run around. We were the only ones there for a while but eventually a family from Switzerland (and who spoke English) arrived and the four kids played together for a while. Then we walked back to the apartment, drove to the grocery store, and then cooked lunch back at home.
In the afternoon we did some quiet time before I took the kids back down to Cuvi beach. This time they wore their swim suits and ended up thoroughly wet. They put on a “fireworks rock” show where they’d collect large rocks and then throw them into the water in tandem to make large splashes. We spent about three hours down there — I sat on a bench and read my Kindle while the kids did their thing.
Friday
Our last day in Rovinj, we walked back to Old Town and the little shop was open! We bought two Christmas presents and then ate lunch at the pizza place next door. The pizza was pretty tasty and reasonably priced — a nice combination! Then we checked out the playground and this time it WAS open! Kamy and Caden climbed around on the equipment for about 10 minutes before we headed back to the apartment.
By popular request, the kids and I returned to the beach one last time that afternoon. This is likely our last chance to be on the beach and get wet, so they definitely wanted to take advantage of the opportunity. Once more, they put on an extended “rock fireworks” show for my entertainment and then explored down along the coastline.
As night approached, we walked back to the apartment, made dinner, and then got all packed up for leaving the next day. We’d planned on a fairly early start, so the more we could do Friday night the better.
We enjoyed our time in Istria, but I think we were all about ready to move on and return to Slovenia!
Saturday
We packed up the car, said goodbye to Rovinj, and headed to the Istrian interior in the morning. Two cities were on the agenda today — Motovun and Livade. Motovun is well known for its breathtaking views and as a local source of truffles. The next town over, Livade, hosts Truffle Days each weekend in the fall, so we were hoping to combine the trips with checking out the festival.
At Motovun, we parked at the lower parking lot and then rode the shuttle bus up the hill. It was steep! From there we spent about 30 minutes walking around town (that’s all it took) and enjoying the lovely panoramic views of the mountains and valleys all around.
We had made a lunch reservation at a restaurant in Motovun, as recommended by our guide book. In theory, this was one of the best restaurants to enjoy truffles and October is the best month for white truffles in particular. The food was good, but honestly the truffle sauce in Porec was better (and cheaper!).
After Motovun we drove down the hill to Livade. We found the truffle festival as well as another little food festival going on. There was even an Oompa band playing! We sat and enjoyed the music for a bit before wandering over to the large tents. Numerous vendors were set up, selling gourmet foods. Everything from wine to sausage to honey to pasta were available. Keller bought two different sausages with truffles in it.
From Livade, we then drove north into Slovenia! We arranged for an AirBNB up in the mountains north of Ljubljana. The weather looks lovely this coming week, so we wanted to be out of town a bit but still an easy drive to the capital if we wanted to visit. We got to the town of Stiska Vas right about dark. It’s an absolutely beautiful drive up the mountain and sits in an upper valley with a commanding view! The apartment is very new and should be a good base for us.
When we arrived, the kids noticed two other kids playing outside next door. They quickly went over and made new friends! Klara is older than Kamy and speaks a little bit of English, while Rok is just a little younger than Caden and only knows Slovenian. Despite the language barrier, they were fast friends and happily played together for the next hour and a half! Keller went next door and visited with the kids’ father while I cooked dinner. Kamy and Caden are so excited to have other kids to play with! I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot of our neighbors at this apartment. =)
