Croatia

Krk is an island in Croatia. It is one of the largest one in that country. It is connected to the mainland via a long concrete bridge since 1980.

I went on holiday on this island twice and precisely in Punat both times.

I travelled by coach to Punat. I went to Rijeka from Trieste (IT) by direct coach. I took another one from Rijeka to Punat. If I remember correctly, the journey from Rijeka to Punat should takes around 1.30 hours. I suppose Punat is one of the latest stops on Krk Island if not the last.

There are many buses from Rijeka to Krk Island every day. They stop at various villages on the island.

It is also possible to go to this island by airplane from various countries. In fact there is an airport there. It is named Rijeka Airport and it is located close to the town of Omisalij.

Krk Town is located on the south west coast of the island. It has a nice waterfront with several restaurants and cafes.

Getting lost is a thing to do in Krk Town. This is a way to discover several nice things, as old houses, cafes, restaurants and a small park overlooking the sea.

One of the main sights of the town is the cathedral that forms a complex with the church of Saint Quirinus.

The church of Saint Quirinus has a bell tower with an angel playing a trumpet on the top. Inside there is an exibition of sacred art. You have to climb some stairs to go inside.

After your visit, you pass through a door and go downstairs where you get inside the cathedral. This was built in 1188 where there had been a V century basilica. This had been built on the site of a Roman spa.

Vela Placa; one of the squares in Krk Town has a Medieval tower with a clock built in the XVI century and an ancient well.

As I have already said, Punat was my base both times I was on the island.

In my opinion the main reason to visit Punat is to take a boat to Kosljun Island. On this islet there is a Franciscan monastery. It was founded in 1447.

Kosljun Island is a very green area with several paths and chapels. It is a kind of little forest.

On this island you can visit a church which was built on the ruins of a Benedictine church. Moreover there is a museum of ethnography, a collection of paintings and a small archaeological museum.

At the museum of ethnography.

Baska is a large village situated on the southern part of the island.

One of the main reasons to visit Baska is to spend some time on its long beach. It is a beach with peebles and sand named Vela Plaza. Along the waterfront there are lots of restaurants, cafes, ice cream parlours and souvenirs stalls.

There is a small ethnoghraphic museum in Baska. I didn' t find it very interesting. It takes around twenty minutes to visit it. It is quite small. The entry fee is only some kunas.

Baska.

Vrbnik is a beautiful village on a hill. It is situated on a 49 meters high rock overlooking the sea; on the north - east coast of the island.

This is a small village with old stone houses where you can get lost strolling along several narrow cobbled streets.

Vrbnik has some shops, restaurants and cafes. There are some beaches nearby.

You can go to Vrbnik by bus. Unfortunately only a few of them operate every day either from Krk Town or from Punat.

I booked my room (twice) at Hotel Omorika in Punat. It is a quite large hotel situated some meters from the sea. It has a garden with a playground area for kids and a big terrace. It is not far from the main bus stop.

Here they served beakfast and dinner buffet style. I have to say I was really satisfied about the food at the hotel.

I had lunch at Cafe bar Bistro twice. Both times I had some very good palacinke Riva. These are three crepes with finely grounded nuts, ice cream, some liquid chocolate and whipped cream. It is a complete meal in my opinion.

Here you can also have pasta (noodles), njoki (dumplings) and various fish and meat dishes. I had a taste of njoki with gorgorzola cheese as well. These were really good.

Cafe bar Bistro has also an outdoor area to enjoy your lunch, if the weather is fine. This restaurant is located in Punat; near the sea and not too far from hotel Omorika.

Vodnjan is a large village worth a visit. It is around ten kilometers far from from Pula. The journey from Porec to Vodnjan by bus should takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Vodnjan is famous for the mummies. In fact its main church; Saint Blaise church houses some mummified corpses and part of bodies of saints.

These saints failed to decompose throught the centuries for unknown reasons. This church also has a quite large museum with lots of saints' relics and various religious artifacts.

This village has a beautiful main square with a reddish city hall built in 1911 and a maze of very old cobbled streets.

Unfortunately the day I visited Vodnjan the weather was not fine. I enjoyed this village anyway.

Pula is the largest town in Istria. It is located at the southern tip of the peninsula. It is well known for its Roman monuments.

Here you can see a huge amphitheater constructed between 27 B. C. and 68 A. D. Picture courtesy of Margaret van Nierop from NL.

There are some Roman arches in Pula. This is the arch of the Sergii. It dates to the 1th century A. C. It is located at the beginning of a street named Sergievaca.

This beautiful Roman mosaic is hidden into a modern building, but it is not far from the Sergievaca.

This is Pula' s town hall.

A mermaid on the town hall?

This the temple of Augustus. It was built between 2 B. C. and 14 A. C.

This church is the chapel of Saint Mary Formosa. It was part of a Benedictine monastery together with another chapel.

Pula is a good place for shopaholics. It has great choice of shops.

You can do a day trip from Porec to Pula. The journey from Porec to Pula by bus should last around 1.30 hours.

Porec is a nice town on the west coast of the Istrian peninsula; in Croatia. I have visited it some times.

I went to Porec from Trieste (IT) by coach.

The bus station in Porec is situated around 500 meters from the old town' s center. Let' s say it is ten minutes by foot. Here you can find a cafe, a bakery, a tobacconist kiosk and the toilettes.

You can go from Porec to various destinations in Croatia, Slovenia and other places; by bus.

The main street in Porec; Dekumanska ulica was also the main road during Roman times. It runs from east to west through the center of the old town.

It is a car free street with lots of shops and several cafes.

At the beginning of Dekumanska ulica you see a pentagonal tower. It dates back to the 1447. It is used as a venue for art exibitions.On this street you shouldn' t miss a Gothic palace built in the XV century and the museum inside Sincic Palace (XVIII century). Unfortunately it was closed last time I visited Porec.

The Euphrasian basilica is the main sight in Porec.

The basilica is the third church that was built on this site between the 4th and the 6th century. The first church was dedicated to Saint Maurus and dated back to the second half of the 4th century.

The present church was built by bishop Euphrasius in the 6th century.

Inside you can admire several mosaics around the apse. They depict Christ with the Apostles. The Virgin and Jesus child; twelve female saints. Saints Maurus, saint Euphrasius and other saints.

The church is part of a complex that includes a courtyard, the baptistery, the bell tower, and the bishop palace. This palace was built in the 6th century and houses a collections of religious artefacts.

Under the palace various mosaics and Roman remains are stored.

The complex also includes what remains of the previous churches; a large floor mosaic of the first one and various stone walls.

Landscape from the bell tower.

The so - called Romanesque house is a simple stone building. It was built in the 13th century and restored various times through the centuries. Until the end of XXII it was part of a palace destroyed during the war.

I have read it should house a museum and an exposition hall, I suppose this could be on the first floor. Unfortunately I found it always closed.

On the basement floor there is a souvenir shop is my memory serves me well.

The tourist train runs through a wood. While travelling you can see part of Porec from afar, lot of vegetation, some beaches and hotels.

It stops at three places; Brolo, Plava Laguna and Zelena Laguna. The journey takes around 35 minutes (one way).

This train departs from the edge of the wood Naftaplin; near the Marina. I think it operates from april until september. You can buy your ticket from the driver.

Hotel Porec is a good budget hotel. I have been there some times. It is situated some meters from the bus station.

I was always given a nice room with bathroom en suite.

The hotel has a two common areas where you can sit to relax after a long walk or after a day trip.

The breakfast was buffet style and there was a good choice of food. Bread, cheese, ham, eggs, fruits and other things. You could get coffee and cappuccino from a machine. These were quite good.

The dinner isn' t buffet style when there aren' t many guests at the hotel. Anyway I liked much the food I had.

Pizzeria -restaurant Nono is my favourite restaurant in Porec. It serves a good choice of pizzas, pasta, gnocchi (dumplings) and second courses, as fish or meat dishes.

Here they serve two sizes of pizzas. The small and the medium one. The small pizza is quite large; the medium one is extremely large.

Rovinj is a picturesque town some kilometers far from Porec. Its old core is located on a peninsula that was once an island. It is a popular tourist resort with plenty of accomodations, restaurants, cafes and shops.

There are daily buses from Porec to Rovinj and vice versa. Unfortunately on sundays less buses operate than the other days.

Rovinj is overlooked by the cathedral of Saint Euphemia; built in 1736 and located on the highest point of the town.

Rovinj' s main street. Carera ulica.

The basilica of Saint Euphemia is a Baroque church built in 1736 over the remains of older churches.

Saint Euphemia is Rovinj' s patron saint. Its relics are preserved in a sarcophagus behind the church' s main altar (on the right).

Eufemia was a young girl who lived in Chalcedon, in Asia Minor, and was devoted to Christianity. She didn' t want to give it up, so she was captured, tortured and thrown to lions who killed her but didn ' t eat her. Her body was kept in a sarcophagus in Constantinople until 800 A. D. 

The legend say that this sarcophagus with the saint' s remains floated on the seas all the way until Rovinj, where a small boy with the help of two cows managed to get the sarcophagus up the hill.

After the visit to the church you can go up the bell tower to enjoy the landscape over the town. The bell tower resembles Saint Mark's in Venice.

Another thing to do in Rovinj besides a visit to Saint Euphemia church and to a couple of museums (which I didn' t visit...) is taking a stroll along the narrow cobbled streets of the old town.

The streets in the old core are lined with lots of tall houses. Some are restored and other are dilapidated. In the old core there is a good choice of shops, restaurants and cafes.

Strolling in the old core you will almost surely get to the Grisia ulica. This is the street that runs from the Balbi arch to Saint Euphemia church. It is a long street lined with lots of shops and art galleries.

In this picture you see my mother on Grisia street.

The local outdoor market is not far from Tito trg; Rovinj's main square. It is in operation every day; even on sundays, in the morning.

Here you can find fruit, vegetables, typical spirits and honey. There is a spot where they sell souvenirs as well. I have read somewhere on the web that fish and meat are sold at some shops bordering the market.

So if you have to prepare your meal or if you like to buy some fruit or something else; this is a place to visit.

If you are not very hungry or it is too hot to have lunch; you could have a good ice cream. I did it twice in Rovinj. Both times I went to bar Sport. It is a cafe where you can have some good scoops of ice cream.

At bar Sport they have various ice cream flavours to choose from.