Polished

Rovinj is polished. Not only are it's cobblestone streets extremely polished (and therefore extremely slippery), but its entire vacation demeanor is very polished. Rick Steves' claimed that this place wasnt a tacky tourist town, and we beg to differ a bit. We've seen some elements of just that in town. Its market is full of very aggressive olive and truffle oil hawkers, as well as people selling mugs with Beyonce or Twilight, jewelry you could find at a local Claire's or various Euro football (soccer) jerseys. Plus all of the towels, snorkel gear or hats you could need.

But in and amongst that polished Made For Tourist focus is charm and uniqueness. There are artists selling their pottery, paintings and jewelry. There are cobblestone paths to wander down, to find sleeping cats, children playing, and laundry hanging out to dry. There are a ton of beaches (or what pass as beaches in much of Croatia- nice rocks to sun on with a ladder nearby to the clear water or pebbly beaches). Tourists and Locals alike ride bikes, eat gelato, and drink Istrian wine. Rovinj is a great home base in Istria, as long as you've got good shoes to navigate the slippery cobblestones.

On our day trip to Pula, we saw the closest thing to the Coliseum outside of Rome. A full sized, authentic amphitheater from 50 AD. Think gladiators and togas (dating from when Istria was an important part of the Roman empire). Unfortunately, most of the interior stones were taken after Rome fell for use in foundations of new homes around town, but the exterior is remarkably intact. What I found the coolest the part of the amphitheater is that it's still used for concerts and events today. THey had to stop the rock concerts (since the vibrations were causing damage to the structure), but it's still used for things like the upcoming Film Festival, Tom Jones concert, and orchestra performances. What a venue.

Exploring the Hill towns of Istria tomorrow and sadly saying goodbye to the Adriatic Sea (my new favorite sea). Then off to Lake Bled in the Slovenian Alps, where it should luckily cool off a bit but unluckily rain while we're there. Boo. Guess we will find out what there is to do in an outdoor paradise in the rain.