SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, MARCH 5-6, 2011. It’s only been a week since we left home, and feels much longer to me. No travel plans for the weekend. We really need to catch up on several nights of lost sleep.
The bora wind is still gone. It’s a little windy, but nothing like the first day we were here so we are thankful for that.
After a leisurely breakfast, we took our map of Pula and began to explore our new world. The main objective was to find the bank we had to use per the Embassy’s instructions. How delighted we were to so easily find the bank. Sometimes maps can be your friend. It’s the little things that help make our day a good day! We were placed with someone at the bank who had excellent English and managed to open an account without any problems. Now, let’s see where the PIN notification is sent. It’s supposed to be sent to our Pula address, not our Oklahoma address. Once we get the PIN, we go back to the bank to pick up the bank cards.
On our way to the bank, we stumbled upon . . . McDonald’s! Again, it’s the little things that make your day. We don’t plan on going to McDonald’s very often, but it is nice to see something familiar from back home and to know it’s there.
We found several grocers, a huge farmer’s market, post office, many banks and bakeries and restaurants and coffee bars, several smaller grocers, clothing stores, perfume stores, jewelry stores, etc. Our apt. is near the city center so we are able to walk to everything we need. Steve can even walk to work.
Steve managed to get several hours of work done at the apt. So he’s feeling better about the upcoming week.
MONDAY, MARCH 7, 2011. Spent the day “taking it easy,” and working on the computer. Shopped for a few things for the apt. and had a delicious lunch at a nearby restaurant, Vodnjanka. Steve had grilled squid (He’s more adventurous in his food choices than I am.) I chose ravioli with Istrian cattle. It turned out to be ravioli stuffed with cheese surrounded with very tender beef chunks and lots of gravy. We both enjoyed our meal. We also ordered a salad. We’ve already learned that you only need to order one salad or one side dish of vegetables. It’s plenty for 2 and it’s okay to share!
Pula is on the Istria peninsula of Croatia and this area is noted for several special foods and wines so we’re looking forward to checking it all out!
Steve worked on things for the university and I began typing this travel log. Whew! I’m finally caught up with my travel journal. Now to find a place to post it on the web.
The apt. has an internet connection but it’s not wireless so only one of us can use it at a time. And it’s a little moody…disconnects for no reason and have to reset the modem and begin the log on procedure all over. We’re happy we’ve figured out this peculiarity and are able to use the internet at “home.”
TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2011. Steve is at the university this morning and I’m figuring out the washing machine. So many choices, and all in Croatian! But it looks like everything is working as it should. No dryer so just have use the clothes rack to air dry everything. That means I can only do one load a day instead of getting it all done at once. The washing machine takes over an hour to wash one load, and everything looks clean – so it’s all good! Not sure how it will all work when I wash the sheets – the drying rack isn’t that big…
Television: Yes, there is satellite TV at the apt. And, yes, all the stations except one are not in English. CNN International is in English so at least we’ll be able to keep up with what’s going on in the world. Lots of German and Austrian stations along with the Croatian ones. A few radio stations from the satellite play songs, one in English but all the talk is in a different language. So, we have music and news to entertain us when we’re at the apt.!
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2011. Sunny and 46 degrees at 2:00 PM. Cold wind but not as bad as the bora our first day here. Just went to the market and got a few fruits and veggies for the next few days here at the apt. Working on laundry again; will probably have to do a load several days in a row to keep us in clean clothes. Each load has to be air dried. Not looking forward to washing the sheets and towels; will have to figure out some way to “hang” the sheets to dry! No room on the drying rack for sheets.
THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2011. Today is our 32nd Anniversary. Hooray for us! We celebrated by going to the Kantina Bar and Restaurant for dinner. The bar is on the street level and the restaurant has a modern atmosphere in the old cellar of the Austro-Hungarian villa from the 19th century in the middle of the city center. Really neat stone walls and arches with modern dining furniture with table clothes, etc. We both enjoyed our meals and the setting.
FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2011. I spent today at the apt. catching up on laundry and ironing – just being lazy and not going out today.
SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2011. Today we went exploring again around the city center. We found another bakery (pekara) and bought a delicious looking loaf of dark bread – we’re hoping it will be lower in carbs than white bread; also went to a different neighborhood grocery story and was pleasantly surprised at the variety here too. Took our “loot” back to the apt., grabbed the camera and off we went to the city center. Our goal today was to find the cinema and return to the Roman Amphitheater and go inside it today. Got lucky and found the cinema without any problems. They do show American films along with films in other languages so we are happy about that! Got a slice of pizza and a sandwich at a bakery, ate them in a sunny spot and then on to the Amphitheater.
Through the eyes of a Christian American: I have to admit it was kind of weird going into this huge, ancient structure knowing gladiators and Christians were killed here. This Amphitheater in Pula was built when Jesus was living here on earth…just to put this into perspective. It’s amazing that the structures built so long ago by the Romans are still standing and being used today. This one has added a light and sound system and is used for outdoor concerts. Sting has performed here.
At the Green Market, we bought some fresh fruit and veggies. They sure taste very fresh here and we enjoy them a lot. The market is open every day and really busy on Saturday. Not sure if it’s open on Sunday. All along the city center are coffee bars and small eateries. Most people sit outside to drink their coffee. It’s nice in the sun but still a little cool if you can’t find a sunny table.
We’ve been walking and gawking for several hours now. It’s time for a coffee break at one of those sunny tables and then back to the apt. Our feet are tired! And Steve has some work to do.
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