Rovinj is a gorgeous fishing town, set on the west coast of the Istrian Peninsula, in Croatia. The old town in particular, is a labyrinth of narrow cobblestoned streets and colourful buildings dating back to the middle ages.
Despite being one of my favourite places on the planet, it didn't begin that way.
Apartment Horribilis
The old town of Rovinj is essentially vehicle free, so getting to our apartment was challenging, and a little unorthodox. By that I mean, the way our host arrived on a bicycle and bypassed the boom gates that restrict traffic, from the inside.
After following him for a few hundred metres, he and Avon (my partner) left with our luggage and made their way to the apartment, while I continued through the old town to locate a car park.
When I finally arrived back at the apartment, Avon declared "you're not going to like it", before I had even entered. Now, she is not beyond these kind of mind games to throw me off guard, when in fact the opposite is true. This was not one of those times.
Suffice to say that Avon was in tears, and I was, well… disappointed. Remarkably, on New Years Eve, we found another apartment and never looked back.
Old Town
The next day we headed off exploring this gorgeous town, meandering the romantic alleyways, sampling the local fare, and enjoyed some mulled wine at one of the few Christmas Market stalls.
Along the way, while tucking into a local specialty pastry, Avon was mugged by a thieving tag team of Croatian gulls, like a horrifying scene from The Birds... but funnier.
Apparently, this is not uncommon in Rovinj, though it didn't happen to me. Hmmm.
We circumnavigated the historic old town, and then climbed to the highest point of the headland, where the 18th century Church of St. Euphemia stands, overlooking the Adriatic sea.
On the eve of New Years Eve, Rovinj treated us to a surprise live performance by Le Monde Band. I say surprise, because we weren't really expecting much, and judging by the crowd, neither was anyone else.
Le Monde is a cover band, with a huge repertoire of music that bridged the geographic divide, even managing a Men at Work Cover. Very happy Australians.
That night we dined at Santa Roma, which did not have a free table when we lobbed. The host suggested we wait outside, where there is space for alfresco dining. Just in case you missed it - it's Winter and it's cold. But she did sweeten the deal with a complimentary shot of slivovitz to warm us up. It was Avon's first ever plum brandy experience and coined the phrase "Slivovitz Face". You know the face I'm talking about - now it has a name.
Day Trip
The next day we headed out on a day trip around the Istrian Peninsula, which apparently owes its name to the Danube River. Back in the day, it was called the Ister, and the Greeks mistakenly believed that a branch flowed into the Adriatic. Fun fact.
Anyhow, our day trip took us from Rovinj to Pula & Plomin, and back again - about a 2-3:00 hour round trip.
Google maps: Round trip from Rovinj 147 km / 2:33
As we made our way around the harbour to where our car was parked, beyond the old town limits, I couldn't help but notice this guy.
I got the sense he'd be more at home in a go-kart than a fishing boat, but what caught my attention first, was the conversation he was having with a cat. As far as we could tell, he had just returned from a morning of fishing to be greeted back at the harbour by his cat.
That's one cool cat! Purrfect! Ok, I'll stop now.
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Pula
Back to Pula - a coastal city, centred around a protected harbour on the tip of the Istrian Peninsula. It is home to stunning beaches and a treasure trove of ancient Roman buildings and ruins.
Pula is home to one of the world's six largest Roman Amphitheatres still in existence. Building was believed to have started around 27 BC, and staggeringly, the arena is still used to this day for concerts, film locations, ballet performances and even sports.
Despite there being a plethora of sites to explore, we kind of peaked after seeing the arena. That said, we did stumble across Saint Theodore's quarter, which is an archaeological site named for the church of the same name, the foundations of which are still visible.
Excavations carried out as recently as the early 2000s led to several surprise discoveries, including the foundations of a Roman temple and around 2000 almost fully preserved amphorae (vases).
Plomin
Next up Plomin - a charming hilltop village with stunning views over Plomin Bay and the Adriatic Sea, as well as the picturesque Plomin Power Station. It's steeped in history, surrounded by medieval ramparts and defensive walls, and is home to a well preserved 11th century church.
New Years Eve
We kind of got the impression that (the great) Gibonni is one of those national treasures, who has been around for a while, and everyone knows him. In Croatia that is. And that was more than self-evident by the sheer number of people who turned up to see him. The square was packed to capacity.
Unlike Le Monde the night before, Gibonni's performance was predominantly in Croatian. That didn't diminish our enjoyment or that of the crowd, but boning up on the Gibonni catalogue would have helped.
As the year drew to a close, Rovinj had one more surprise instore, heralding in the new year with a superb, but compact, fireworks display. It was a fitting way to end our stay in, as I said up top, one of my all-time favourite places.
Extras
Main street in old town Rovinj, Croatia
View from Plomin, Croatia, toward the Adriatic Sea
Temple of Augustus, in Piazza Foro, Pula Croatia
Cobblestone maze of alleyways in Rovinj
Avon soaking up the Winter sun around Rovinj harbour
