Rovinj, Croatia

All packed up and ready for the crossing to Croatia. We had a "bon voyage" gelato. Yum yum.... Check-in was just like the airlines: present bags, get baggage tags, bags put on cart and whisked away, security check with carry-on bag scanners, the whole works -- just no TSA to give you the full body massage.

As we went to board our ferry, the "San Franciska" things suddenly took a turn to the weird. I was advised that I needed to wait to claim my bag when it was delivered next to the gangplank. Then I was to carry it across the gangplank where a crewman would take it from me and stow it. Apparently we checked in the bags so they could be moved maybe 150 feet and then returned to us.

The ferry was also decidedly airline-like right down to insufficient leg room for those in economy. They filled all the seats with a mass of folks who seemed to have come from Croatia on a day trip to Venice.

The actual crossing was delightfully smooth -- water like glass. What I didn't realize until later is that the ferry must have been bloody slow. The distance across is only 68 miles and it took 2.5 hours. Passports were checked on-board for us since we were to disembark at the second stop.

We arrived at the "Long Pier" of Rovinj, Croatia and rolled our bags down to the main square (aka Tito Square -- named from days of yore) to find a band playing and a fish BBQ underway. It looked to be in aid of raising money for the local batana boat museum.The Adriatic Hotel was only a short stroll down the waterfront. We checked in, put our bags in the "closet with twin beds and a bathroom" -- yes it was a small room, I now understand why the Adriatic is loved and hated by those who use it -- the location is stellar but it is an old hotel with odd shaped room layouts. Only one of us at a time could walk between the beds.

We popped back out of our "cubbyhole" to find some food and some money- the Kuna being the local currency. A "KunaMat" was soon spotted and the ATM card got us a whole bunch of kunas. Then on to find a place to eat. . We didn't need to go far -- the square had half a dozen restaurants. We settled on one fairly quickly because we were hungry. I had a Veal Scallopine and Sally went with a "Gold Head" grilled fish. Hunger assuaged, we ambled up the hill toward the church to walk off the meal and relax. When we got back to the square, the place was still going strong at midnight. Fortunately, our room was on an inner courtyard so all was quiet.

Up for a leisurely continental breakfast and to see the town. The narrow streets of the old town are certainly quaint. It soon became clear that all the streets were cobblestoned with marble. Sounds elegant but let me say that when wet I would be very afraid of slipping. Of course, street maintenance folks probably say "the stuff is readily available and lasts forever".

We climbed to the top of the town where the Church of St. Euphemia dominates and the bell tower dominates even more. St. Euphemia is much beloved in the town and you can tell the weather based on which way her weather vane on top of the bell tower points. Fortune smiled on us as she forecast good weather.

Hers was a sad story: martyred by being broken on the wheel, then thrown to the lions to be eaten. However, the lions just took a little nip on her arm and left her alone to die of the earlier injuries. Later her body was taken to Constantinople where she was honored until the iconoclasts came along and threw out things being worshipped. Apparently, then one day her marble sarcophagus FLOATED ashore in Rovinj. None could move it until a young lad showed up with two young oxen and he was able to hitch them up and take it all the way to the top of the hill where it resides today. Clearly fantastical goings on but you can see miracles still happening in the picture we took of the lions having a nibble. A beam of light came through the stained glass, down across the cloud in the picture, illuminated a cherubim -- a sign from above I guess. ;)

We opted to climb the bell tower. After a flight or two and a "Vertigo" glance upward you know you are in trouble. Each tread is an old wooden tree branch -- sturdy enough in its day but now worn smooth and thin. Hundreds of these lay between you and the top of the tower. Despite concern, we mounted the tower in good order and were rewarded with a splendid view of the surrounds and a nice breeze to cool us off. Check out the "Vertigo" picture -- very Escher-esque..

After lunch, it was time to pick up the rental car. That was taken care of fairly routinely. We were now the proud drivers of a "Fabia". I think I'd get more respect if it were a "Fabio" since the underlying car model is a Skoda (described to us as a fine Czech car). We took her out for a run in the countryside and then back to the designated hotel parking lot (20 kunas per day) and walked back to the hotel in the "no car" pedestrian zone.

Dinner was at a very good restaurant (but a tad pricey) La Puntulina. We both had fish dishes as seems likely to be the norm along the Dalmatian coast of Croatia. Heading back to the hotel we found a 2-man band playing in front -- Creedence Clearwater Revival again -- "Heard It Through the Grapevine". They must still be big on the Croatian hit parade. It was a lovely warm night to sit on the edge of the fountain and just enjoy the tunes. Good way to end our time in Rovinj.