We had the morning to further explore Pula as we weren’t due to go aboard our boat until mid-afternoon.
All of the main sights of historic interest in Pula are concentrated in a relatively small area which made things very easy for our morning’s time limitation.
We wandered down past the Amphitheatre where we’d spent quite a deal of time yesterday. We followed the old town wall past the remains of the Octagonal Mausoleum and then on to the Twin Gate (Porta Gemini) which dates from the 2nd century. It is one of only two surviving gates. Directly opposite was a photographic gallery exhibiting the work of Tomislav Rosandic. His thirty photographs of scenery and architecture from within all parts of Croatia were spectacular and showed artistic flair as well photographic skill. The next gate we arrived at was Hercules Gate. This was built in 47-44 BC and is now flanked by two medieval bastions. The top of the arch is a very worn relief of Hercules and his club.
Around the corner only a hundred metres away we found the Triumphal Arch of Sergius. This was built in 29-27 BC as a tribute to Lucius Sergius Lepidus with a donation by his wife Salvia. It is an arch although it looks as if it should have been a city gate in Roman times. It is richly decorated and flanked by Corinthian columns. At the top of the arch underside is an eagle holding a snake. The arch was studied and drawn by many artists including Michelangelo who it’s claimed stated it to be the most beautiful arch he’d seen. Adjacent to the Arch is a large bronze statue of James Joyce the Irish novelist. He eloped to Pula in 1904 with his chambermaid Nora Barnacle who was later to become his wife. He worked here as an English teacher for four years and later, somewhat disenchanted with Istria they moved to Trieste in nearby Italy.
Golden Gate, Pula
James Joyce Statue, Pula
Down from the Arch is the old Roman Forum which on our arrival was filled with vintage cars and motorcycles. The cars were mainly Fiats, VWs and Citroens although there were some Porsches too. A rather ancient Ducati motorbike caught our interest; it was in immaculate condition although quite old.
Temple of Augustus
Old cars in town square
Town Hall
At one corner of the square is the Temple of Augustus built between 2BC and 14 AD. This is an exceptionally beautiful building with refined slender proportions and six tall columns with Corinthian capitals. It was drastically damaged by bombing during World War II but thankfully it has been painstakingly restored to its former glory. The Temple of Diana used to be alongside but now all that remains is the rear wall which has been incorporated into the rear section of the Town Hall.
We then walked down to the Chapel of Mary Formosa and on our way past the nearby car park we fortuitously found the Roman Floor Mosaics. These are the most complete and best preserved Roman mosaics in Croatia. The scene covers an area of about 8m x 3m and depicts the tale from Greek mythology where Dirce is brutally punished by the sons of Antiope.
Roman Mosaic - Punishment of Dirce
Roman Mosaic - Punishment of Dirce
At this point it was time to have a quick snack, recover our bags from the hotel and head down to our boat (MV Tarin) which was conveniently docked quite close to our hotel.
After settling into our cabin we gathered with the other fifteen passengers for a briefing and a checking out of our bikes. We then did a 15km leisurely ride around the waterfront of Pula stopping halfway for a beer. On return the crew loaded the bikes onto the deck of the boat, we gathered for drinks on the foredeck and the Tarin then left Pula Harbour to move around to a quiet anchorage for overnight.
Boarding the Tarin, Pula
Jak with bike by the Tarin
Cycle group at Verudela
Bikes on the Tarin with Amphitheatre in background, Pula
Our evening meal on board was excellent and after some further introductions of crew members we headed for bed.
Tomorrow we have a 35km ride and everyone is looking forward to cycling through this glorious countryside. The weather has been superb practically the whole time; how lucky we are!
We do have WiFi on the boat but it is restricted to the dining area and the number of users at any time is limited, so we'll do our best to post updates when we can.