![\"Rovinj](\"https:\/\/www.sethandberkley.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Rovinj-Ferry.jpg\" "\\"Rovinj")
<\/p>\nThough this post is going to cover our time in Rovinj, Croatia, I want to start off by giving a clothing update. \u00a0Those of you who have been following since the beginning know that clothing was a difficult endeavor for me. \u00a0Well, it’s been interesting. \u00a0I only brought 1 strictly short sleeved shirt. \u00a0It is a wicking, quick dry, merino wool by Patagonia. \u00a0Strait away I didn’t like it. \u00a0I wore it one of the first days traveling and it was too much coverage. \u00a0I ended up purchasing 2 tank tops from Lefties (a European store) in Madrid. \u00a0So, I’ve been wearing those two tops and my jean shorts (something which was a last minute decision). \u00a0When I’m waiting for my shorts to dry I end up wearing a lightweight cotton dress (also, a last minute decision). \u00a0So, the majority of the clothing I have been wearing is not technical or quick dry whatsoever. \u00a0Interesting…<\/p>\n
Rovinj! (Pronounced ROH-vin) \u00a0Before the ferry ride was over, Sloane’s friend had found us an apartment to rent in the center of the old city. \u00a0It worked out really well, with two bedrooms and two bathrooms. \u00a0It’s nice to have your own space like that. \u00a0Marina, Sloane’s friend, has been so wonderful. \u00a0Part of it is because she works in hospitality at the moment, but I think it is just her nature to be extremely friendly and helpful. \u00a0She has been a wealth of information, and a fun person to get to know. \u00a0I wish we had a Marina for every place we visit!<\/p>\n
The first night, Marina picked us up from the ferry, brought us to our apartment, then we went on a mini tour of the town of Rovinj. \u00a0It’s very small. \u00a0It has a real cozy feeling. \u00a0Even as we were approaching in the ferry, our attitudes began to change. \u00a0The coastline is spectacular, with pine forests, sheer cliffs of white rock plunging into the crystal blue sea, and picturesque buildings scattered here and there. \u00a0Upon exiting our spirits were high. \u00a0The weather was warm with a bit of wind. \u00a0What a romantic \u00a0town. \u00a0Marina took us \u00a0around the town, and we ended up at a little bar between the coast and Saint Euphemia’s Church. \u00a0The bar was settled in the graveyard, but it wasn’t creepy. \u00a0It was quite relaxing with the breeze and the ability to see the stars, and a few bats. \u00a0We tried our first Croatian beer, Favorit, which turned out to be a favorite.<\/p>\n
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The next morning we woke and ventured out to find coffee. \u00a0We ended up at the Cinema Cafe where we enjoyed wonderful Illy expressos and what they call brioche. \u00a0Their brioche is our croissant with a marmalade filling. \u00a0It was very nice. \u00a0We then went in search of a place to swim. \u00a0It wasn’t much of a search, really. \u00a0Just a decision of where we wanted to hop in. \u00a0After choosing a spot, we cooled off in the water. \u00a0The temperature was wonderful. \u00a0It was pretty hot out and the water was refreshing, but not cold. \u00a0Already Croatia has an up on Madrid and Venice. \u00a0We were extremely hot in those cities, but had no way to remedy the exhaustion. \u00a0Here, we just hop into the water. \u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"Rovinj](\"https:\/\/www.sethandberkley.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Rovinj-First-Swim.jpg\" "\\"Rovinj")
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![\"Rovinj](\"https:\/\/www.sethandberkley.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Rovinj-First-Swim-2.jpg\" "\\"Rovinj")
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We found a place to grab some lunch. \u00a0Once again, Sloane ended up the winner of the meal. \u00a0She ordered the grilled calamari and it was delicious. \u00a0I ordered a plate of assorted mussels, and though it was good, I was not blown away. \u00a0Seth’s was pretty good, a dish of pasta, scampi, and red sauce, but Sloane’s was the best.<\/p>\n
Then, Seth and I went in search of internet. \u00a0Though Marina was going to give us the internet info for the hotel she works in, she didn’t start work until 3. \u00a0So we sat down at one of the restaurants near the water. \u00a0Seth ordered a beer and I opted for an iced coffee. \u00a0Surprise!! Iced coffee in Croatia is not the light, low calorie drink we know in the states. \u00a0The waiter brought me a sundae cup with something that looked like a milkshake, topped off with a scoop of iced cream, whipped cream, chocolate syrup, and a cookie. \u00a0Oops! \u00a0Though I graciously accepted the dessert, I asked the waiter about the difference. \u00a0He seemed confused as to why I would want a double espresso and a cup of ice.<\/p>\n
While Seth and I were on our beverage adventure, Sloane had been exploring more of the town. \u00a0She found a daily open air market where the vendors push you to try all of their fare. \u00a0We went to explore and to to taste the different types of fruit and their locally harvested truffles. \u00a0Yum! \u00a0We bought these fruit that look like pears, but taste like a mix between a pear and an apple, perhaps. \u00a0But, not like an asian pear like we have in the states. \u00a0Closer to a crabapple, maybe. \u00a0Really tasty. \u00a0Then we sampled a bunch of truffle products. \u00a0Yum! We bought some white truffles in truffle oil. \u00a0We ended up making a mini feast of bread with a slice of really good tomato from Marina’s garden, truffle, then sea salt. \u00a0Wow. \u00a0<\/p>\n
It was still hot, so we followed Sloane to the graveyard beach. \u00a0We scrambled down the rocks and, with some direction from a local, we hopped in at the right spot. \u00a0The water felt amazing. \u00a0We watched some children being taught by their father how to flip off the rocks into the water, before trying it ourselves. \u00a0Well, not the flip part, but jumping off the rocks into the water.<\/p>\n
![\"Rovinj](\"https:\/\/www.sethandberkley.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Rovinj-Graveyard-Beach.jpg\" "\\"Rovinj")
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Marina recommended a pizza place, so we found our way there for dinner. \u00a0This turned out to be the best pizza we’ve had so far. \u00a0Sorry Italy. \u00a0We started off with salads, and Seth was the winner there. \u00a0His \u00a0was an arugula salad with this mysterious ‘cream’ on top. \u00a0Though we made the conjecture that it was sour cream at the time, we decided that it was nearly impossible that our sour cream could be so far off from this. \u00a0We found out later that it was sour cream. \u00a0Apparently, without pasteurization and preservatives sour cream can have a completely different, and amazing, flavor. \u00a0Dumb US rules. \u00a0They kill so much flavor! \u00a0Anyhow, when it came to pizzas, I was the winner, with Seth as a close second. \u00a0My pizza had sheep cheese, mozzarella, Istrian ham, and salami, and parmesan sprinkled on top. \u00a0So, so good. \u00a0Seth’s pizza had Istrian ham, arugula, and fresh tomatoes. \u00a0Sloane’s was good, but not like ours. \u00a0Wow, that was amazing.<\/p>\n
We went to visit Marina at the hotel and to use the internet. \u00a0It turned out that there was a Croatian folk festival going on in the town center, and we had front row seats! \u00a0It was amazing to see the tradition of the culture. \u00a0We saw dancing and heard music. \u00a0We had no idea what they were saying between numbers, but we think it was traditional stories. \u00a0There’s no connection between English and Croatian, so we were in the dark.<\/p>\n
The next morning we picked up our laundry (Marina had found us a place to drop it the day before), picked up a kebab for lunch, and headed over to Red Island for a bit of snorkeling. \u00a0Though the island wasn’t much more than a bunch of resort hotels, it was a nice change of scenery. \u00a0We snorkeled and saw little fish, some sea urchins, and a sea cucumber. \u00a0We, also, saw an enormous bee.<\/p>\n
we decided to treat Marina for dinner, so we headed back to Sergios, the amazing pizza place. \u00a0This time we all ordered the Sergio salad, which is the one Seth had ordered the night before. \u00a0The plan was to get less pizza and share, but our eyes were too big! I think either my pizza or Marina’s pizza were the winners. \u00a0I ordered a pizza with mozzarella, soft cheese, eggplant, arugula, fresh tomatoes, and salami. \u00a0It was wonderful. \u00a0Marina got a 4 cheese pizza and added salami. \u00a0The gorgonzola on her’s was really tasty. \u00a0We, then, went to stuff ourselves on ice cream. \u00a0We have to start watching our weight if we’re going to be laying around in bathing suits! \u00a0Or at least I do! \u00a0We did a few more laps around the town before calling it a night.<\/p>\n
Today we are going to head off to Pula, mostly to pick up a car. \u00a0After many phone calls, it was decided there were no cars to rent in Rovinj. \u00a0So we will pick up a car in Pula and drive to Plitvice Lakes National Park. \u00a0The pictures look amazing, so I’m excited. \u00a0We then make our way down the coast, stopping at places here and there to see neat things like caves and waterfalls. \u00a0It’s going to be a fast paced week, but hopefully it will be worth it! \u00a0I think it will.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Though this post is going to cover our time in Rovinj, Croatia, I want to start off by giving a clothing update. \u00a0Those of you who have been following since the beginning know that clothing was a difficult endeavor for … Continue reading