Row Row Row Rovinj

Isn't the second runner of the mile relay the slowest? I think I remember that from 8th grade track. The second leg of our trip held some mixed emotions. Beautiful and serene but hot hot hot!

After Lake Bled we headed back to Ljubljana for a quick bus change. The buses in Slovenia and Croatia were a little hit or miss. Some clean....some not. Some with fully functioning AC....others, not so much. Some....errr few with pleasant helpful drivers....and then the opposite. Traveling by bus is my Achilles heel. I get car sick and no I am not 7! For me to ride comfortably in a bus the stars must line up perfectly. Blood sugar levels even, AC a'blowin', and me sitting right in the front to so can see every curve, bump, and dip way before it happens. I would probably feel most comfortable driving!

But we made it. Arriving in the late afternoon we found ourselves in a little fishing town on the northern coast of Croatia, the region is called Istria. Of course we rolled through like two obnoxious lost Americans. I have no problem with this because this town was crawling with tourists and locals alike.

 Rovinj Croatia

Rovinj Croatia

Rovinj at night from the water.

Staying in old town. Third floor...steep steps!

Our sweet room. Doesn't take us long to tear it apart.
We had to sleep with our heads at the foot of the bed. No AC!

If you would have told Mr. R we were in Venice, he would have believed you. Did we make a wrong turn and drive to Italy? Narrow stoned streets that were so worn they were like walking on ice. Clothes lines strung over head. It was really cute a quaint. We did giggle a little bit because there was a Jersey Shore feel to this place. I am going to chalk this up to being a coastal town.

View of old town.

Mr. R really wanted some beach time and we spent a large part of the day finding the perfect spot. The beaches are rocky. Big rocks! Some places are more pebbly and I will say not easy to get around on at first. We walked up to a little coved area to set up camp. Just perfect! We spent the afternoon swimming, sunning, reading, and eating peaches from the market.

Swimming in the Adriatic.

We found this quiet little cove all to ourselves.

Rocky beaches with crystal clear water.

The town was amazingly clean. The streets were so slippery I almost lost it once or twice. Lots and lots of steep steps through tiny narrow streets. Very cute!

Love this pattern on the exterior.

Homes built into the original walls of the city.

View from the church at the top of old town.

 Something special that Rovinj now holds for us is that we had our favorite meal here. Thanks to the traveling guru Rick Steves we fell into this sweet little place. Service was slow slow slow, a common theme all over Europe, but we were in no hurry and enjoyed great food and wine and even had a little friend that wandered over. What our book did not tell us is that dogs and cats run free everywhere! This little guy belonged to the owner of the restaurant and felt perfectly comfortable curled up under our table.

Mr. R said I could not overwhelm people with pictures so I am done for today. Rovinj was a great little city. Probably not our most favorite on the trip but we really enjoyed the hospitality, food, and wine. Yay for traveling!

Since we have been back we have been dazed. Definitlty not on any kind of a schedule. It seems we both hit a wall about 4pm everyday and are up at 5am. I have been rearranging things in the guest room which I will share soon. Spent the better part of yesterday cruising around Riverfront in some of my favorite antique stores. And scored some treasures at the Salvation Army!

Don't get bored with my home renovation blog turned travel blog....the best is yet to come! If you have read all the way to to this point leave a comment. I am playing around with some things. Thanks for visiting!

Happy Friday!