Travel Arrival in Pula

Since Saturday, 10.11.2018 at 17 clock I'm in Croatia. At the border crossing is police control. Schengen does not seem to apply here. Then another hour drive on a completely empty highway to Pula, at the southern tip of Istria. Friendly welcome in English. My landlady asks for my identity card, scans it with her smartphone and has all my data on display. Not even the spelling error of the local authorities of Freiburg in the middle name is missing. All she has still to do is entering the current address and go, Croatia knows. For her remains only my name after the sending, she explains in good faith. Oh German night watchman state, your privacy. Luckily, Europe is a paper tiger.

The apartment is located on a hill in a residential area with small two- to three-family houses. Almost all of them are in good condition, at least as far as color is concerned. Between the houses you can see the marina a bit further away. The sight reminds me of a huge parking lot, which it is finally. No life there at this time of the year. After all, the sea is near.

  Pula gives me the impression to be a careless mix of shipyard, old buildings of different dates and some interesting historical buildings.

The center with the old town is about 3 kilometers away. It's core should be about 500 meters in diameter. Not much for 4 weeks, that I will spend here. In front is the harbor. Fishing trawlers, excursion boats - not in operation - and a shipyard. Pula gives me the impression to be a careless mix of shipyard, old buildings of different dates and some interesting historical buildings. Temple of Augustus, amphitheater, triumphal arch. In front of the town hall, everything is fine, otherwise ... The people on the streets seem to me rather poorly dressed. Whether they are normal or we are, that you can see as you like. In any case the cars are up to date. Mine belongs to the old ones here.

I cannot say anything about the mentality of the people because I do not understand a word of the language. But they seem to me rather reserved. They show no curiosity, look indifferently away. Despite Dahlia is trotting alongside the bike and I'm the only cyclist around. Of course there are exceptions. When I say in a shop that I stay longer in Pula, they say that I am welcome. Let's see ..... Oh yes, there is also a Franciscan monastery. With a church. But I have never seen a Franciscan so far. Although I have rung at the monastery gate. But nobody opened. Everything closed, even the church. Not very motivating if you are thinking about designing a Franciscan website.