Rovinj: A Stylish Piece of Croatian Heaven

I had never heard of the Croatian area of Rovinj (I've heard it pronounced "rov-VEEN" and "rov-VEEN-ya" in the same sentence so...?) until my neighbors mentioned it. It's on the way to the island of Lošinj so I thought I'd make a stop and check it out. This was a good decision. The boat from Venice, ran by Adriatic Lines by Kompas, dropped myself and many other passengers at the Rovinj dock around 8:00pm - and the place was HOPPIN'. It sounded like we pulled up to a club and there were people just everywhere. Late dinner right by the water, enjoying drinks, or just talking with friends. The place was ALIVE. 

Rovinj at night - photo courtesy of my neighbors, Robert and Elaine.

Note: Everywhere I've gone in Europe so far people are obsessed with American music. And not current stuff - it's older stuff by Whitney, Michael, Guns N Roses, and Eminem. I love it.

I got lost trying to find my Airbnb (no surprise) mostly because not all the little streets are named and when I tried to use GPS it just showed me in a big circle that covers three streets up and three streets over on each side. I used pictures to find my way. I love all the backstreets, but it's easy to get lost. They are narrow and beautiful and there's cobblestone everywhere. There's also a lot of hills and I saw many tourists struggling up stairs and inclines. Just be aware if you ever want to visit. It's lot of uneven, up and down walking.

These streets must get SO slippery when it rains!

I was starving when I finally got to the Airbnb and after getting off a work call I went out to see what I could find. On Google it showed most places open to 10pm so I expected to find something open. But, alas, most places were done cooking. There was a pizza place near me and the really nice owner made me a Margherita pizza even though he was closed. He definitely felt sorry for me and I gladly accepted his pity.

The next morning I got up and walked around a bit before I had to check out of my Airbnb. I walked up to the Church St. Euphemia and looked at the views and listened to music that a guy was playing on a Hang instrument and it was hauntingly beautiful. I walked down to Balbi's Arch - one of seven former city gates of medieval Rovinj built in 1678. On one side there's a head of a Venetian and the other, the head of a Turk. On top is a lion with wings on its back which I have read is the symbol of the Venetian Republic.

Balbi's Arch

I also found their cute little city market, Gradska Tržnica - Mercato Cittadino, and bought some white truffle spread and the owner gave me like 20 samples of different oils, vinegars, and truffles...I would have bought more but I have no room in my luggage (and I ended up eating the entire little jar of truffle spread later on in my trip). I went back to the Airbnb, checked out, and was planning on taking my backpack to the bus station luggage hold where you can pay to have them store it for a few hours. Unfortunately, the lady at the storage said it was full and she wouldn't take any more bags.

Mercato Cittadino

So, I walked down to the marina area and sat in the sun and then decided to get some breakfast - cappuccino, a chocolate croissant (I've eaten my body weight in croissants, pastries, and focaccia bread) and a toasted bread with burrata, tomatoes and balsamic. Every place I went was cash only - so just know that if you come to this area. I had to take cash out and used Google Translate to make sure it was actually a bank machine. I really looked like a tourist.

I lugged my stupid bag around with me to some shops, bought some postcards and then decided I needed a glass of wine. I found a place across the street from the bus station and ordered a refreshingly delicious Croatian rosé - for $4. It's then that I realize I'm like in the Napa or Willamette Valley of Croatia. The Istrian region is known for their wines and so far everything I've tried is great. 

I asked the waitress if the buses were on time and she laughed - "no, rarely." I asked her if they ever left early and she laughed again - "no, never." But I was done with my wine and she seemed like she'd be fine if I left so I went and sat in the sun by the bus station. My bus was at 3pm and at about 2:15 a bus pulls up and a bunch of the people that had been waiting are moving towards it - which makes me think it's my bus, but it's really early...and she said they are never early. I followed my instincts and walked over to check and sure enough, it was my bus. I boarded and that stinkin' bus left - 30 minutes early. 

The Arriva branded buses run constantly in Croatia and are pretty cheap. I took a 40 minute ride from Rovinj to Pula for $6 or $7 Euros. The ride was REALLY bouncy though and those prone to motion sickness likely would have done poorly in this situation. I arrived into Pula on time (we made some odd, off-the-path stops to drop people off) and headed to my next home for the night...I absolutely LOVED Rovinj and will be back some day to visit longer.

Note: I think I’m a smoker now. So much smoking in Europe still - it's crazy. Nothing worse than sitting enjoying a view and someone blows smoke in your face...ok, there's worse things, but it's fun to complain about it and it really is unpleasant when you're not expecting it.