August 12 Rovini, Croatia

 

Very picturesque

This morning we arrived in Rovinj almost at the northern most point of the Adriatic Sea on the peninsula of Istria, a region bordering Slovenia. It is just east of Venice. Everywhere you look there is evidence of the influence of Venice - the winged lion which is symbol of Venice and the bell-tower designed like the bell tower of Saint Mark in Venice (where we were heading to tomorrow).  

Our delightful and passionate guide

Today however we set off early-ish to visit Porec and its Euphrasian Basilica complex – it was, like most other excursions ashore, a walking tour (once we got to Porec which was by bus!). Christianity was established as early as the C4th here and the religious monuments at the basilica are the most complete surviving complex of its type; the complex was enrolled in the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1997.

Beautiful mosaic over the entrance to the complex

The mosaics inside the basilica were glorious

The basilica is built over ancient ruins - some stunning mosaic floors

It was quite an interesting tour ending up with us in the town square with a unique drink – Biska. This is a traditional Istrian drink made with mistletoe, brandy and honey. They say it is one of the most popular brandies in Istria – I’m not sure if that is true but it was delicious. While we lingered in the shade over our drinks, a group of local musicians gathered near the church and started playing. It was quite delightful, but then it was time to return to port and our home-away-from-home ‘Le Lyrial’. 

The music was the sort to dance to - we didn't but thoroughly enjoyed it

The bell tower is built after the design of the tower in St Mark's Square Venice

We reboarded to ‘on board’ entertainment which is not too shabby and is always served with food and wine, this afternoon we had a lesson in knot tying from some of the ship’s crew.  Why? well you might ask. But you never know when you need to tie something down securely or  ……

And again we sailed off into the sunset, the final one in this chapter of our journey. In the mornong we would be disembarking at Venice, la Serenissima.