The Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Pula, Croatia. The site of the present-day church has been used for religious worship since ancient Roman times and the first Christian churches on the site were built in the late 4th and early 5th century AD. In 1709, stone was taken from the Pula amphitheater for the bell tower foundations of the cathedral. This was the last time the arena was used as a source of stone. May 21, 2016

A statue of Irish novelist and poet James Joyce sits at a restaurant in the old town of Pula, Croatia. Joyce lived in Pula for six months between October 1904 and March 1905 teaching English to Austrian officers at the time. May 21, 2016

Arch of the Sergii is an Ancient Roman triumphal arch located in Pula, Croatia. The arch commemorates three brothers of the Sergii family specifically Lucius Sergius Lepidus, a tribune serving in the twenty-ninth legion that participated in the Battle of Actium and disbanded in 27 BC . This suggests an approximate date of construction: 29-27 BC.The arch stood behind the original naval gate of the early Roman colony. The Sergii were a powerful family of officials in the colony and retained their power for centuries.
The “Golden Gate” was erected between the years 29 and 27 BC by the Sergi family, in honor of three members of the family who held important positions in Pula at that time.

James Joyce taught in a school previously housed in the yellow building next to the arch. May 21, 2016

Cleaning up after the bombing of World War II, locals found these mosaics under the block of houses around the Chapel of St. Maria Formosa in Pula’s old town. The well preserved mosaic covered the floor of a central room of a Roman house, probably from the 3rd century. It has been preserved as is, which means the Roman floor level was about six feet below today’s level. May 21, 2016

Back in Rovinj, Croatia, for the second time…the first time was when I spent two nights here on the island of Katarina during my Rick Steves “Best of Eastern Europe,” tour and again today for a couple of hours during my Rick Steves “Best of the Adriatic” tour. It feels like a relaxing Italian seaside village, so coming back again today was just wonderful. Rovinj is the kind of place where you can get lost in the alleyways or be mesmerized by the boats bobbing in the harbor. It is truly lovely. May 21, 2016

Just one of the quaint alleyways in Rovinj, Croatia. May 21, 2016

This is actually part of the Valentino Restaurant where you can sit by Adriatic Sea in Rovinj, Croatia. May 21, 2016

Another cute alleyway in Rovinj, Croatia. May 21, 2016

Took a little time to enjoy Rovinj, Croatia, at this restaurant. May 21, 2016

And, this was my view at the restaurant in Rovinj, Croatia. May 21, 2016

The gorgeous town of Rovinj, Croatia. May 21, 2016

The gorgeous town of Rovinj, Croatia. May 21, 2016

Our tour group having dinner at this family run restaurant, Konobo Astarea, just a 30-minute drive from Motovun, Croatia. May 21, 2016

This was actually the third course of our group dinner tonight with the first two courses of pasta and beef goulash. Throw in wine, schnapps and an apple strudel for dessert and you have the makings of a full belly. May 21, 2016

Thankfully, we get to burn those calories from our hearty dinner with a walk up to our hotel, the former castle, in Motovun, Croatia, on a bricked, curved road and through this defensive gate. Good night, Motovun. Tomorrow we get a bit of a late start, but it’s pretty much a full day on the bus until we get to Plitvice National Park, Croatia, for the night. May 21, 2016