Geoff Brock & Bruce Gamble
         
     
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Porec to Pula and
Veli Brijuni from Fazana
Sunday 24th September 2023
This was the view which greeted us this morning from where we were docked in Porec. Bruce took a few photos using the zoom on his camera, but it could also be enjoyed with the naked eye. We didn't know exactly what we were seeing, but we found out later that we were actually looking at the Italian alps, almost 100 miles away! Our guide for the day told us that this was an incredibly rare sight, one which she had heard was possible on exceptionally clear days, but one that she had never experienced for herself before today.
 
 
The images below are of the same view without using the camera zoom.
 
 
 
 
 
We didn't have a lot of time here this morning so we went along with the group to make the most of our time.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Our guide showed us the main attractions of the town, some of which we had seen late yesteday.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The highlight of the tour was the visit to the Euphrasian Basilica.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
We left the group after an hour because the guide couldn't stop imparting information... we needed a break!
 
 
 
 
 
We made our way back to the ship in good time for our 10:30 am departure.
 
 
Looking though the casino restaurant towards our ship. Those chairs!
 
 
 
 
Time to leave the charming town of Porec.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Yet another change to the itinerary. Our ship should have docked at Veli Brijuni (Brujuni Islands) for an afternoon visit, before sailing on to Pula, the final destination of our holiday. Our very cautious captain, however, was concerned about the island harbour being exposed to choppy conditions due to higher than expected wind speeds in the forecast. He decided to sail past the islands and on to Pula, our final destination. Our cruise director had to work hard, once again, to arrange a coach to take us from Pula to the mainland port of Fazana (only a a short drive thankfully) and from there onto a public ferry across to Veli Brijuni. What the captain was really thinking, we'll probably never know. Suffice it to say that the public ferry crossing from Fazana to the islands was one of the smoothest crossings we've ever experienced...
 
Approaching Pula.
 
 
 
 
 
 
After lunch, the group disembarked and was greeted by the same guide and the same driver that we had had in Porec. (They had driven to Pula while we sailed.) It was only a fifteen minute drive from our ship to the small town of Fazana. Geoff decided not to come.
 
 
We had 30 minutes to wait for the ferry crossing so there was a little time to explore Fazana.
 
 
 
 
Once we boarded the ferry it only took 15 minutes to cross to Veli Brijuni, the port on the Brijuni Islands.
 
The hotels and the boathouse came into view as we approached the Brijuni National Park.
 
 
 
 
We took the land train for a ride to some of the more distant attractions.
 
We stopped in the safari park near the elephant enclosure.
 
It was rather sad to see the solitary elephant in captivity.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Returning to our starting point, we continued the tour on foot. We visited the 15th century St. German’s church.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Tito's cadillac is in working condition and can be rented for 700 Euros per 30 minutes.
 
 
 
The exhibitions building appears to be a monument to Tito's greatness. Downstairs, it is full of all his dead animals... stuffed. Upstairs, one half displays his historical "achievements". The other half is a gallery of his meetings with a host of celebrities. It didn't hold a lot of interest for me.
 
 
 
 
"Five star" hotels.
 
I had an hour to kill before the return ferry. I went and had coffee in this hotel. Retro doesn't begin to describe the interior. It felt more like a time warp back to an indeterminate time somewhere between 1950 and 1975.
 
 
Returning to Pula, there was a lovely sunset.
 
 
After dinner on board, we went for a short walk.
 
 
 
©Geoff Brock and Bruce Gamble