Thursday, May 16th: Pula Day Trip

Todd took an early morning trek up to the cathedral to beat the crowds and we had yet another scrumptious breakfast at our favorite bistro. We then headed off to Pula to see the Roman Colosseum. What a spectacular structure! It's smaller than the Colosseum in Rome but equally commanding. The underground museum there is great too.

The unexpected highlight of the trip was visiting the Olive Oil Museum. WOW. We got a crash course in olive oil—Olive Oil 101. We learned how crucial it is to identify quality extra virgin olive oil. Not all extra virgin is the same, and some of the best comes from this region called Istria, which is ranked among the top three in Europe.

Afterward, we attended an olive oil tasting class and learned about the fatty acids in many olive oils worldwide. The key to the best olive oil is its taste—it should be green and grassy and no more than two years old. Once opened, olive oil should be used within two months. It's safe to say we'll be more careful choosing our olive oil going forward. We even found a distributor of extra virgin Istrian olive oil in Chicago. We loved learning new things and were reminded of the health benefits of good quality olive oil.

We headed back to Rovinj just in time for Lori’s hair appointment and then went out for a delicious dinner at a quaint indoor restaurant. It was lovely, and our waiter was from Serbia. He and Todd talked about the Phoenix Suns, as did he and Toni in the Uber from Rovinj to the airport. It seems many men here follow US basketball!

After one more walk up to the cathedral, we settled back on the deck for happy hour. Another beautiful night, highlighted by a lightning storm! Todd and James wandered back up to the cathedral to see the light show.