On the way to Pula Mom had plans to stop in Trieste a deep-water port, which is a maritime gateway for northern Italy, Germany, Austria, and Central Europe It is considered the end point of the maritime Silk Road.

Unity of Italy Square is the main square in Trieste.Located at the foot of the hill with the castle of San Giusto the square faces the Adriatic Sea. It is often said to be Europe's largest square located next to the sea. The square was built during the period when Trieste was the most important seaport of the Austrian Hungarian Empire and includes the city's municipal buildings and other important palaces.

The entire city was packed with people and cars. There seem to be no rules at all for the thousands of scooters that speed around you like angry bees, nowhere could we find parking so this picture is taken from Lucy's window as we passed by and continued on directly to Pula. 

A lady on the back of a scooter gave Mom the finger so I gave her a pfrrrffftt 

If they drive so close to Lucy as they do Mom can't see them in her mirrors...............so there

Istria County is the westernmost county of Croatia which includes the biggest part of the Istrian peninsula (2,820 km2 out of 3,160 km2, or 89%). Administrative centers in the county are Pazin, Pula, and Poreč. Istria County has the largest Italian-speaking population in Croatia.

The Pula Arena is a Roman amphitheater located in Pula. It is the only remaining Roman amphitheater to have four side towers entirely preserved. It was constructed between 27 BC and AD 68 and is among the world's six largest surviving Roman arenas.The arena is also the country's best-preserved ancient monument

The arena had a total of 15 gates. A series of underground passageways were built underneath the arena along the main axis from which animals, Ludi scenes, and fighters could be released; stores and shops were located under the raked seating. The amphitheater was part of the circuit of the gladiators

Ludi (Latin plural) were public games held for the benefit and entertainment of the Roman people

The amphitheater was first built in timber during the reign of Augustus (2–14 AD). It was replaced by a small stone amphitheater during the reign of Emperor Claudius. In 79 AD it was enlarged to accommodate gladiator fights by Vespasian and to be completed in 81 AD under emperor Titus. This was confirmed by the discovery of a Vespasian coin in the malting.

The axes of the elliptical amphitheater are 132.45 and 105.10 m (434.5 and 344.8 ft) long, and the walls stand 32.45 m (106.5 ft) high. It could accommodate 23,000 spectators and had forty steps divided into two. The seats rest directly on the sloping ground; The field for the games, the proper arena, measured 67.95 by 41.65 m (222.9 by 136.6 ft). The field was separated from the public by iron gates.

The amphitheater remained in use until the 5th century when Emperor Honorius prohibited gladiatorial combats. It was not until 681 that combat between convicts, particularly those sentenced to death, and wild animals was forbidden. In the 5th century, the amphitheater began to see its stone plundered by the local populace. By the 13th century, the patriarch of Aquileia forbade further removal from the Arena
The exterior wall is constructed in limestone. The part facing the sea consists of three stories, while the other part has only two stories since it was built on a slope. The maximum height of the exterior wall is 29.40 m (96.5 ft). The first two floors have each 72 arches, while the top floor consists of 64 rectangular openings.

Here's a ballerina on a photo shoot with her Dad

Each of the four towers had two cisterns filled with perfumed water that fed a fountain or could be sprinkled on the spectators. The amphitheater could be covered with velaria (large sails), protecting the spectators from sun or rain.. Below the arena was a system of canals that collected rainwater and effluent and drained into the sea.

flowers can grow in almost any environment

This is a very interesting city and very old. We walked up and down these cobblestone streets amazed at how ancient everything is, and it's still here for us to see.

Not sure how to interpret this picture we saw in a gallery? is it mocking the British King? or is it an Andy Warhol copy attempt?

We passed this store but didn't go in, the sweet smell of sugar was enough to turn Mom off  

After so much walking it was time to get something to eat, so we stopped at this restaurant Mom ordered a tuna salad but due to a language mishap, she got a tuna steak. It was a very good steak but too much food so I ate a lot of it.

After a long rest, we continued on 

Fronted by a high porch supported by six Corinthian columns, this small but perfectly proportioned temple was built sometime between 2 BC and AD 14. It survived the Christian era by being converted into a church, only for it to be destroyed by a bomb in 1944. The subsequent stone-by-stone reconstruction has brought it back to something closely approaching its former glory, and it now houses a small archaeological display.

those pillars are broken everywhere and to me, it looks like pieces can come falling down any minute...........

Fort Bourguignon is one of many fortresses in Pula that were built by the Austrian Empire in the second half of the 19th century. It was a steep cobblestone street to climb, and again Mom was huffing and puffing to get there, but after that giant lunch it was a good idea to work some of it off,

From up here we got a pretty good view over the entire town.

It is not known when the fortress stopped being used as a fortification, but it was used during the Third Italian War of Independence in 1866. Soon afterward, it was considered non-operational, but the damage on the roof shows that it was used during the First World War as an army shelter. In the 1970s, the protective channel was half-filled with trash. Ten years later a group of young activists turned the fort into one of the two most popular places for rave parties on the southern Adriatic coast.

So much walking and so much to see, 

Josip Broz, commonly known as Tito, was a Yugoslav communist revolutionary and politician who served in various positions of national leadership from 1943 until his death in 1980.

He was the leader during World War II. He fought Nazi occupation, made Yugoslavia independent from the Soviet Union in 1948, and served as President until 1980."

Sitting in a park resting and letting me take a whizz (I never go on sidewalks, I need grass).

A man putting lotion on his (presumably) wife with such concentration is a sweet picture.

This guy looks like he'll be the life of the party 

 

We had great weather all day but Mom wasn't looking forward to getting back to camp to clean up the muddy mess we got from the heavy rain the night before.

This statue is the landmark of the bus stop Mom noted

The trunk of This tree looks like it's made of stained glass 

Finally, we took the bus back to camp and now it was time to clean up all the mud from last night's rain.

Not fun at all but luckily there was a dog wash station where Mom took our mats to hose them off, and our neighbor helped put up a string between trees to hang them to dry.

We're staying here one more night to relax.

Mom got a giant blister between her big toe from wearing flip-flops or maybe some bug bit her there. it looks bad.

All is well here tomorrow we'll be back on the road

Wet kisses Henry