Istria

On Monday I drove from Munich to Porec in Croatia, passing through Austria and Slovenia on the way. Driving can be a bit frustrating as you pass so many places on the way that would justify a stopover for a day or two. Hopefully I will be able to visit some of the places I by-passed on the journey back. The only event of note on the drive to Porec was being pulled over by an unmarked police car a little bit south of Munich. I did not know what I could have done wrong but I was nervous. Were they going to fine me for not using beam deflectors. I had bought all the required equipment for driving in Europe- fire extinguisher, warning triangle, reflective jacket, first aid kit etc. In the event they searched me and the car for drugs! I am not sure what justified the search other than I was driving a foreign car, but I saw no point in arguing the toss. After making a thorough search of the front and back of the car they lost interest and opened the boot but did not search it. Which was just as well, because I had 20kg of cocaine hidden in the tyre well.
Porec is in a region of Croatia called Istria, which is very near Italy and which has been controlled by the Venetians and Italians at various points in history. The architecture of the cities is quite "Italian". Porec's most famous sight, the Euphrasian Basilica, is a world heritage site. The Basilica contains amazing Byzantine mosaics, which were created in the 6th century.

On Tuesday, as well as sightseeing in Porec, I visited Piran, a city on Slovenia's tiny coast. The Slovenian coast is also in Istria, crammed between Italy and Croatia. Piran is another very Italian town, with narrow alleys and stucco clad buildings. It has an impressive cathedral, which was unfortunately closed for viewing between 1 and 5pm, "siesta" time. From Piran I drove to Pula, also in Istria. I am staying in a camping ground with a very nice beach.