We left Bosnia and Herzegovina in mid-November to slowly make our way back to Spain, and our first stop was Pula, Croatia, where we stayed for 1 week to get just a little taste of Croatia. 
Pula is located on the Istrian Peninsula, in the north of Croatia. Like other cities we have visited in the Balkans, it was conquered and ruled by the Romans, and in later centuries it was part of the territories of Byzantium, of the Franks, and of Venice, and then the Austro-Hungarians. 

It is a lovely seaside city with a large protected harbour, and it is very well known for its Roman ruins, in particular its amphitheatre. There are lots of nearby beaches and coves to explore as well.

We took a day to drive up the northern coast to the town of Porec. It was a beautiful sunny day, and we shared the town with just the locals. We wandered around the historic old town and along the seafront promenade. We really loved this small coastal town, and we would definitely consider returning.

On our way back to Pula, we stopped at the small village of Funtana, hoping something would be open for lunch. One good thing we have realised about travelling in the off season with very few tourists is that, yes, many restaurants and bars might be closed, but the few that are open make it so much easier to see which ones are the best, as all the locals are there. Just look to see which one has lots of cars parked out the front. 
We discovered this very small restaurant that was packed with locals and enjoyed a very good lunch with complimentary Croatian fried doughnuts (we think that’s what they were).

We continued on our way with a stop at the historic town of Rovinj. Rovinj is a fishing port, and the old town stands on a headland, with houses tightly crowded down to the seafront. 
We explored the cobbled streets and climbed up the hilltop to the church of St. Euphemia, whose towering steeple dominates the skyline of Rovinj.

It was a beautiful town, and it was great to visit while there were no tourists, as it is one of the most famous towns on the Istrian Peninsula and gets very busy. 

We did plan a day trip along the coast in the other direction to explore the Premantura peninsula and nature reserve, but my driver was not well, so next time! We loved our time in Pula, and we were really impressed with the region and the people and hope to return to explore more.