Istrian Croatia

Well what an excellent surprise! We're really enjoying Croatia. After all the doomsaying we heard and read we fully expected to feel ripped off and put-off by surly people. Not a. Bit of it! We find we're really enjoying the place. Many of the nicest places we have been to have been free or reasonably priced. We've only felt overcharged in one bay near Veli Rat where we paid £20 for a buoy for a night - but there was an excellent free anchorage just around the headland where we stayed for 2 more nights.

Novigrad High Street

To start at the beginning. We checked out of Slovenia (5 minutes and no form filling) then sailed to Novigrad where we checked into Croatia. We weren't made to go to the closest (but less convenient) port which was Umag. Checking was simple and efficient. They relieved us of €130 and a crew list taking all of 10 minutes. A significant part of the fee goes to maintaining navigation safety marks which I have to say are well worth it - they're the best I've seen in any Mediterranean country. As soon as we were done, we anchored free in the harbour. Diesel was easily obtained from the marina fuel dock and amazingly cheap.

Rovinj - part of tourist Alley - but charming nevertheless

Next stop was Rovinj a lovely old town halfway down Istria. We took a buoy for 8 Kuna/meter (£8 for us) and swam, chilled, explored the town and of course worked for a couple of days. The narrow winding streets up to the church are fascinating and the view from the top is worth the walk. There is a market beside the northern bay. La Mutine arrived while we were there so we renewed the friendship we had struck up in Venice. The disco by the beach was borderline offensive on Friday evening but packed up at a reasonable time and was quieter on Saturday and Sunday.

Pula Harbour from the Castle

Next stop Pula near the southern tip of Istria. This is a much bigger city with a large port, industry and lots of apparently abandoned military installations. We anchored in the northern part of the harbour and went looking for a gas refill. We eventually found it though not where the pilot said it was! If you're following in our footsteps, take the dingy to the mouth of the small river in the NW corner and tie up to the decrepit fishermans mole. Walk up the road to the bridge & up the steps. Cross the bridge, turn leftish at the roundabout then continue almost to the next one. Down the bank on the left side of the road is the filling station. A fill cost 35 Kuna!
We did get charged for anchoring but only a modest 8kuna per meter per day. They don't have a boat so only collect if they spot you dinghying into town.

Coliseum - pictures don't do justice!

Pula has been inhabited since before roman times. It has a very impressive coliseum, several smaller theatres and temples and a castle. Well worth an explore. The pizza joint on the walk down from the castle is excellent, friendly and fantastic value. Seems to be almost exclusively patronised by large numbers of locals.
We spent a relaxing couple of days anchored in the harbour, sheltering from wind and thunder then set off for Mali Losinj.