Well, the afternoon of Wednesday, May 16th, was our last moment in Croatia. This has been a interesting and exciting trip. We traveled to destinations that were new to us. The scenery was beautiful. The people were nice and the food good. If you have the opportunity to visit the Dalmatian Coast sieze the day and take the trip.
Sailing into the small port of Rovinj, one is greeted with the bellower of the Church of Saint Euphemia; dominating the harbor, the sight is extraordinary.
We were scheduled for a walking tour of the old town. We waited anxiously in the lounge for our guide to arrive when, after a while, we were told there was a problem scheduling the guides and they may not arrive. So, it was suggested that we stroll around with one of our Tauck representative who would provide an overview for us. JoAnn and I decided to strike out on our own. We routinely do that when we travel and today was just one more day on our own.
Rovinj is a quaint seaside town with a lovely harbor and twisty, turny little streets.
We decided to walk up to the Church of Saint Euphemia. Our walk, once we got to the harbor, started here,
and continued upward.
Our destination was in sight
The church dominates the town and is a lovely Baroque structure.
Inside the church, past and beyond the main alter, is the chapel containing the relics of Saint Euphemia, the patron saint of Rovinj.
I found this ceiling painting interesting and hope you do as well.
The bell tower was built in 1754 to mimic that in St. Mark’s Square in Venice. At 190 feet tall, it overlooks the harbor, providing a marvelous landmark, as ships and boats sail in and out.
As we made our way out of the church, on our way back to town, we met an interesting feathered creature walking guard on the church wall and apparnetly oblivious to our presence.
The walk down the hill, back to town, led us past some interesting and photogenic sights.
Door knockers . . .
. . . and bicycles
and we were back on Le Lyrial enroute to Venice and our homeward journey. Just one more stop, an overnight in Richmond on the Thames, Surrey, England, loomed ahead as we made our way back to Philadelphia.