Pula, Croatia

A friend from church told us about some Roman ruins in Croatia, not far from our resort. We decided to check it out. 

We were shocked to see this Arena, which was built between 27 and 68 AD. It is the only remaining Roman amphitheatre to have four side towers. It is also one of the six largest surviving Roman arenas in the world:

It is still used today for concerts and performances:

 Dad and the boys in front of a brave lion:

Under the Arena, we saw lots of artifacts from the Roman era:

The kids had dressed for the beach and were not too happy about stopping to see "more old buildings," but they smiled for the camera anyway. And we promised them that they would see the beach soon:

 Erick and I drove around Pula looking for a good place to stop and swim. We came to a narrow dirt road and followed it to this perfect secluded area:

The water was bluer than the sky and crystal clear, and the temperature was perfect:

Erick showed the kids all sorts of sea life:

The crabs were the most exciting (because they moved)... and most abundant:

 At first the kids just waded in the water:

Soon, they were brave enough to sport their floaties and swim into deeper water:

TJ became a pro with his snorkel:

After a long nap, even David got into the water. **I did too, but there is no photo evidence of it:

We left late in the afternoon as people started showing up to swim near us. I don't like crowds, so this day was quiet and perfect. I had to stick this last picture in, because all of us were shocked when this 65ish couple came and got into the water without any clothes on. Wow! We didn't realize this area was that secluded:

If you haven't been to Croatia, I strongly recommend it. But don't forget the sunblock!  Erick will attest that it is essential for the trip.