Aquarium

Aquarium in Verudela is located in a 122 years old Austro-Hungarian fort Verudela. It is dedicated to raising awareness of the sea, with naturally themed habitats depicting the local marine environment.



You can experience hundreds of sea creatures in 30 special exhibits, including a touching pool: touch a dogfish , turtle, urchin, crab or sea squirts in the open basin. You can discover fish that have burrowed into the sand and mud as well as inhabitants of overgrown and stony areas. Have a look at tiny zooplankton and phytoplankton under the microscope, find out about the deepest reaches of the Mediterranean Sea , currents, colour of the sea, saltwater composition, etc.





My favourite aquariums were those with sea horses and ugly murena fishes.









Kids were thrilled to see "Nemo" and "Dory" fishes.






The first floor features various exhibitions, such as old fishermen tools, the protected marine organisms and underwater photography by the famous underwater photographer Eduard Strenja. In addition there is plenty of educational material to explore.









Within Aquarium Pula, the first Marine Turtle Rescue Centre in Croatia was opened in 2002. It is dedicated to the implementation of a tagging program in the northern Adriatic Sea, to provide medical treatment for injured turtles, providing a contact mechanism with local fishermen and to promote education and public awareness programs.







There is an amazing 40m tunnel, leading to the moat where a freshwater pond is situated. The specimens in the pond are varied and typical of the country's rivers and lakes. Within the tunnel, they offer refreshments and snacks to visitors. After the tunnel, and the turtle rescue area, you can sit and relax, enjoy the open bar and restaurant.



This was our kids favourite vacation spot:)
xo, Katarina

Pula

Pula is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, situated at the southern tip of the Istria peninsula, with a population of 62,080 (2006). Like the rest of the region, it is known for its mild climate, tame sea, and unspoiled nature. The city has a long tradition of winemaking, fishing, shipbuilding, and tourism. Pula has also been Istria's administrative center since ancient Roman times.



Arena is the name of the amphitheatre located in Pula, Croatia. The Arena is the only remaining Roman amphitheater to have four side towers and with all three Roman architectural orders entirely preserved. It is the sixth largest surviving Roman arena and a rare example, among the 200 Roman surviving amphitheatres, of unique technological solutions. It is also the best preserved ancient monument in Croatia. Arena was built in the 1st century AD and in 1932, it was adapted for theatre productions, military ceremonies and public meetings. In its present state it still seats some 5,000 spectators.





Arch of the Sergii is an Ancient Roman triumphal arch, built in approx. 29 BC - 27 BC by/for the Sergii family.







Temple of August is a well-preserved Roman temple, dedicated to the first Roman emperor, Augustus, it was probably built during the emperor's lifetime at some point between 2BC and his death in AD 14.



Beside these 3 outstanding monuments, there are many other beautiful buildings, churches, houses with gorgeous vintage windows and doors and each corner of this beautiful ancient city with its cultural breathe permeated everywhere, will make you feel lost in the past, at least for the moment.















Of course, it is impossible to attach all the pics here, so you may browse through my flickr gallery to see some more.

There are just a few pics of me, as I was busy taking them, as you can see from the one aside, but there is one with Bianka, taken by Marta, inside one restaurant, where we finished our first visit to Pula, eating a pizza;)




xo, Katarina

We are back!!!

As soon as I find some time to choose and upload some pics, I will make a post:)
It was great, but a bit exhausting, taking the fact that we were 4 adults with 5 small kids, but I think that it was worth in all the ways;)

As I took over 2000 pictures (yes, I must be insane) I realized that I will need to make 5 different posts in way to be able to show just a smaller part of them in some organized way. So my Vacation pics will be divided into 5 posts: Pula, Premantura, Rovinj, Brioni and Aquarium.
xo, Katarina