Fortress

Up 

The last travel photos were visiting the coliseum and churches of Pula. Next we went up the hill to see the remnants of the old city fortress.

Notice the incline of the little street.

Looking down on the city

At the top, at the fortress

An old anchor was embedded in the ground, and the trees followed the same curve.

heading back down

A huge anchor, really HUGE

Driving on, storm coming

DELUGE

A few minutes later, sun again

This is a bad photo, but note the bridge across the valley. We were headed for that.

Next town for next time

 

and more to follow....

Blessed Ascension Day

Holy Day

 As our visiting pastor said on Sunday, only three times did angels appear to people in connection with Jesus and with direct directions to do something (in contrast to the usual delivery of only an announcement): Jesus' birth, Jesus' resurrection, and Jesus' ascension. This makes the celebration of The Ascension more important than what it gets these days. In most places it isn't a holiday anymore, and almost nowhere do people observe the day itself.

Let's all be counter-cultural.

(By the way the whole weekend is a holiday here, and we do celebrate it in our family: "If you don't use it, you'll lose it.")

This is part of a paper-cut work from twenty years ago.

"This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven."
"... which is the earnest of our inheritance.... unto the praise of His glory."

Traveling On

Through Croatia

We drove through many little towns, each with a church. (Croatia is mostly Catholic).

And sometimes ruins. Croatia was an important Roman colony and Byzantine colony and port for the medieval Venetian trade.

The country has surprisingly vast stretches of open farm land.

And the evening and the morning were that Mother's Day Sunday. (The morning and mid-day had been filled with  other adventures and a fine dinner.)

The garden of the place where we stayed overnight. (I have to tell you the price: 15 Euros each.)

Then we followed the sea coast for quite awhile to the bottom of a peninsula .

Until we arrived in PULA. It is, as you can see, noted for its Roman remnants.

It is on the tip of the peninsula.

St. Anthony church

Istra is the peninsula.

The Coliseum is used for event staging.

The church door.

The church garden

A part of the Baptismal font, at the entrance - the typical placement in the ancient church.

The chancel with a modern mosaic

All the floors are native marbles. Gorgeous.

Concert, anyone?

Still being excavated

Another church, very old Romanesque style

Town streets on the shady side

An ancient temple from Roman times

- and more will follow, up to the fortification.