Three must-visit places in Pula

Three places that you have to visit in Pula

Hello again! Today is the third and final post about Pula, a city in Istria. In addition to the city of Pula and the Kamenjak national park, entries that you can read here or here, now I am bringing you three places that you can't miss out on if you travel in this area, which will stay in your mind forever.

Galebove Stijene

It is a coastal zone full of cliffs which you can jump off of, a line of white rocks which surround the coast, caves and beaches with crystal waters. The best thing about this place is walking till the end, where the cliffs are located. They are similar to the ones that were located on the Kamenjak headland, but when we went, there were far fewer people. It is also true that we got up really early (we were there at 9am) and little by little it started to get busier, but however, there wasn't even a quarter of the amount of people there compared to the Kamenjak cliffs. From my opinion and bearing in mind that comparisons are the worst, I liked these cliffs more than the previous ones. They are really peaceful and there are lots of different points to jump off from. The water was a lot clearer and more blue and it was the perfect temperature: cold enough to refresh you and warm enough so that you could go for a dip.

Before getting to the cliff, there is an area with incredible beaches, forming a kind of mini-bay. Right there, there is an area where you can rent kayaks to go around the area. We thought about it but in the end we preferred to swim. It is also the perfect area for snorkelling, the waters are crystal clear and you can see the bottom of the sea perfectly with all the fish and algae.

As well as jumping off of the cliffs, not for the faint-hearted, the best thing about this place is going into the hidden cave which is just under one of them. Paloma, Angel and I went to swim from where we were and when we finally got to the cave, it was incredible. It is a very deep cave (you can also go in a kayak). When you go in you will see the crystal and blue water changes to a dark black colour and it is impossible to see what is below. We went in slowly and we ended up behind the sunlight and suddenly, everything was completely black. We were a bit scared and of course a little claustrophobic, since for me at least, I had never been in a place like this before. In the darkness, some swimmers appeared who lit up the walls with their phone torches, protected with a waterproof case. The effect that it created was incredible because the torch light lit up the entrance of the water had a brilliant blue colour, almost magical. A characteristic place in many stories where the main characters are magical creatures, such as mermaids. You can go to the end of the cave, where there is a kind of beach full of rocks and this is the only place where you can touch the ground. The rest, you have to swim.

On the cliff, there are also a lot of people, who climb up them with special shoes. They weren't using any kind of harness to give them security, which seemed quite risky to me. If I wasn't scared of heights, I would have loved to do it.

We were there for quite a long time, longer than expected because we loved it there. We sunbathed, ate our food-prep and spent lots of time in the sea, since we had really missed it. Around 2pm, we got up and we headed to the second stop of our route.

Verudela

From Galebove Stijene, it is only a 10 minute drive to this place, Verudela. It is a beach area, which are also rocky, full of hotels and apartments. There is quite a pretty beach called Hawaiian Beach, but it is really busy. When we got there, it was full of people so we decided not to go. It looked really good, but the day before we had already been to the Kamenjak beaches so we had got our fix and we were looking for far more virgin and less touristy places.

So, we went to the Verudela Canyon. As its name implies, it is a canyon which penetrates the earth, like a throat that the sea flows through. The rocky walls of this canyon are really high and when we got there, we could see some boys jumping off from the highest point. It seemed a lot more dangerous to me than jumping off from the cliffs because the area where the waterfalls is a lot more narrow, and it is a lot higher. Brave or reckless?

When we got to the canyon, it really impressed us; it was the middle of the afternoon too so the lighting was incredible. We went down practically climbing, since the ground is steep, rocky and in certain bits, it was also slippery, so you have to be careful. There, we had a nice dip and we swam to the end of the canyon. It was a bit windy and the sea wasn't at all peaceful, it was completely open sea, and this made the place seem a lot more wild. For me, it was one of the best moments of this trip in Croatia. Being in an incredible place, practically alone, enjoying the sea and the landscape. After, everyone left and we stayed there for a bit longer and enjoying the water, which like everything else, was really good. This is most definitely a place you have to visit during your trip. Despite the access being a little complicated, it is worth going even if your feet do get a little scratched up. Really nearby to there, like a 5 minute walk away by following the cliffs along a path, there is a place with a seriously cool panoramic view. You can see the sea and an infinite horizon. We didn't stay until the sunset, but it must be dreamlike. In short, this place is amazing.

Fort Punta Christo

Last but not least, the Fort Punta Christo. As its name implies, it is an old fort which belonged to the Austro-Hungarian empire to defend Pula, in the 19th century. Getting there can be a bit complicated, because you have to park a bit far away ands at first, you don't know which path to follow. It is also an area full of beaches, with boats and small corners to lay down in and sunbathe. Nearby to this fort, a three minute walk away, there is the place that I am going to talk to you about. I don't know how to describe it to be honest. It is a kind of area for chilling, free time and entertainment.

There are bars, places to lay down, have a drink, relax and spend time with your friends. It was all built with "things you would find laying around at home". I would say. It reminded me a little bit of the song by Calle 13 "Fiesta de locos". The bars, the tables, the chairs... Everything was built with ordinary and random elements. The tables are triangular, lots of objects are joined with ropes, suddenly you will come across a traffic cone, there are posters with messages, life-saving rings and ltos more. Yellow doors, blue windows, green walls. There is also a small lighthouse and right to the side there is a little "house" where, if I am not mistakes, you can sleep at since it is an Airbnb. The photos of the inside of the house are just as caotic as the outside so it would most definitely be an experience to sleep there, but the best thing would be waking up with the sea right in front first thing in the morning. Opening the door and after having breakfast, jumping into the water.

We went there in the morning so we were alone, which made this place seem even more special. In short, it is a place full of lots of creativity, as if someone had made automatic writing but through architecture, I don't know how to explain it. It is all made from recycled materials, each object there has a different colour and it is all mixed and superimposed, but in reality, this effect creates a harmonic effect within all of this mess. The final effect is breathtaking.

At the end of this area is the prettiest bit, where there is a bridge which they say that you should not shake since it is dangerous. If you cross it carefully, there's not a problem, even though there are some planks which are a little loose. There is also a slide to go down into the water but it doesn't look safe at all. It was here where we had our last swim in Croatia, with a bitter-sweet feeling. The water, despite being quite early in the morning, was really nice and refreshing. Here are some photos because they are the best way to capture the essence of this place. A picture is worth a thousand words, as they say. I hope you enjoy them.

And that's it for today! I hope that you have liked these three places that, although being very different, are all definitely worth visiting and have their own charm. With this there are now three posts about Pula, in Croatia, a city which most definitely left us amazed. The sea, the architecture and its atmosphere is what makes Pula a unique place. We will most definitely go back. Anyway, now I'm going: thank you for reading until the end and I will see you in the next post.

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