The first thing I saw when I arrived in Pula was the beautiful ancient Roman Arena when I circled the city looking for a parking space. The arean reminded me of the Colosseum in Rome. This was perhaps what you can call a mini Colosseum. And the second thing I saw was the Pula Central Market located in the heart of this Istrian city.
Pula Central Market
I was lucky enough to visit when the outdoor market was open. I am always curious about what people eat in other countries and the best way to find this is by visiting the local marketplace.
Pula’s central market is very easy to find as it is the most dominating structure standing on the main square. The market hall is a two-storey cast iron framed building that was opened to the public in 1903. It has a vintage baroque feel to it which I really liked. The tint of history is very obvious which gives charm and character to the building.
Fish and meat are sold on the ground floor of the market hall. Upstairs are reserved for traditional gourmet and dairy shops, bakeries and a number of bar cafes and eateries.
Fresh produce such as vegetables and fruits, as well as local gourmet products were vended outside in the alfresco covered roof stalls. Honey, lavender and olive oil were popular items reminding me of France and Italy.
Some pictures below of the outdoor market and the ground floor of the market hall:
A shot of Rakija
After a little bit of strolling around the market, I went upstairs to where the bar cafes are and quickly found a table I like.
One of the bartenders was quite friendly and engaged in a tête-à -tête with me. When he found out that I am eyeing a rakija shot with my espresso, he right away brought out all the rakija bottles on the bar counter for me. Oh dear me, haha. Now this only adds to the difficult phase of choosing which rakija fruit flavour to taste, so I ended up taking the original instead. Just playing safe here!
Rakija (Rakia) is a local Croatian fruit brandy. This is a very popular strong alcoholic drink in Eastern Europe, especially in the Balkan region (also Hungary) where each country has their own approved by the masses version.
When in Pula, check out the outdoor market and the pretty market hall, but of course, do not forget the bar café scene upstairs as well =)
Here are some photos of the bar scene in the market:
Travel Period: March 2014
Destination: Pula (Istria), Croatia
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Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)