Pula, Croatia

Today, being Sunday, my husband and I decided to drive around the city for some fresh air. We passed by the French Quarter and was surprised to see that the Post Office was open. So with nothing to do, I told my husband to stop over and we went inside to look and see what kind of cover stamps are available as I have two requests for those. I also checked our box, and, lo and behold --


A postcard from Croatia!
Postmarked Pula on 15 December 2008
Sent by Roberto who is from Pula himself.

Initially, I thought the postcard was from Italy because the postcard shows the Roman colosseum. But I was wrong.

According to Wikipedia, the Romans conquered the Istrian peninsula, of which Pula is a part of, in 177 B.C. During those times, the Romans made Pula their administrative headquarters, and they built great classical constructions in the city. Nowadays, only the ruins are left dotting the city's landscape, and the most impressive is the Roman ampi-theater (locally known as the Arena, shown in the postcard) where gladiator fights were used to be held. Today, especially during the summer, only concerts and festivals are held at the Arena.

Pula is a very old city, and apart from its long tradition of wine-making, fishing and tourism, it is also an important ship-building centre that dates back to the days when it was an important naval port under the Austro-Hungarian empire.

Thank you very much, Roberto. My postcard is now on its way to you. Do let me know if you received it.