Touring -Porec

 We headed west to the coastal town of Poreč, about 30 km away. The town sits right on the sea, and with its harbour full of boats, the sparkling Croatian-blue water, and the bright sky above, it made for a picture-perfect scene.

We began at the market, where the air was filled with the aromas of fresh vegetables, ripe fruit, olive oils, fish, mushrooms, and so much more. From there, we wandered into the old town—a maze of narrow alleyways that eventually opened into a large square. The buildings were painted in cheerful colors, giving everything a lively feel.

Scotty and I have a nickname for towns like this: “schmuck towns.” In German, muck means tourist trinkets, and Poreč had no shortage of souvenir shops, along with ice cream stands, restaurants, and cafés on every corner. Despite all the temptations, the only things we bought were pastries—absolutely worth it. I tried a cheese and spinach burek (note to self: I need to find a recipe for this!) and, not that I needed another, a pecan pastry. That one may have been the best pastry I’ve had so far—thin layers with a pecan filling that tasted just like pecan pie.

We also stopped into the modern art museum, which is housed in a wing of a baroque church. There were some gorgeous oil paintings on display, alongside a few questionable pieces—like a row of buckets filled with water arranged in the middle of the floor. I had a lovely chat with the museum attendant, who was delighted to hear we had come all the way from the US.