BACKGROUND TO ISTRIA continued

_____________________________ There was no beach as such along this stretch of the Istrian Peninsula. The water's edge in town had long been converted to 'harbour wall' type construction. When following the coast out of Porec towards the hotels, one could see that certain points along its length had been 'converted' to crude bathing facilities, consisting of imported rock arranged in a way which allowed for sunbathing and easy entry into the sea for swimming. By the way, whatever you might hear in the future about the cleanliness of the salt or pure water in this country, let me say that the Porec area at least is obviously pollution-free. The sea really is as blue as the photographs show, and clear enough to see many feet below the surface. We were advised that the mean temperature for the month of September is 72 degrees in the sun, but we found that, for most of the week, the heat was well above that. Happily, the humidity is low, and it was always comfortable, even in direct sunlight. Plenty of ozone! _____________________________