We had an early breakfast sitting outside, which on this occasion wasn’t interrupted by rain. We had booked on an organised tour for the day, so after breakfast we strolled through the back streets to the bus station to pick up the minibus. Our first port of call was Trieste across the border in Italy. On arrival our guide Damjan took us on a short guided tour of the city, where he showed us among other things; the seafront statue, the seafront square Piazza Unità d’Italia, the remains of the Roman theatre and the Serbian Orthodox Church of Saint Spyridon. As a Slovenian Damjan is passionate about Trieste and believes as other Slovenians do that Trieste belongs to Slovenia.
After the guided tour there was just enough time to for a quick drink. We didn’t chance ordering lunch because the service although friendly was rather slow. The drinks. however arrived with bowls of crisps and other nibbles. Whilst we were walking round Trieste we couldn’t help but notice street traders trying to tout their wares to the tourists. Their object of choice seemed to be brightly coloured selfie sticks and I wondered if they managed to sell many.
Our second port of call on the tour was Miramare Castle which is situated on the Gulf of Trieste. Miramare was commission to be built by Austrian Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian as a residence for himself and his wife, Charlotte of Belgium. The castle is situated on a cliff high above the sea and is surrounded by a botanical garden. The inside of the castle is interesting and ornate and the gardens are stunning. Whilst we were there the temperature soared to 92o so to cool off we bought a tub of ice cream and sorbet from a stand near to the castle entrance. We also grabbed a bottle of water to drink on the minibus journey back to Piran.
On arrival in Piran we made our way to the seafront and enjoyed a more leisurely drink watching the world go by before returning to the hotel to freshen up before dinner. After the heat of the day a cool shower was welcome and I began to feel human again. Even in the evening it was too hot to stay inside for long so once again we found ourselves sitting on the seafront with a cooling drink watching the world go by…
Tags: Garden, Gardens, Miramare Castle, Piran, Slovenia, Trieste
The warmth of the early morning sunshine made it possible for us to eat breakfast outside on the hotel terrace. We lingered a while enjoying the atmosphere even after it had started to rain. After a while the wind changed direction and drove the rain underneath the covered area, in our direction. We beat a hasty retreat inside and as we did so the light rain turned into a torrential downpour. There was no point in going out in such weather so we returned to our room where we could enjoy watching the rain and the comings and goings in Tartini Square whilst keeping dry.
When the rain had subsided we made our way down to the square for a drink before visiting the Giuseppe Tartini Memorial Room. Tartini who was born in Piran and christened in St George’s cathedral in 1692 became a violin virtuoso and composer. The Town Square and the hotel we were staying in were named after him. The custodian of the museum gave an interesting talk on the man and the collection.
Next we intended to visit the Museum of Underwater Activities but unfortunately it was closed so I took a leisurely stroll along the harbour whilst Mr C risked his ears again by climbing the bell tower next to St George’s Cathedral. After this it was time for lunch which we enjoyed sitting on the seafront with a glass of wine, watching boats coming in and out of the harbour.
After lunch we visited the Sergej Masera Maritime Museum which is dedicated to Slovenia’s naval history and heritage. After the museum made our way to the art gallery which was exhibiting paintings that were all painted in the same week. The artist was required to present a blank canvas to the gallery and complete his/her work within one week. It was an interesting exhibition with many painting styles. There were some excellent works of art on the walls along with some that didn’t quite work for me.
On our way back to the hotel to freshen up before dinner we noticed that the temperature was 82o after the rain had cooled the temperature down earlier in the day. After dinner we spent the evening chatting with one of our fellow travelers who was holidaying on his own.
Tags: Art, Brain, Hotel Tartini, Moonrise, Piran, Rain, Slovenia, Tartini Square
After breakfast we walked to the bus station and caught a bus to Koper for the day. The journey along the coast was very beautiful. As we arrived at a bus station near Koper the bus driver stood up and announced that the stop was the nearest one to Koper centre. More than half of the people on the bus stood up and got off.
There was a large map next to the bus station so we were able to find our way into the town quite easily. Our route took us along a narrow shopping street and into Tito Square which is surrounded by spectacular architecture. The most spectacular building is the Praetorian palace; it houses the tourist information office and it is possible to take a guided tour of the building. Unfortunately on the day we visited there was a meeting which meant the rooms were occupied and it was not possible to take the tour.
The nearby Cathedral Church of St Mary’s Ascension was also closed, however Mr C was able to visit the bell tower. In his haste to climb the tower he forgot to check the time and arrived at the top just as the bell struck 12.00. He encountered two Americans looking rather shell shocked due to their being in the bell tower when the carillon bells started to chime.
When he descended from the tower we followed a walking route that took in Koper’s points of interest concluding our tour with a visit to The Monastery Church of St. Anna. Along the way, we noticed the bathing area next to the shipping port and thought the concept and reality were quite unpleasant. We retraced our steps to Tito square and the small shopping street where we had a refreshing drink to cool us down before returning to the bus stop to catch a bus back to Piran.
We walked through the narrow alleyways to the seafront and sat looking out over the bay until it was time to return to the hotel to freshen up for dinner. Over dinner our waiter engaged us in interesting conversation regarding the former communism and politics of the region and after this we sat outside in Tartini square enjoying a night cap.
Tags: Bell Tower, Cathedral Church of St Mary's Ascension, Koper, Piran, Praetorian palace, Slovenia, Vacation
We had a leisurely breakfast before walking up the steep hill to the remains of the town walls. Unfortunately we didn’t have the correct change to be able to access the walls so we viewed them from outside the fence before making our way back down the hill for a refreshing mid-morning drink. On our way we stopped to look at the sea view. I had also planned to take a picture of the front view of Archangel Michael who is situated on top of the bell tower by St George’s Cathedral. When I arrived in Piran, I noticed he had his back to the square and was facing towards the sea. Today however he had his back to the sea and I began to doubt myself…
Whilst pondering the possibility that I might have made a mistake he appeared to move slightly. As I stared at him he moved 40o to face more towards my direction! We began to suspect that Archangel Michael was more than he seemed. After our morning drink we visited St George’s Cathedral and had our suspicions about the Archangel confirmed. He is in fact a weather vane and we were informed by the cathedral administrator that if he faced towards Tartini Square it would rain in the town and if he faced towards the sea it would rain across the bay towards Italy. By this time the wind was howling around the cathedral so we were inclined to agree with the prognosis. We visited the cathedral treasury and the crypt before entering the church. The artwork within is spectacular with paintings, carvings and an intricate crucifix entitled The Man of Piran. The latter is kept in a glass case to help preserve it.
We then made our way to the sea front and indulged in an ice cream for lunch although the option I chose had too much cream for my liking. Whilst eating the ice cream we watched the sea breaking over the sea defence barrier, occasionally splashing customers who were on the tables nearest the seafront. After lunch we walking through the winding alleyways of Piran and found ourselves sitting in front of the hotel in the square, watching the world go by for a couple of hours before it was time to get ready for dinner. For dinner we were able to sample one of the local dishes, ćevapčići, which is grilled minced meat formed into rough sausage shapes.
When we stepped into the square after dinner it was still windy and Archangel Michael was ominously looking over the square. We wandered down to the harbour and were treated to a display of sheet lightning in the distance. We didn’t want to chance getting rained on so we returned for a drink in the square before retiring for the night.
Tags: Archangel Michael, Piran, Slovenia, St George's Cathedral, Tartini Square, Town Walls, Vacation
I woke up feeling refreshed after the long journey and transfer the previous day. I had a quick shower and got ready to go down for breakfast whilst Mr C hopped in the shower. Unfortunately Mr C had a problem with the water which was scalding hot and we could find no way to turn the temperature down.
After breakfast there was a guided walking tour around Piran which we had decided to go on. For some reason I had got it into my head the walk started at 9.30 when in fact it was due to take place at 10.00. I left Mr C at reception to report the problem with the shower and walked out into Tartini square to wait for him and the others that would be joining the walk. Not surprisingly no-one else turned up and there was no sign of Mr C so I went back into the hotel to find him. He was no longer at reception and nowhere to be seen. I asked the receptionist if he had seen him but he said that he had only just come on shift and hadn’t seen anyone.
I mentioned in passing that we were due to go on the walking tour and the receptionist asked if it was the walk with Damjan (our rep). I said it was and, without another word, he charged off and returned with Damjan whom he had dragged away from his morning cup of coffee. At this point Mr C also turned up. It turned out that he had been sent up to meet the housemaid who would help him sort out the shower problem. The person who had sent him up there was none other than the hotel receptionist who claimed not to have seen him!!!
After this confusion, we met up in the square ready for the guided tour. Damjan was an excellent guide and the information he shared with us was interesting. Whilst we were in the square we heard singing. Damjan informed us that it was probably to celebrate the Restoration of Primorska (Slovene Littoral) to the Motherland which is observed by a National Holiday on 15th September each year. After the walking tour we gathered outside the hotel and ordered drinks whilst we decided which of the guided tours we would go on later in the week. There was a bit of a mix up as to whether the drinks were complimentary or not, but this was easily sorted later in the day.
After we had booked the trips, we retraced the steps of the morning walk in order to take leisurely photographs of the points of interest that we had seen. We took a gentle pace, stopping for lunch and refreshment at various watering holes along the way. In the evening after dinner, we watched an Italian street market being dismantled ready to move on to its next location. We found this quite fascinating because the electrician (from Piran) kept turning off the lighting to the Italian stalls. They were being slow and he was ready to go home…
Tags: Archangel Michael, Giuseppe Tartini Statue, Piran, Slovenia, St George's Cathedral, Tartini Square, Vacation
There are many going afar to marvel at the heights of mountains, the mighty waves of the sea, the long courses of great rivers, the vastness of the ocean, the movements of the stars, yet they leave themselves unnoticed!
Saint Augustine
Tags: Adriatic, Cherie's Place Thought, Ocean, Piran, Sea, Slovenia, Vacation
We set off in plenty of time for our flight at 13.30 and, because the roads were clear, we arrived with time to spare before we could check in. We relaxed in Cafe Nero until the check in desks opened. After checking in we had a delicious light lunch of Eggs Benedict. The flight took off on time and we were entertained by a visual display showing us where we were in the sky along with temperature, mach speed and other interesting details. The flight path gave us a spectacular aerial view of the alps. When we arrived at Ljubljana airport a minibus was waiting to take us to Piran, where we were staying for the first week of our holiday, along with 5 other people.
The driver informed us that he was a Swede and that he had moved to Slovenia in 1980 with his family. He pointed out sights during our journey and gave us all sorts of interesting information about western Slovenia. We were dropped off in Tartini Square near to the Hotel Tartini where we would be staying for the week. The first thing we noticed was how lively and vibrant the square was; it was buzzing with people.
We checked in to the hotel and went up to our room where we found had a birds eye view of the square. It was a perfect room with a perfect view. We decided to go straight down to dinner and to unpack our bags later. After dinner, we sat outside the hotel soaking up the atmosphere with a complimentary glass of wine before strolling around Piran until it was time to retire for the evening.
Tags: Hotel Tartini, Piran, Piran Square, Slovenia, St George's Cathedral, Vacation
