Into Italy...Trieste...A Seaside Gem!

Not many tourists go to Trieste, a nice little seaside town. It is a bit out of the way, and if they are coming from the Eastern countries (like we were) I can certainly understand why. They don't make it easy, that's for sure.

The distance from Ljubliana to Trieste is a mere 100kms or so - nothing, right? Maybe, but the trains don't cross the border, so the best you can do is catch the train to the border, then catch a bus, whenever it gets there. Sounds OK, except the train leaves only once a day at 5 am. Yep, that means checking out of the hotel, and getting to the station by that time. We tried the buses, they will take you all the way, starting at 5.45am, also once a day.  Better. And then there are all the private operators who will take you all the way in a private car, or small bus anytime, but for a huge amount of money. And that is how we came to get up at "cow time" on our holiday, and watch our first sunrise in Europe from the bus.

Coming down from the hills into Trieste was lovely. The houses are all the way up and around the hill, with the city around the bay. It reminded us of the descent into Lakes Entrance, only much bigger.

A corner of the hill we saw coming into Trieste. I was a bit too late taking this photo. 

What you can't see is a steep hillside, full of houses and apartments. Really pretty.

We checked in to our hotel, and actually had water views...if you hang out the window by your toes!

But Bob spotted a yacht, so off we went, straight away, to explore.  And look what Bob found..?

It was the "Costa Classica" cruising the Adriatic. One of the "Costa" shipping fleet, which immediately reminded us of the "Costa Concordia" disaster, when that ship sank off the coast a couple of years ago, and the Captain abandoned ship.

This is our hotel in a small street. We had to wait till late to
take this photo, because you wouldn't believe the buses that constantly
came down that narrow street! The street lights were original old
etched glass "balls surrounded by ironwork. Very pretty.

Our hotel was also just around the corner from several Piazza's - which we visited often on our way around. Whenever we were there, it was always busy with people - families with children, people walking dogs, friends shopping, or just meeting for a drink or meal at the many restaurants.

We reflected on this, and wondered why these people would rather be here, than in their homes.  Of course, the piazza is very beautiful, day or night, but why weren't they home cooking dinner? We decided that it must be the socialisation and company of others that was the attraction.  These people all live in apartments. They have no lawns to mow, or garden to weed, and probably don't see their neighbours much. Coming to the piazza, they see their friends, neighbours, and interesting people, including mad buskers and tourists, in a beautiful environment.  Why wouldn't you go out for a healthy stroll, enjoying a social environment, instead of staying home just watching TV on the couch? 

Hmmmm...perhaps I should remember this when we get home.

One end of the big beautiful piazza...it is a very large "u" shape, as the other end faces the sea.

One of the things we noticed was the amount of male groups that would stroll by. Older men, in groups of 3 or 4 would be passing by, talking away, and end up at one of the restaurants, discussing whatever -and sometimes meeting up with another few blokes.  We saw them in the Piazza's, down on the  cobblestoned waterfront, and around the Marina's. A walking "Men's Shed" - Italian style!

The side of the Piazza. Napoleon watched a parade in his honour, from that balcony.

The Piazza at night...huge and gorgeous.

We were very surprised that just behind streets of modern shops, quite close to our hotel, they had uncovered  the remains of a roman amphitheatre! They have preserved the site, and are still excavating and restoring parts of it. 

The roman amphitheatre - right in the middle of the city!

And above the ancient walls surrounding the amphitheatre, are residential highrises, so it's
great that they have been able to keep people, and especially vandals from damaging it.

Another treat we had in Trieste was eating in the oldest restaurant in town. Called the "cafe Tommasseo," it has been serving customers since 1825. They had some original photos there of the Cafe in the early days. The staff who worked there, were very proud of the history of the restaurant, and were very happy to pass it on. We had a nice coffee and cake there.

The restaurant had lovely baroque details on the ceilings as well.

Our HOHO bus showed us around and told us the history of the city. It took us to their Castle on the top of the hill, which also served as a fort in ancient times.  It seems like every city has ancient forts used to defend their land (and people) from attack by enemy forces. It really brings home the fact that there have been almost continual wars and battles in Europe for thousands of years.

This is the tunnel on the way to the Castle. Doesn't it look like a face? Creepy!

The old castle was not as picturesque as some others
in Europe, but was obviously built with
protection in mind. 

Interesting remains of Roman columns outside the Castle. Wonder what it was originally?

We enjoyed Trieste, and were glad we came. The fact that it isn't on the tourist map, meant that we did not see many tourists - which is always good!  The people we met here, seemed to be here on business - there was a huge environmental conference on while we were here - with only a few tourists.

We liked the piazza lifestyle, the food, the friendly people, the lovely architecture, and Bob especially liked all the boats in all the marinas! Sounds like a great place...and it was.

But all too soon, it was time to head off again - up the road to Venezia!  Bring on the Gondolas...I say!

Till next time...