Road Trip

Piazza Unita d'Italia

One of the great things about visiting Europe is that traveling from one country to another is like driving from state to state back home.  We started our trip based in Pula on the Istrian peninsula in northwestern Croatia.  We're an hour from Slovenia and 90 minutes from Italy, so naturally we took a side trip to both.  Counting our stopover and brief visit to Copenhagen, we hit four countries in our first three days.

Mona in Trieste

On Monday, we drove the 90 minutes (through Slovenia) to Trieste, Italy and explored the city center.  We spent time at the Castello di San Giusto, a large stone fortress overlooking the city and the Adriatic Sea.  It was actually built by the Austrians in the 1400's when they controlled this part of the world.  The castle provided great views of the city and the Adriatic Sea.  We walked through Piazza Unità d'Italia, the largest square in the City, and walked out on the Molo Audace, a 200-meter long stone pier built in 1751.

Castello San di Giusto

After grabbing lunch at a local market, we drove back though Slovenia and stopped in Piran, which sits on a point along the coast with sweeping views of the Adriatic.  We walked along the promenade next to the water and wandered the narrow streets.  We ate dinner at a local Italian restaurant, after which Doug proclaimed the stuffed pasta he'd eaten one of his all-time top five meals. I'm surprised he didn't lick the plate at the end.

We made it back to the house in time for bed.  After a fun-filled day and full bellies, we had no problem getting a good night's sleep.

Piran, Slovenia