SEPTEMBER 2015 : ITALY : Trieste

H                                          

A rest day today in the lovely city of Trieste. We were here in 2010 and last June and enjoyed visiting

all the attractions it has to offer and loved the city walking tour. So we absorbed the atmosphere, organised tickets for tomorrow, collected the box we'd sent from Santiago and put our feet up.

    

Piazza l'Unita d'Italia.

      

Eighteenth century merchants' houses along the canal

     

Our old friend, James Joyce, Irish writer, probably rushing off  to yet another lodging to evade his debts.

                                   

                                      Inviting cafes

                                      

                                 Beautifully ornate Orthodox Church, S. Nicolo.

        

         Decorated doors

        

         Love the formal public buildings and the charming less informal.

       

         Bit of shopping therapy.

        

           Savouring a long lunch.

        

Our only real tourist foray was to the Museo Revoltella. This was the stately home of Pasquale Revoltella, an entrepreneur and benefactor, built in the mid- nineteenth century. Much of the original furniture is displayed and his huge art collection, depicting Italian life and personalities of the time.

The house has beautifully patterned wooden floors, highly painted ceilings and views of the port. It also has many artefacts, including paintings of Egypt, where  Revoltella lived for a year or so, supervising the construction of the Suez Canal.

Drinks on the piazza with new friends. Cressey, who has been involved in promoting the EPW and Terence, Kumi's partner, who has just arrived from Switzerland.

                                            

                                                Refreshing...

       

          Buildings glow in the afternoon sun.

                                          

                                            Lots of activity in the main commercial area.

         

            Our final meal together.

          

             Complimentary limoncellos to end the evening.

M&M

SEPTEMBER 2015 : EASTERN EUROPEAN : European Peace Walk : Day 24 : Ocizia, Slovenia - Trieste, Italy ( 18 kms - 4 1/2 hours)

Distance travelled : 624 kms

                                          

Excitement in the camp this morning with the impending completion of our 24 day and over 600 km journey. Very scenic walk with intermittent view of the port of Trieste leading us in. Hot today, over 30, so the sea and sky were sparkling. No problems with directions and a very smooth entry into the city and suddenly it was all over!

           Early morning sunrise as vivid as the sunset last night.

        

Jana prepared a wonderful breakfast early this morning as we wanted to leave as early as possible.

                                      

Useful Slovenian words that Jana had listed on her door. Bit late for us but it would have been so helpful in all the hostels.

Leaving Ocizia on a country road.

Oak forests provide shade.

Sheep posing for passers-by.

Checking for red arrows.

Some steep and stony descents until we came to the Italian border.

Crossing into Italy.

Attractive stone farmhouses.

Immediately the path led us up a steep road.

Views of the limestone gorges and mountains, including this carefully placed church halfway up the mountainside.

Our first view of Trieste on the coast of the Adriatic Sea.

Tunnels burrowed into the rocky mountainside.

9 kms of bike path.

Fresh figs at last.

Short break although we were unanimous in our decision to move towards Trieste without stopping.

       

Floodlit tunnel.

Civilisation at last.

Still moving high above the city on bridges and bike paths.

Finally we descended from the outskirts of the city.

Buildings and courtyard cafes catching our eye.

The main square of Trieste and the fountain in Piazza l'Unita d'Italia,which was our destination.

Our moment of glory. 14th group to arrive.

Prosecco to celebrate.

Backpacks dispensed with.

Our excellent accommodation (yes, yet again) - a central hostel, Opera Figli Del Popolo.

Our ensuite room for four.

Trieste harbour.

Trieste at night.

Drinks and gelato on the pier after a happy meal at a traditional restaurant with the most amazing fried sardines with preserved onion and juniper berries.

So the journey ends. Not everyone's preferred holiday but it certainly has been for us.

Challenging and hot but so rewarding. We have memories of 3 distinct countries, proud hosts and the fun of sharing it all with such a friendly bunch of people in our group.

But that's not all, On the 12th September Mark and I are walking in the Alps Maritimes for a week, starting in La Brique, which is north of Nice and finishing in Menton.

Meanwhile we are off to the Amalfi Coast ...

M&M

Please excuse blue font and underlining, some inexplicable gremlin has taken over and I'm yet to find the settings to change it. 

Here is an excellent article by Gerard Windsor about the EPW.