Up this morning slowly. We had such a good time last night, but Ooohhh ... I wish I hadn't enjoyed as much wine as I obviously did. Jan too, but it was so much fun. Just remember 'Jivio' - 'to life'. Take it as you can get it, and enjoy it. It only comes around once.
Our hosts picked us up at the hotel at ten am and off we went to explore the nearby town of Piran. It is a charming old town on a small peninsula, and only the local residents are allowed to have their cars parked in the town. Everyone else has to park in a big parking lot and then take a shuttle bus. We didn't question it, in fact it seemed like a great idea in car-clogged Europe. Once the shuttle dropped us in the town, the reasons became even more clear. Lets just say that the old town (and all towns in Europe) were never designed for the number of cars now present in the country. Parking here is insane, and the shuttle bus is a step in the right direction. We climbed a hill up to the church at the top, and the view was spectacular. At the point where we were facing south and a bit east, Tony pointed out, over there where the coast lies low along the water, that's Croatia. What?? Croatia?? I can't believe it, a name that we had only heard of, never expecting to see, and there it is. Amazing.
We wandered a while, enjoying the views and the old city, chatting about property values. We looked at some apartments in the area, literally looking into them, and found out some surprising details. The buildings are commonly four stories high, a ground floor and three upper floors. On the ground floor, the entry way is about eight or ten feet wide and about twelve to fifteen feet deep, with a staircase. The next three floors are the same size, and similarly are connected by spiral staircases. So the total apartment is large enough, but vertically distributed to include kitchen, bathroom, living, and sleeping areas. One way to stay fit, that's a lot of hiking up and down. The cost, about a quarter of a million Euro. Oh, one more detail is the maintenance. Remember that the place was built in the 15th century, so that is say for argument's sake around 1460. We are talking about a building that is 550 years old, made from wood and stone, and subject to flooding by the sea in storms, and rain, and ... so you gotta do a lot of upkeep. And nothing's square anymore, if it ever was, cause everything settles at different rates, and just think of the stories that the walls could tell if you could hear them. Late at night, as the winds howl and the sea crashes, the shutters bang and the stone walls shift, think of the stories that the walls would tell ... Wanna buy an apartment in Piran, Slovenia?
Continuing the tour, we drove up a street that led to an abandoned castle that we could see from the old town. It also was lovely to look at, and the view was even better than from the old town as it was just a bit higher. There again was Croatia, and again I was shocked to see it just sitting there on the horizon. I never dreamed that I would see it, or be within about a two hour drive of being in that part of the former Yugoslavia.
Again in the car and continuing the tour, we drove to a beautiful marina filled with big yachts. Not the hyper-sized ones of Cannes, but plenty big enough. From there to a field overlooking the marina that was the site of a competition about twenty years ago. Sculpturers were invited to create and contribute stone carvings of a particular size (about 8 feet by 8 feet, it seems) and put them in this field with the area of (about) a football field. They remain there to this day, and reminded me very much of the stone carvings of the Moaii that Jan and I and Tony and Marjanca saw on Easter Island while on the cruise.
Moving on, we drove further up the hill to a lookout point up near the top, then parked and walked for a brief time. The path led us to a grove of olive trees, the first ones I had ever seen and known for sure what they were. No olives were present on the branches, it is too early in the season for that, but there they were, the legendary olive trees and the olive branch, symbolic of an offering of peace. Moving slightly onward and looking out toward the sea, there appeared to be a series of large rectangular shapes, each about the size of a football field, close in to shore. What it turned out to be was, in effect, a salt mine. During the summer months at high tide, sea water floods these rectangles, which are then sealed to prevent the seawater from running out. The sun then works its magic, and the seawater evaporates leaving behind the salt that was suspended in solution. This 'sea salt' is then scraped together into piles by equipment, and the piles moved to the shipping area. There is a strong demand for this product, a healthier alternative to the 'rock salt' on the dining room table.
From the 'salt mines' we drove to, and through, the port of Kopers. It is a major terminal for shipping lumber and forest products from the heavily forested hillsides of Slovenia, and also a major terminal for receiving cars from Japan, the UK, and the US. Vehicles unloaded here are transhipped throughout Europe, and the major railhead here is crammed with auto transport railcars, both loaded and ready to go and unloaded ready for the next ship. Similarly, highway-bound car transport rigs are lined up in the parking area and Jan and I have experienced passing large numbers of these loaded rigs in the areas around north east Italy and in Slovenia. The cars are not necessarily destined for the local area but are in fact bound for anywhere in Europe, so the port must be a highly efficient one for the business of vehicles.
Next, lunch in a shopping mall, right beside the jail. What? Yes, it seems that before the modern shopping center was built, a jail existed in this spot. For reasons that one can only guess at now, it was determined that no other suitable land for the new and major shopping center existed, so ... they built it around the jail. Unlikely, perhaps, but true. The jail continues to function, prisoners and all, and the building is painted a bright yellow just so that you can't miss it and walk in to ask what floor ladies foundation garments are on. From where we sat having lunch we had an excellent view of the prison walls and windows, and perhaps they could see us as they sat having their lunch. I had an excellent vegetable soup, truly welcome for a stomach which still hadn't recovered from the ravages of Slovenian Schnapps, wine, and plum brandy the night before.
Off we go again, this time on a trip to a winery. We were so enthusiastic in our thirst last night that we drank them out of wine. Today we go to replenish their supply and to show us how easy it is to do so. The winery is called Vinakoper and from the outside it is as large and impressive as any that Jan and I have seen in the Okanagan or in California. And it has a lovely big display room, with wine tasting, and wine by the bottle or case for sale. But, that is ordinary, all wineries have those features, right? What set this apart was the little room off the tasting room, right near the back of the shop. We walked in there, Tony carrying his four liter jug, and we walked up to what looked for all the world like a big gas tank and a big gas pump with a long hose and ending in what absolutely was a gas nozzle complete with handle and a little glass box on the side of the pump where you can watch the gas as it flows out of the pump toward the nozzle. No, look, wait a minute! I'm not kidding. So Tony goes over to the pump, and the label says 'Chardonnay' and it shows the price per liter, just like a gas pump. And when Tony picks up the nozzle out of the side of the pump, the quantity goes to zero and he puts the nozzle in his wine jug, and then squeezes the handle. And the golden liquid flows into the plastic jug, like gasoline for the soul. What an idea, this is just like making your own wine, but you don't have to bottle it. Just come and pour yourself a jugfull, then go home and drink it. Slovenia is a very advanced country, with no wine bottles to break this is the ultimate in recycling.
Into the car again, then a quick trip by Tony and Marjanca's old house, a lovely place about 60 feet up a cliff overlooking the blue clear Adriatic. Then down the hill on foot to a huge Red Cross facility on the point of land where they used to live. It has therapeutic pools and facilities for children in need of therapy, and serves as a summer retreat for economically disadvantaged children as well. An excellent facility.
Finally, Tony took us on a drive through downtown Trieste. Jan and I would never have had the knowledge of the road system that would have let us see the sights the way we did. I've read about Trieste in novels, and it has always seemed larger than life. Actually it is, in a rough-and-ready sort of way, and I don't think that it is a town that should be taken lightly based on the crowd of pedestrians, bikers, and drivers that we saw today.
Exhausted, we headed home to the hotel. Even Marjanca was falling asleep in the front seat, Tony was yawning, and Jan and I felt very tired too after this extremely thorough tour of Slovenia in the neighborhood of Portoroz, Piran, Kopers, and Trieste. We loved our introduction to this fascinating country that we had never in our wildest dreams thought that we could visit. And this experience underscores to us the importance of seeing the attractions of a city or country with experienced local people, preferably friends like Tony and Marjanca. What a fun day.
