From Piran to Nova Gorica

After another well balanced (read eat too much!) breakfast, where the topic of conversation this time included the fact that we each had our own doona, we set off on a walking tour of Piran. Founded in Roman times as a point where signal fires were lit to guide Roman ships to the Italian port of Trieste (from pyre Latin for fire), the town later came under the influence of the Venetians. If there were not so many hills, when wandering the back streets of Piran, one could be mistaken for being in Venice. A steep walk to the old city walls, perched high on a hill top provide both a magnificent view of this pocket sized town and enough exercise for the rest of the day.

A short bus ride later, we arrived at Portorose, a modern, hotel laden seaside resort town. The “sandy beach” proved to be typically disappointing when compared to what we have at home, but the high degree of commercialism was evident with almost the whole expanse of coarse, pebbly sand covered with umbrella stands and deck chair spaces. Jill decided that she was fed up with carrying her large black bag around, so the search was on for a smaller shoulder bag. I’m pleased to say that the mission was a success, so Jill should no longer suffer from the symptoms of a dislocated shoulder.

The whole 47 kilometres of Slovenian coast is put to good use - mainly as a tourist destination, but also through fishing, some diving and salt production. So, our next stop was a visit to the salt pans, just outside the Slovenian border and just inside Croatia - you actually have to cross the border into Croatia to reach the place. Tatjana, our guide explained that the demonstration we had come across back in Ljubljana, was part of the attempts to resolve issues such as this. The salt pans are now part of a museum which preserves the way of life of the people living in this area until quite recent times. Basically, the salt is harvested from the sea water which is channeled into broad pans that look a little like rice paddys. After a week, the sea water evaporates, leaving the salt.

Back on the bus, we then headed north-west to Nova Gorica. Tatjana warned us that we were in for a long time on the bus and that we would have a short lunch break at a typically European road side rest stop. Try getting a decent cup of tea at one of these places! Twenty seven different types of coffee and all sorts of flavoured and green tea, but the only black tea available is Earl Grey!!!! Maybe I’ll get to tolerate it by the time this trip is over! Jill ordered a hot chocolate and got a blank look. So she settled for a cold cup of milk and cocoa!

The long bus ride turned out to be the grand total of some 94 kilometres and we arrived at Nova Gorica mid afternoon. This town is another which suffers from the Slovenian border issues. Part of it is in Slovenia, the other is in Italy! We checked into our hotel and at 4 pm set off for our optional wine tasting and evening dinner. This part of Slovenia is a wine growing region so much like Tuscany, with its rolling hills and villages every few kilometres. We stopped at several of these and paid, what our guide calls, a “Japanese” visit (off the bus - take the photo - back on the bus) at several churches and a castle.


The restaurant was part of a family owned winery and was obviously a very popular spot, even though we had the place almost to ourselves. Before each of our four courses, we were given a glass of a white (a sauvignon - but fruitier and fresher than ours), then a red (a merlot - similar, but lighter) and then a dessert (again not as sweet and sticky as ours can be). Each wine serving was preceded by an explanation of the whys and wherefores of its production - delivered in Slovenian and translated into English by Tatjana. Finally, the digestive drink, schnapps was on offer and the variety was incredible. Tastes ranged from Nyal cough mixture to rocket fuel!

The hotel at which we are staying is also a casino, so some of our more adventurous travellers partied on when we arrived back from the wine tasting evening. Jill and I retired quietly for the night!!!

Thanks to Lee R we are aware you have had difficulty posting comments - John has tried to rectify this - here’s hoping he has been successful. Hope you re enjoying reading about the wonderful time we are enjoying.