First up — our transport for the next few weeks.
We collected our little red Fiat in Trieste, a process that proved to be slightly more stressful than anticipated, although highly entertaining in hindsight.
There was some initial confusion, followed by a rather nerve-racking departure from the Avis car park as we attempted to reacquaint ourselves with a manual transmission on unfamiliar roads. The learning curve was steep. This wasn’t helped by a very animated rental employee, whose enthusiastic hand gestures and rapid-fire Italian suggested we were doing something terribly wrong. We couldn’t understand a word she was saying, but the general message came through loud and clear.
Eventually, with much concentration and only a modest amount of panic, we escaped into the streets of Trieste and set off on our Croatian adventure.
At last, we set off on our most adventurous road trip so far, cautiously turning onto the main road while instinctively checking the wrong side for oncoming traffic, a very Australian habit that took some unlearning. It felt strange, and slightly nerve-racking, to adjust to driving on the other side of the road.
After a little GPS confusion due to roadworks, and the ongoing adjustment to priorities at intersections (give way to the left, not the right), we crossed into Slovenia just a few kilometres from Trieste, our first international border crossing by car.
Jeff had planned well, and our first stop in the seaside town of Piran for coffee was exactly what we needed.
Piran is a small, hilly coastal town popular with Slovenians, and fortunately it was quiet on our visit, just before peak holiday season. Built long before cars were ever considered, parking is well above the town, meaning a walk of about a kilometre down to the centre.
Luckily, we love to walk, so the added “incidental exercise” was welcomed. The descent is easy enough; the return journey, however, is a little challenging, something worth noting if hills aren’t your favourite feature of a destination.
The village square – the centre of community for villages, towns and cities everywhere. Here is Tartini Square in Piran, flanked by the Gothic red Venetian House and Tartini House, the birthplace of violinist Giuseppe Tartini.
Piran is a favourite coastal escape for Slovenians, with its long pier reaching out into the Adriatic and adding to the town’s relaxed seaside character.
A brief, but enjoyable visit and well worth the detour.
Jeff and Catherine