Piran Slovenia

Friday July 8 Arrival in Piran
Last night we went out for a traditional Slovenian meal in Ljubljana - veal stew and wild game soup, whatever that is. We kept switching bowls, as usual, so we’d each have a chance to try both dishes. Both were very tasty. The restaurant was decorated in sort of old Slovenian inn or pub style so it was touristy but okay. With beer and wine we spent only 23 euros. After that we wandered around the riverbank and main square and took a few more pictures. Ljubljana has great ambiance. There’s no Eiffel Tower or Colosseum but it’s just a nice place to be.
This morning we bought some croissants, apple strudel and cheese at the bakery and grocery store on the way to the bus station. We still had apricots left over from the market the day before. These are the best apricots second only to brother-in-law Ralph’s. We caught the 10 am bus and had breakfast on the way. The trip to Piran was very beautiful. Slovenia is 56% forest with lots of hills and mountains so it actually reminded us a bit of home. We stopped in 6 or 7 places so it took almost 3 hours to get to Piran.
The builder in me couldn’t help but notice that all of the houses are masonry construction, often a concrete post and beam structure with block or brick infill or sometimes just block with reinforced corners. This reminds me of Russia where they also have huge expanses of timber but still build houses mainly with masonry. A Canadian stick builder could show them a few things about building houses cheaper, better and more energy efficient. They will switch over, as Britain is currently doing, because they’ll have to. This is a country at the same latitude as home and where the national pastime is skiing, although the climate is much milder. However, the old masonry way just doesn’t work very well even in this type of climate. Not that I’m looking for a job.
As we got closer to the coast it got busier and more touristy. We went through the port city of Koper and then Portoroz, a really touristy town close by. Piran is touristy but not tacky. It’s on the tip of a peninsula and is named after the fires (pyr) that used to be maintained on the tip to guide ships. There’s still a lighthouse there now, although I doubt that it’s really necessary.
The bus station is at the edge of town. We walked about 20 minutes along the sea shore and marina into Tartini Square, the main square of town. In another few minutes, with only one retracement of our steps, we found the “Alibi” hostel reception. They have rooms in several buildings with reception in one. Once we checked in and paid our balance (it’s costing us 50 euros per night) the receptionist led us to our building. This may seem unnecessary in a small town but it’s much like Venice here without the canals. Cars and buses can only venture in part way and then it’s all pedestrian streets that are often only about 5 feet wide with the buildings sometimes connecting overhead to form tunnels. The streets wind around and either connect or dead-end so experience is the best teacher when navigating.
Our hostel room is on the 3rd floor of a small building that has one room on each of the 4 floors. Our room is small as usual but we have a tiny ensuite bathroom and a beautiful view of the building opposite our window, about 3 feet away. We hung our Canadian Tire mosquito net over the shutters so we’re protected from the mosquitos, which might be a problem considering the time of year, just like at home. We have to leave the window open because, although we have air conditioning, it doesn’t work and the repairman won’t be here today (or in the next 2 months, I’m betting). We do have a fridge and the room is actually quite nice and cool even though it’s hot outside. This isn’t the Ritz but it’s clean, well located and has lots of character. If you’re only interested in staying in the Best Western you might as well stay home.
Our style of travel isn’t for everyone but it fits our budget and allows us to travel more. And, it’s a lot more comfortable than people might think. We usually buy baked goods and fruit for breakfast and eat in the square or park or our room. Anita buys a coffee, usually an espresso or something that makes her crazy for an hour or so, in a café. For lunch we shop in the grocery store for cheese, get some nice buns or bread from a bakery and get tomatoes, cucumbers and fruit in a farmers’ market. Then for dinner we go to a small, often family run, restaurant that’s not on the main drag. It’s usually great food but much simpler and less expensive than in the thick of the tourist areas. Instead of going to bars, we buy beer and wine at the grocery store and drink it wherever we want - usually someplace with a beautiful view. By doing things this way we save a lot of money and in some ways have what we think are much better experiences.
We walked around the waterfront promenade which goes right around the tip of the peninsula. There are mainly Italian tourists here who are enjoying the sun and swimming off the little piers that jut out from the rocks. On each end of town there are rocky beaches that go for a long way. There’s no sand but there’s lots of space and the water is warm and clean. This might seem pathetic to a Canadian used to nice sand beaches in the Caribbean but there are lots of beach goers and swimmers here and they all seem to be having a good time. Along the promenade most people (although not all) wear at least something but along the beach not so much. It’s not a big deal - that’s just the way it is here. We also walked out on the pier by the marina. There are many pleasure boats but also lots of small fishing boats. This is still very much a working fishing village.
Tonight we’re going just down the street to a little family run restaurant recommended by the hostel people. It’s not fancy or on the waterfront but it’s supposed to have good food at moderate prices and friendly service.
After the Austrian Habsburgs lost control, this area used to be part of Italy until after WWII, so it’s officially bilingual (Slovene and Italian) and has a strong Italian seaside type influence. All the signs are in both languages. Of the 4,000 people who live here, 1,500 are Italian. We haven’t seen any Japanese or American tourists here yet.
Saturday, July 9th, 2011
Last night’s dinner at Fontana’s restaurant was great. We got one plate of grilled fish and one plate of lightly floured and fried calamari, along with fries, boiled potatoes and bread. Naturally, we split it up so we each had both and both dishes were very tasty. With beer, wine and a free brandy thrown in for each of us, the bill was 21.20 euros plus tip. Very reasonable for such good food.
After dinner we wandered the seaside promenade just as the sun was going down over the Adriatic. It was beautiful. We happened upon some locals demonstrating some of the traditional skills - mending nets, braiding rope, readying lumber for making oars and cleaning and cooking sardines. We didn’t understand a word they were saying but still came away with an appreciation for their skills.
This morning we bought some croissants at a bakery and ate them in the main square. Anita got a large espresso at a café while I went for a walk down one of the so-called streets. Then we bought enough tomatoes, cucumber and apricots for lunch , all for 80 cents, and put them in the fridge in our room. Everything is so close here we can walk back to our room anytime.
We walked up the hill to the main church overlooking the town on one side and the ocean on the other - well actually the ocean on three sides since we’re on a peninsula. It’s a great view.
Back in our room we greased up with sunscreen and while Anita packed a lunch, I went back down to the bakery to pick up a burek to add to it. Burek is a phyllo pastry filled with ground beef and spices. It cost 2.95 for a good sized piece but with the fruit and vegetables we had lunch for two on the beach for 3.75. Not bad.
The beach is great - lots of yachts and sailboats anchored offshore with people swimming off them and a nice sea breeze. We’ve just come back to shower and have happy hour before we go out in search of our next feeding. We can’t go too far wrong.
Sunday July 10th, 2011
The restaurant we chose last night (based on a Rick Steves guidebook recommendation) had no openings all weekend. We should have reserved. So we walked along the promenade and had dinner in a tourist restaurant there. The price wasn’t that bad - only 26 euros including tip for a plate of spaghetti something or other with scampi, a plate of fried calamari (it’s addicting), beer and wine. Good meal and nice ambiance looking over the sea. After another evening walk along the promenade we were again in bed early. This lazing around the Adriatic is tiring.
This morning we ate some pastries from the bakery while sitting on the wall along the seaside promenade. Then I climbed up to the old town wall that goes over the peninsula behind the town, while Anita had a cappucino in Tartini Square (named after the composer Guiseppe Tartini). When I got up there it cost a euro to climb to the very top but I had neglected to bring any money so I took a few pictures and walked back down the steep cobblestone street. No problem. There was one guy selling fruit and vegetables so we got enough for lunch today and tomorrow. We’ll soon go back to the main reception building for this hostel which is the only place with internet access, so we can post this. After that we’ll have lunch and head down to the beach for awhile.
People were already swimming and sunbathing along the promenade. It’s the weekend so it’s a little busier, I think. However, the amount of tourists here is far, far less than we saw in most places last year. There seem to be hardly any Americans or Aussies but we did see at least one Japanese tour group, which is not surprising.
We leave tomorrow morning by local bus to Portoroz, about 15 minutes and then 2 hours by bus to Porec in Croatia. It’s not that far but we have to go through customs at the border so it might take awhile. Then we take another local bus out of town to a resort hotel along the coast. Piran has been great. After the first day, we can even find our way around without any problems.