The first leg of this segment was very scenic and primarily coastal taking us through Muggia, Koper and Izola. We crossed into Slovenia about an hour out of Trieste and noticed almost immediately that there are many bike lanes and many cycle tourists using them. It appears to be a popular area for cycle holidays although most people aren’t touring like us, just staying put and going for rides in the area.
Our route went inland after Izola following a well established part of the Eurovelo 8 which is also part of the Parenzana trail of the Istrian Peninsula, formerly a rail line. Once in Portoroz we dumped our bags at the hostel and rode the short distance to Piran which is the coastal town at the end of this smaller peninsula. We found the beautiful main piazza in Piran and treated ourselves to some gelato, relaxation and people watching.
The next day and the next leg of the segment to Porec was very scenic but also very tiring as it involved more climbing, a considerable amount of gravel and getting a bit lost once or twice, things which impact our pace. The mileage didn’t seem too bad at 72 kms but took longer than usual so we arrived pretty bagged. However we are feeling stronger after a week of riding. We entered Croatia soon after leaving Portoroz and here too there are many separated bike lanes to make cycling more comfortable and again we were following some of the Parenzana trail. For the most part we were on coastal roads so passed through many beautiful ports and beachy areas. The weather was hot but the cool air off the water helped. All up and down this coast it is a giant seaside playground. Every bay and seaside village is busily helping the sun worshipping tourists to do their thing. Not just bars and restaurants but giant waterborne playgrounds, bike rentals by the hundreds, jet skis, para-sailing, and on and on. It makes it a bit crowded on the seaside trails but fun to watch too.
We had a relaxing morning to catch up on laundry and recover. We have a beautiful balcony at our apartment with a view of an olive orchard. In the afternoon we took a walk in the old town centre and admired the narrow streets, historic buildings and oodles of tourist shops. We visited the Euphrasian Basilica, a Unesco world heritage site, built from the 4th to the 6th centuries originally and is the best preserved early christian cathedral complex in the world. The mosaics were quite amazing considering the age and the basilica is still in use for regular services. There is a very good view of the city and surroundings from the bell tower. As we always say, no view without the climb.
We are having some difficulty interpreting menus when we eat in restaurants. They are supposedly in several languages including English but the translation is poor and still has Croatian words in them which google doesn’t translate well. The descriptions of the dishes are incomplete so when you order something like chicken or fish it may or may not have something with it, so you order a side dish like vegetables or rice and then the dish comes with a side included so there’s too much food. Last night we had to use our minimal Italian as the waitress didn’t speak any English. Italian seems so easy and familiar compared with Croatian. It’s definitely an adventure.
Although it’s been some time since Croatia became independent and started moving towards a western culture, about 30 years, understandably we can feel some differences still from western Europe. The people who are in the tourist business, at least so far as we’ve seen, are far more aggressive about getting your business. They stand in front of their shops, restaurants, boats and try to lure you in with various tactics. It is less enjoyable to walk down the street or the piers with this constant pestering. Also as soon as you are a little off the beaten tourist path they are less equipped to handle credit card payment, just a bit less global and automated than we’ve experienced before.
Our second day in Porec we rode a little way out of the city to the Baredine Cave for an underground tour. It was very pedestrian compared to the one we did with our son in law Ryan at the Rat’s Nest Cave in Canmore (rappelling and squeezing through tight spaces) but enjoyable nonetheless. We saw many beautiful stalagtites, stalagmites, crystals and even an endemic creature called a cave olm. There were 5 chambers to see and we were 60 meters underground. It was very refreshing to get out of the hot weather and into the cool 14 degree cave environment.
We spent a couple of hours in the afternoon on the beach although it isn’t exactly what I would call a beach. There’s absolutely no sand, just rocks and concrete/tiled platforms and walls that people sit or lie on. It’s nice but not as inviting as a Maui beach. We have many more Croatian beaches to come, however.
geeteetravels 
Sounds like you need to take a snack with you Tara, so you can always eat something! We didn’t have any language related issues so I believe you will find more English as you go south. Also there is more sand on the beaches! Love the cave olm, so cool!