geeteetravels

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.

Tags: 2023, Adriatic North

This ride was much more pleasant than the last one. The first half of the 75 kms was mostly on bike paths, a little gravel, but at least off the busy highway. The second half was more on the highway but there were decent shoulders so we felt comfortable. The day was still warm but a good breeze kept us cool and we found la mare again so that also helped. The last 10kms or so along the coast were very scenic with villas, castles and the view of Trieste to enjoy. I was trying to take photos from my rear office but il capitano was noticing my distraction as the power would cut in and out.

Our accomodation is a 5th floor apartment with a small elevator so we had to unload everything and haul the bike up by hand. Just what you want to do after a long day of riding.

After settling in, our first item was to find the TIM store as we are burning through our Canadian international cell data plan at an alarming rate. We have gone the TIM route before but not for a couple years as we had a decent rate and avoided the trouble of a new foreign number but it’s just not working this time. We were successful so will have a new number on one phone for the rest of the vacation and will just do this from the get go next time.

We partook in the traditional passegiatta or late afternoon/evening stroll and an aperitivo before dinner to get an initial look at the city. This is a very grand looking city, not the usual Italian style, because for a long time, from 1382 and up until the end of WW1 in 1918 it was part of the Austrian/Hapsburg empire so looks more like Vienna than any Italian city we’ve visited with opulent looking piazzas and palazzos everywhere.. The Venetians had control briefly a couple of times in this period but predominantly it belonged to the Austrian empire. The history is actually very interesting and more complicated than we will go into here.

The next day we took a boat ride back to where we had ridden the day before to the Castello Miramare. This castle was built in the 1860’s by Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian who was a naval commander and the brother of Franz Joseph the Hapsburg Emperor of the time. He wanted a grand home looking on the sea for himself and his new wife Charlotte to enjoy. He had a passion for plants and trees so included elaborate gardens which we were able to walk around, as well as see inside the castle. It was an interesting and beautiful place to explore. We had to make a run for it to escape a sudden thunderstorm and pile onto a bus with way too many other people, something we wouldn’t have done a year ago (covid).

An interesting bit of history, Maximilian was appointed as emperor of Mexico just after the castle was completed and moved there with Charlotte. After only a couple of years there was rebellion against the monarchists and Max was arrested and eventually executed in Mexico at the age of only 34. Charlotte returned to Europe broken hearted and never returned to Miramare. Maximilian’s nephew was Archduke Franz Ferdinand who was assassinated in Serbia in 1914 (after the Austrians annexed Serbia in 1908) which was the beginning of World War I and the beginning of the end of the Austro-Hungarian/Hapsburg domination. Trieste was occupied by the Germans from 1943-45 and then briefly by the Yugoslavs before eventually returning to Italian control in 1954. Even now we saw signs about a free Trieste and our host also said there are many who would prefer not to be in Italy. This part of Europe has seen its fair share of war and political unrest and soon we will be heading into Slovenia and Croatia where recent devastating wars have taken place only 30 years ago. We are fortunate to be living where we are.

The following day we walked up the hill to the Castle of San Giusto and were rewarded with a spectacular view of the city and out to the ocean. The museum was well done with many English explanations about the history of the castle, about Trieste, about the Romans and a history of weaponry. Later we explored the various piazzas, cathedrals, a famous cafe (San Marco) frequented by James Joyce as well as the Molo Audace, a long pedestrian pier that juts out into the Adriatic. The pier was named Audace after the Italian warship that first docked here to claim Trieste in November of 1918 at the end of WW1. So much history!

Overall we found Trieste to be a very interesting and welcoming city and a place we could have stayed much longer. It had great restaurants and pedestrian areas and a beautiful seafront, complete with a huge sailing ship seized from a russian oligarch by the Italian Guardia di Finanza.

Tags: 2023, Adriatic North

The ride from Jesolo to Udine was our first big one of the trip and we didn’t find it easy but we conquered it anyway. 87 km with the full paniers in 29 degree weather. Fortunately it was relatively flat but unfortunately much of the ride was on the highway so not as relaxing and we were less able to enjoy the surroundings. We were spoiled last year in France riding predominantly on cycle paths.

Udine (pronounced oodinay, emphasis on the oo) is the second largest city of the Fruili region of Italy, located up against the Italian alps. It reminds me of Torino with the mountains just outside of the city. We were quite tired after our ride yesterday and enjoyed a wee bit of a sleep in to recover but then headed into the old centre to explore.

Udine isn’t a large city and the historic centre is very compact with most sights very close together, so nice of those ancient planners to think of our needs as tourists. In the central square, Piazza di Libertà there are 2 beautiful old loggia or open air structures in Baroque and Venetian styles as well as a tower clock complete with bell ringers. Above this is the Udine castello where museums and an art gallery showcase the history and culture of Udine. The section about the Friulian aspect of the reunification of Italy was unfortunately completely in Italian so our understanding was limited but there were many interesting artifacts. The art gallery was well done with many subtitled videos and English explanations. The gallery featured artists from this area of Italy going back to the 14th century. One who is particularly famous here is Giambattista Tiepolo who moved here from Venice in the early 18th century and remained for the rest of his life resulting in many churches and palaces in Udine with his works. Another piazza close by is the Piazza Matteotti where we sat and enjoyed a coffee. This is a notable piazza with beautifully restored old buildings/facades, a wonderful place to sit and do some people watching. I think this piazza is right up there on our list of memorable piazza’s with Sienna and Lucca.

On our second day here we continued with finding more of Tiepolo’s art work in various cathedrals, not too hard, they really liked the guy and his son who often helped his papa. The works are beautiful for sure. We also learned a bit about another famous Udiner? Tina Modotti who was a photographer born here in the late 19th century, moved to the US and then to Mexico where she photographed the people and became involved politically as an activist for social change along with other artists such as Frida Kahlo and Rivera Diego. Unfortunately the Modotti gallery here was temporarily closed so we weren’t able to actually see her work but discovered an interesting story.

Each of the 3 evenings we spent here it poured rain in the evening as we were returning to the hotel. The other excellent feature in the old city is the many porticoes to walk under to get out of the sun and the rain which we definitely put to good use. Again such smart city planners and they are beautiful to boot.

The last evening we ate at a charming Osteria right beside a canal and decided to eat outside to enjoy the ambiance. However it did again start to rain quite violently so made for an interesting dining experience.

Tags: 2023, Adriatic North

Our first real ride was a short one from Mestre to Jesolo, along the shoreline east of Venice, to where Jesolo sits at the far end of the lido.  It was nice to start off gently as we’re not used to having the heavy packs on the bike.  It was also very flat and a lovely day.  We saw lots of aquatic bird life on the way including flamingos in the Venice lagoon.  We had no bike or other problems except getting a bit lost once we arrived in Jesolo as we attempted to go to the beach before going to the accommodations and were off the planned course.  We actually never made it to the beach as we ended up on the wrong side of a canal, couldn’t find a bridge, and decided to retreat and call it a day.  

Our accommodation for the next 2 nights is a unique one.  It is an agriturismo or a farm B&B.  We’ve stayed in these before, often they are on vineyards.  This one is an ostrich farm!  We went out to the ostrich pens, they have 29.  They also run a restaurant here where they serve alternative meats such as ostrich meat and eggs but also donkey. Apparently these are higher in protein, lower in fat and more eco friendly than beef, pork and chicken. Ostrich eggs are very large, the equivalent of 24 chicken eggs.  However they don’t lay as many and only at certain times of the year.  We opted not to eat here though and instead looked for more typical italian fare.  We did go have a look at the birds (struzzi in Italian), they are very interesting up close.

The other interesting thing about this agriturismo (called Antiche Mura or ancient wall) is that it is beside an archeological site where there are only a few walls remaining of a 9th century cathedral, hence the name.  

The lido is primarily a beachy place; it looks a lot like the Italian and French riviera with lots of ritzy hotels and beaches covered with rental chairs and parasols.  We took the short ride to the beach today and sat there for a short time on the small public area. Going to the beach with the bike is not the most convenient as you have to have your cycling gear on, bathing suit underneath, bring alternate footwear, towel, hat, etc then store/lock the bike and carry helmets/tech gadgets, bags, shoes/socks to where you’re sitting.  Once your’re done you have to get rid of all the sand, re-dress in the bike gear and shoes with a wet swimsuit on…(it’s worth it-GG) can you tell this isn’t my favourite way to do the beach?  We did treat ourselves to gelato at the end though.

Tags: 2023, Adriatic North