Trieste is in eastern Italy and borders Slovenia with Croatia only a short drive away as well. It also looks out over the Adriatic Sea. Vanessa's party to celebrate her graduating as a doctor took advantage of this location. The party was held on the rooftop of a hotel, complete with pool and a gorgeous view over the marina to the yellow and pink hues of the setting sun on the sea. Was an interesting night as graduations here seem to be kind of like the equivalent of a New Zealand 21st birthday party. After seven or so odd years of study though I think it's well deserved and although we didn't understand all the stories being told as we don't know Italian it was funny to watch. Of course the night ended up with both graduating girls being dumped in the pool before we moved on to the next bar.
Once fully recovered from the party Vanessa took us to explore the streets of Trieste complete with narrative and ending with the obligatory gelato. It is quite a big city mixed with older style Italian houses and lane ways, a more modern city centre, churches, lots of statues and of course a castle smack bang in the middle. We didn't go inside this castle as when we visited a bus load of American tourists had just arrived but we were impressed by the outside and by this point it was pretty warm. So of course being tourists and egged on by the local we splashed about in the fountain which is blatantly signed telling people not to do just that.
The next day in Trieste, Vanessa and her friend Napi, who have lived in Trieste most of their university life but have not done any of the touristy attractions drove us up the hills to a Grotta Gigante (i.e. a gigantic cave). The cave is supposedly the biggest one you can visit in the world. Being one of the hottest days so far (the car thermometer was saying 38 degrees) going deep under ground was ideal as the temperatures drop so dramatically once inside you actually need a jersey. 500 steps down and we were in a large cavern full of stalagmites and stalactites. In the centre of the room is a geodetic pendula (read massive clear pipes) which are used to measure the slightest movements on earth and recorded 4 out of the 5 largest earthquakes in more recent years including the 2011 Japanese earthquake/tsunami.
The only problem with going down 500 steps was that we also had to go back up 500 steps. Jake was freaking out a bit as we glanced over the edge of the barriers at the top as he is slightly afraid of heights (but still manages and loves to jump of things such as bridges, rocks etc. into water). It is a pretty spectacular cave and even though I had recently said I wouldn't be going underground for a long time it was a nice way to spend our afternoon before heading to the sea to cool off.
The only problem with going down 500 steps was that we also had to go back up 500 steps. Jake was freaking out a bit as we glanced over the edge of the barriers at the top as he is slightly afraid of heights (but still manages and loves to jump of things such as bridges, rocks etc. into water). It is a pretty spectacular cave and even though I had recently said I wouldn't be going underground for a long time it was a nice way to spend our afternoon before heading to the sea to cool off.
The main beach in Trieste is not really a beach rather a waterfront pathway and park where people are able to set up for the day. There is no sand but huge boulders fronting the walkway with stairs leading you into the deep waters . It would be like swimming from the Wellington waterfront which of course some people do but most of us would head to one of the wide sandy beaches. There are none in Trieste so this place is packed with super tanned people. Bikini tops are definitely optional and Brazilian styled bottoms a common no matter what body type you are. I guess it all makes for a better tan line but I am not quite comfortable enough to do that yet. The water was beautiful, warm and clear although it is very deep and the current is strong which is not so relaxing. So after a tiring five minutes of treading water I had to hop back out to sweat on the hot concrete path with the throngs of others. Italians love to bask in the heat of the sun working on keeping their glowing skin even. Although this was not always a pretty sight as we had one rather large woman who parked directly in front us letting everything flop out of her bathing suit. Nothing against this if that's what you like to do but she then continued to pull out an assortment of yoga like poses stretching and contorting her body into weird positions in full view of us, disturbing our otherwise nice view of the sun setting over the sea.
Vanessa's friends who joined us at the beach invited us over for lunch the next day. They were excited to cook us kiwis some true Italian pasta. So the next day after a quick stop at the shops for some fresh ingredients we were welcomed by her friends Napi and Pippo in true Italian fashion with a kiss on each cheek (I think we have finally got the greetings here finally figured out) and a glass of cold, fresh home brew beer. They had just finished the brewing process of their beer the night before and were a bit worried about how it would taste but it was actually a really refreshing light beer with tinges of orange and lemon. Sweet cheery tomatoes and a variety of soft local cheeses filled us up before we even got to the main pasta dish. It was a lovely lunch with great company and beautiful food. They were quite stoked to have cooked for us and were glad we enjoyed their food. Napi went on to joke that he would be telling everyone he would be bragging to everyone that he cooked for the royalty of NZ. Everyone we have met so far has been so lovely to us and once we start chatting are excited and full of questions about New Zealand and Australia.
The Sunday back in Marostica was ridiculously hot so along with Nessa's mate,Vane, who we had been out with to dinner and drinks the night before, we headed out to a lake. The drive was beautiful. We drove through meadows of green grass and fields dotted with bright flowers of every colour. The road followed a river and on both sides steep mountains rose high above us. We passed small villages, churches, castles and fields and fields of tomatoes and other crops. One of the best Sunday drives I have been on in a long time. An hour or so later and we were at Lago de Levico. It was packed with summertime revellers enjoying the cool waters of the pretty lake and the warm rays of the sun. A nice place to rest for the afternoon and catch up on some reading.
Next stop: Hiking and hitchhiking in the Dolomites