Trieste

It is really sad, but it took us almost three years to drive the approximately hour and a half to Trieste, Italy, on the border of Slovenia. On Saturday, we drove to the beautiful city with our friends Erryn and Matt, who just moved here from Oklahoma.

Trieste is really interesting. First of all, it's beautiful and looks so different from other cities in the area. It is on the water, and is a port city for sure. But, it also is built up onto sloping hills and cliffs, and because of that is just breathtaking, especially on the drive down.

I had stopped in Trieste for lunch on a pouring rain March Sunday with some friends on the way back from Slovenia. But this was the first time either of us had gone to be tourists. We really just walked around the central downtown area, had lunch in the gorgeous Piazza della Unita, and then went to Miramare Castle.


Miramare Castle was the one really touristy thing I wanted to do, and it didn't disappoint. It was built in the nineteenth century, and has such an interesting history. The inside of the castle is really interesting, and the grounds are beautiful. You can wander the parks to see all the trees and flowers, swans, and amazing views of the water.

Like I said, Trieste is just interesting. It is a major coffee company hub for Italy (which is important, considering how important coffee is to Italians). It has been passed around to various nations for centuries. In fact, Trieste, belonging to the Austro-Hungarian empire was where the Austrian Navy was based for years. I had always wondered where Capt. Von Trapp from The Sound of Music had actually served in the Navy, since Austria is pretty landlocked.

Anyways, apparently Trieste, without any real beaches, is also a big summer getaway for people to come sun themselves. The city was packed with people walking around in bathing suits and just set up on sidewalks and things out by the water to get tans, I guess. It was actually kind of strange, but the city seems set up for this.

It's hard to believe, but we're starting to wind down our time in Italy! It's sad, really. We're starting to try to cram in little trips to places for the last time. We have a fun trip coming up to Croatia for Labor Day weekend, which should be awesome.

Then, we will hopefully start packing up and moving out! Our estimated departure date is October 8. We're going to take a few days to get to Geilenkirchen, stopping in Garmisch for a few nights. I'm so looking forward to it! In the meantime, there is a lot of work to do to get out of here.