Trieste: Of Tumultuous Storms and Tasty Icecream

Our next stop was in the town of Trieste, which funnily enough was over the border of Slovenia and into a geographically isolated territory of Italy. We were rather excited to hear the Italian language again and I was holding out for delicious pizza and gelato. Unfortunately the bad weather we had been expecting hit and we had to explore the city from the relative safety of our umbrellas, enjoying the brief breaks in the weather where the water was inky and still, and the clouds so dark they merged with the sea on the horizon, making it impossible to see where one began and the other ended.

One of my favourite things about the city was the architecture. In the most unexpected places we came across Roman ruins, which is unsurprising when you think the town has been Roman since around 52  BC and occupied for even longer. Still it was a surprise to round the corner of cobblestone streets and suddenly see a ruined amphitheater displayed before you! We also came across an old Roman arch which simply melded into a modern building; the juxtaposition between old and new was very striking.

The threatening storm made for a brooding and dramatic atmosphere, but we had no idea of what was to come. We camped far above Trieste in a campsite on a cliff, and it was that night that we were in the biggest storm I've ever witnessed in my life. The thunder was so loud it woke me from my sleep, unlike the usual boom of thunder this was like the sound of someone ripping a sheet only magnified by a thousand, like the sky was tearing itself apart. It was a wild night, but also beautiful to listen to (apart from the moment when I suddenly wondered if my hair-dryer was enough to make lightening hit the tent). 

In the morning, things seemed calmer, but then the torrential rain started and soon the streets were flooded. It rained. And rained. And rained. Drain pipe covers blew their lids from the water pressure below, streets turned into rivers, we saw an almost drowned rat at one point -the car in front of us stopped to let it go by as it struggled to ford the road turned river -  usually I'm not a fan of rats but its struggle was such that we were cheering it on! And it made it to the other side too!

Our plan for the morning had been to go to the Nazi Concentration Camp Risiera di San Sabba which now functioned as a museum, however it turned out to be totally flooded. Damn you rain for foiling our plans!

We settled instead for some crazy good ice-cream, which was worth the run in the pouring rain! The place had so many flavors it felt impossible to choose, I ended up picking at random what looked nice - my favourite was a creamy chocolatey fudgy flavor with thick white chocolate slabs in it. Delicious, but so sickly! We also had discovered that there were some Decathlon stores around the city and we were in desperate need of a new cooker as ours had mysteriously broken a while before.
Finally we were in luck, as we brought our broken cooker in for examination with little hope of actually getting a refund as we had lost the receipt and bought the cooker at a French Decathlon. But in typical Italian fashion they seemed fairly unfazed by this information and gave us a new one with very little trouble! Amazing service Decathlon.

Predjama castle: Cabbage leaves and cannonballs

Predjama Castle was an awe-inspiring sight, as we rounded the corner of the road in the soft drizzle with only the sound of the stream far below. Situated far above on the side of a mountain inside an impenetrable cave-mouth, sat the fortress. Complete with drawbridge, arrow-slits, murder holes and 168-cm thick walls, this would have (and did) withstand sieges in its time.

Although the entrance fee was rather expensive, it was ultimately worth it and included a very interesting audio-guide. A posh-spoken Slovenian woman sounded in our ears, describing each room in detail, often with interesting (though to be taken with a grain of salt) stories.
Here you can see the view from one of the highest points in the Castle, used so that enemies could be spotted from far away, and the bell rung to alert the occupants of such an occurrence. Nowadays it's meant to bring visitors good luck. 

The lavatory held another amusing story, along with the details that during this time people were using rather uncomfortable-sounding substitutes for toilet paper such as cabbage leaves, or worse, hay. The reason for the importance of said lavatory however, was a somewhat longer story. One of the most famous of the castles owners, a knight named Erazem Lueger. renowned in the 15th century as a robber baron (although romantically compared to Robin Hood in the audioguide) managed to raise the ire of the Holy Roman Emperor (never a good plan) resulting in a siege at this castle for a year and a day. However due to a secret passage that the enemy soldiers knew nothing about, they were able to keep well-stocked, even taunting the army by throwing fresh cherries at them (this was of course chalked up to Erazem having made a deal with the devil). 

Things came to head however when a servant betrayed Erazem (for a price of course) and told the attackers that the one weak point of the castle was the lavatory, little more than an outlying tower of the castle. Those sneaky attackers waited until the servant lit a candle in a window, letting them know Erazem was currently occupying said toilet, and fired cannonballs at him, successfully killing him, ending the siege, and giving him an even worse death than Robin Hood!

Peering down the murder-holes (this unsuspecting tourist would be a goner if the black cauldron sitting in the room had indeed been filled with boiling oil!) was a dizzying process, and trying to take a photo even more so. The heights from which the castle stood made me realize how impossible it would have been to break a siege here by any means other than underhand. Another cool factoid I learned here was that in 1986 a Jackie Chan movie was filmed here! Somewhat unsurprisingly after seeing the castle, I also learned that it was the closest he ever came to dying from one of his stunts, after leaping into a tree from a castle ledge and the branch broke, sending him plunging down and resulting in a cracked skull. Thank goodness he was alright and went on to make more epic movies!

After exploring the twisting rooms and alleyways of the castle itself (including the gruesome dungeons of course) we finally traveled up into the cave itself, where the original construction began. Destroying this part of the castle would have been near-impossible from below, making an excellent defensive position. There was almost no information on this area of the cave except that there had once been rooms built here and fire-pits, though what the rooms were used for or when they were occupied they didn't seem to know, only that it was far older than the rest of the castle, and continuously inhabited over time. I had to wonder if it dated back to prehistoric times and perhaps the Neanderthals. Clearly they need to do some more excavations and research to come up with more answers on this part of the complex!

Feeling like the King of the Castle! Overall, a very worthwhile visit. 

Lake Bled and the Soca River: Hazardous Me and the Sign of Verity

The only thing I knew about Slovenia was the fact that it had beautiful water. My hours of trawling Pinterest had revealed dozens of photos showcasing the almost unnaturally blue waters this country had to offer. As such, I was desperate to see these natural wonders for myself. As we only had two days of good weather before we knew bad weather would strike, we were unfortunately a little rushed, but in return we had absolutely stunning weather for our short time exploring the nature. The morning we left Ljubljana we stopped at a nearby hill of mysterious shrines that we had seen from a distance and wanted to explore further. It turned out to be shrines to Mary and Jesus, although what was at the top we shall never know as we didn't venture all the way (A giant Mary and Jesus perhaps?) Curiosity satisfied, we continued on our way.

Our first stop was Lake Bled, although not to see the picturesque lake but to fill our hungry stomachs. We did so by trying the regional specialty of Kremna Rezina, a giant fluffy pastry consisting of custard and cream. Although rather excellent, I have to admit I felt a tad sick after eating mine - I would suggest sharing one between two people in the future!

After our delicious snack, we parked somewhat illegally and jumped out for a view of Lake Bled. It was rather idylic with people wandering along the promenade or sitting on the grass, there was even a little pony giving rides to the children. In the distance you can just spot the island with the pilgrimage church perched on the top in shining white. 

As Lake Bled was rather built up and parking impossible, we decided to continue on to Lake Bohinj, which was the less touristy of the two lakes. Although parking was difficult we found a spot just next to the lake by this church, and were soon happily eating our picnic lunch on the shores of the Lake. Besides the rather odious smell of something rotting (I suspect the fish) it was very enjoyable.

Our next stop was at a campsite beside the Soca River, which I was rather excited about. A quick wander up the road afforded us gorgeous views of the perfectly clear, pale blue water. 

We decided to head to Vintgar gorge as there was a walk there with beautiful views of the river below. When we arrived however we were surprised to see how popular it was, with large car-parks and ticket queues! I didn't realize it would cost to simply do a nature walk (Imagine the reaction in New Zealand if they tried to do that!) but it was only 4 Euros and I ultimately decided it was well worth it. If you truly want to see the river, this is the way to do it!

The walk was actually far longer than I expected, especially as it was not a loop but a there and back again journey, filled with ogling tourists standing in the way to make it that bit longer. The wooden bridges wound their way through the gorge and gave us perfect views of the beautiful river; overall it's a trip well worth taking if you're prepared for a decent walk and an overwhelming urge to push the people standing in the way into the river. 

On our way down we followed the river for a time, occasionally driving across it or passing close enough to give us beautiful views of it in its many hues. 

Apparently I'm a hazard. Proceed with caution!

Ptuj and Ljubljana: Exploring Slovenia

After our brief foray into Hungary, we headed down into Slovenia, another new country for me! Our first stop was the town of Ptuj (amusingly pronounced pituee). We arrived in the evening and decided to have a wander around and then go back in the morning to see it properly. Usually my preference for exploring is in the evening, as the town (especially old towns) gain all of their charm that is lost during the day from the throngs of tourists. This town was the exception however, as it was dead quiet at night and some of the little alleys were actually blocked off. After coming across some strange cow bone 'art' we called it a night and decided to come back in the morning. Happily I only suffered minimal trauma from Yannick taking close up photos of giant spiders!

During the day the town seemed so much more alive, without being very touristy at all. We past locals lunching in the restaurants and enjoyed the cheerfully painted buildings -something I've noticed is popular in many parts of Eastern Europe. 

Our next stop was the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana. I knew nothing about the town, so wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I was wonderfully surprised. A town of wide streets, clean cobbled roads, renaissance style buildings and beautiful bridges. The town not only had a river running through it, but numerous trees growing, giving it the greenery many cities so often lack. I quickly decided that given the choice, this would be my top city to live in next. 

Unlike much of Eastern Europe, it was without the air of derelict, feeling instead very clean and spacious, whilst still being steeped in history. This was the road leading up to the castle, but it was so steep we took the cable car instead and were rewarded with a beautiful view of the city as we rode it up. 

The castle itself was heavily renovated, and as such proved none too interesting. We decided to stick to the free parts of the courtyard as we saw little point in paying for something which looked so modern. As our laziness only extended so far, we decided to walk down on the way back, taking a forested track which would have turned into a mudslide in the rain (thankfully the weather held). Navigating the backstreets back to the main center, we were soon drawn to the sound of music, where we discovered the celebration of a wedding outside the church steps. The guests, bride and groom were dancing to a single musician who stood in the center of their circle, they passed around a bottle of wine as they danced. Overall, it looked far more fun than any of the church weddings I had passed on my way back home. Clearly this is the way weddings should be held!

The architecture was one of the things in this city which left me constantly amazed and wanting to explore more. I think I saw more cool doors in this city than in any other town I have been to in Europe.

This building reminded me of something from the computer game Broken Sword, but was in fact the Church of Our Lady of Mercy, originally built in the 13th Century by the Order of Teutonic Knights. The church that can be seen here is mainly from the 1700s, however it was still important in its time. Indeed, its interior furnishings were donated by the imperial court of Vienna. The inner courtyard is now used as an outdoor theater- I would have loved to see a play in progress!

Our last stop for the day was at a cafe to charge our various electronics - however this wasn't the only purpose of our visit. Located at the Neboticnik building which is one of Ljubljana's most recognizable landmarks, a cafe is located on the thirteenth floor, with a viewing balcony. From the bottom it resembled nothing more than an office building, but a sign by the lifts indicated there was indeed a cafe at the top. We peered upwards at the never ending stairs, and then took the lift.

Upstairs, the cafe was rather posh, making me feel under-dressed. However the waiters were nice, and we were soon tucking into delicious cake slices (I found a Snickers cake!! Best thing ever). The view from the balcony was phenomenal with the entire town spread out below us. If I get the chance, this is definitely a city I will be returning to.

Lemon and Basil Turkey Schnitzel

Lemon and Basil Turkey Schnitzel (serves 3)

Ingrediants 

Breadcrumbs 

Salt 

Pepper

Basil 

Lemon rind and juice of three lemons 

3 Turkey breasts

White wine 

1 Egg

Rice 

Equipment 

Grater (if like me you do not have one, chop lemon rind finely with knife) 

Gas cooker

Frying pan 

Pot 

Plastic or wooden spoon

Cutting board 

Knife 

Method 

1. Choose your turkey, checking the best before label (if like me you are in Eastern Europe, we instead discovered the date our Turkey was in fact 'defeated')

2. Pour out your breadcrumbs onto a plate, add your seasoning and lemon rind (chopped), garlic or grated Parmesan could also be added to the mix 

3. Break an egg into a bowl and whisk it, place the turkey into the egg mix until well coated and then transfer it to the breadcrumb plate, turning over until turkey is completed coated. Fry and put aside (in foil to keep it hot)

4. Put the rice on to cook so it is ready at the same time as the sauce.

5. Pour lemon juice into a frying pan, add basil and pepper and simmer (to make it extra tart add lemon rind) 

6. Once the juice has simmered, add a generous dash of wine and cook it off 

7. Pour your wine into the rice in the saucepan and mix well until heated through.

8. Serve

Sopron and Rust: Hungry for history

It seemed a shame to leave Austria having only seen one city, so we stopped off at another town not far away, called Rust. A cute sleepy town with pastel painted houses, the main attraction to this town is the wine (which was unfortunately too expensive to sample) and the storks, which were happily free. 

Although this may sound odd, this town is a popular nesting place for the leggy birds, even encouraged by the town occupants by building special platforms on their roofs. Definitely not a sight I've ever seen before! 

Having been told that accomodation was much cheaper just over the border in Hungary, we decided to do just that and spontaneously popped over the border. A little town called Sopron had caught our eye, as it had a rather interesting sounding museum. My first view wandering into the town itself was very attractive, and overall I thought it a very pretty town well worth visiting.

By the time we arrived it was late in the day, so we made our way to the museum immediately as we knew it was due to close rather soon (we seem it make a habit of going to museums just before closing time!) the upper floors showed a large amount of local history over time, from bronze objects to pottery, to the stratigraphic layers of an old Roman road which was of course my favourite. (pictured below). 

The real highlight for me however, was down a trapdoor in the floor, opening out into large and beautiful cave-like cellars, full of statues of Roman deities and gravestones.  

We left the museum as they closed, walking out alongside the friendly owner. He told us we simply had to come back in the morning for a great feast of food and wine (he was especially keen on getting the point across about how much great drinking there would be) in the town square as it was a national holiday. Unfortunately time did not allow us to return, but as our museum friend had pointed us in the direction of a wonderful wine bar that he told us we should most definitely try, we went there instead. Down in a cellar like area with giant wine barrels to sit around and arches of stone, it was one of the coolest bars I've ever been in. 

We soon discovered our Hungarian was atrocious as we struggled to communicate anything at all. However with much hand waving, we were able to purchase three glasses of the red wine the town was known for. And for a ridiculously cheap price too! The lady at the bar simply ladled it from a great vat into glasses for us, and I can say I was rather glad we had opted for the smaller glasses as that stuff was potent!! 

After our little tipple, we elected to wander the town some more. With the bombing of Sopron, many houses were damaged and destroyed, however it was due to this that parts of the old town wall were uncovered, including parts of the Roman wall dating from the 4th century! For once World War II had left something positive in its wake.

I usually become overwhelmed wandering towns, irritated at the throngs of tourists and the size of such places. However Sopron I rather enjoyed; it was extremely quiet, and the streets were small and quaint. Best of all, I'm not sure I saw I single tourist in the town! Excellent.  

Vienna, you fancy!

Our short stop in Austria was mainly focused on Vienna, the grandest city I have ever seen. When imagining Austria in the past, I had always conjured up images of majestic landscapes and alpine fields (perhaps my ideas were just slightly coloured by the Sound of Music) however the parts of Austria I saw were rather different. We spent only two days in the city, but I enjoyed every minute of it. Every street corner we turned, another grandiose building greeted our eyes. That didn't of course mean I liked everything, this cathedrals roof for example, while different and perhaps innovative, was also rather hideous. 

We also spotted this rather splendid fountain, although the fish faced man at the bottom was somewhat disturbing. 

Buildings like this surrounded us as we wandered the city, showcasing it's elegance and in my opinion, extravagance. 

On our way back that night through the metro,we passed by a strange wall of numbers, each panel counting at different paces, some very slowly ticking over as if it were counting years, others going so fast they must have been counting miliseconds. As to what they were counting down to, that remained a mystery. 

The next day having not learned our lesson in Prague, we went to see the fancy astronomical clock that at midday was meant to put on a show, each figure passing by and showing off, while different instruments were played by clockwork. However as midday ticked past and the crowds shifted impatiently, the figures didn't move. They did play music, which began as rather cute, but after about seven songs I wanted to throw rocks at the stupid clock. I can only guess that each song was meant to play to each individual figure going by, but as the figures were broken, it proved to be a letdown. 

Our next stop was to the Neidhart frescoes, dating to 1407 they were stunning preserved as over the past six hundred years they had spent half the time safely protected by a layer of plaster and not discovered again until 1979. Although there are only bits and pieces left now, they would have once covered the entire ballroom. These frescoes stood out to me mainly because of their unusual subject matter, containing references to erotic songs and vulgar pranks - an unusual subject matter for the time. I am used to sober and religious historical scenes, so to see these faded paintings depicting fighting peasants and pranks involving poo, was rather amusing. 

We stopped for dinner at an Italian restaurant which proved delicious. Our waitress and potentially owner happily burbled away in Italian and brought forth Bruschetta to die for, and then the often sought but difficult to find, fabled marinara pizza (the proper, non fishy kind of course) It was a great night. 

One of my lasting memories of Vienna was its grandeur, and it was here in the city, surrounded by marble buildings and domed roofs that the last of the fading light caught behind this graceful statue, and created a lasting snapshot of Vienna's splendour.