Trieste

It was a 2 hour (plus stops) drive from Ljubljana to our next stop. Trieste, one of the northernmost cities in Italy. It is on a narrow coastal strip of Italy that borders on Slovenia to the east and south and on the Adriatic to the west. If you look at a map, you will see that Italy got the lion's share of coastline. Slovenia got Koper (a port city) and Piran (a charming coastal town.) Note: further south and west is Istria (part of Croatia), another beautiful (and much larger) peninsula. Istria is a charming place that we visited in 2013. For this trip the focus is on Slovenia and Italy. 

We arrived in Trieste around 4:30. Our host met us at the rental. Great place located just a couple blocks from the main square. The convenience kinda makes us think of home in SMA. We took a relaxing first day. in Trieste, First we stopped at the nearby market, buying fruit and shell beans. Then to a nearby bakery for pastry. Later we wandered along the waterfront ending up at Eataly. 

Eataly was first founded in Torino Italy as a European-style open market, a specialty grocery store with diverse dining / food counters. After extending across Italy it went worldwide. We visited it in Chicago (2015) and London (2024).The Trieste location is among the best we have visited, competing with Chicago and London. And putting to shame the Rome location (a restaurant at the train station ) and the San Jose CA location (a fine restaurant with a fantastic shop featuring lots of Italian wines). We highly recommend it to our Bay Area friends if you want something beyond local wines. Or if K&L Wines isn't convenient for you.

We had wondered if Eatly was a bit too commercial for Italians but our rental host, an Italian, is also a fan. (Actually it is hard not to be a fan.) We explored a bit and bought several bottles of wine, some focaccia and cheese. Note the map of types of pastas by region (it seems like there are as many as there are types of grapes / wines in Italy).

Later we were ready to head to Nero Cafe Bistro. We had Asparagus risotto (again) and Branzino fish accompanied by a nice bottle of Vitovska, definitely a local wine (50 hectares / 124 acres between Trieste and the Vipava Valley in Slovenia) but we have also had it at Primo in Rockland Maine!!

It turns out that it is easier to visit the Slovenian coast from Trieste than from Ljubljana. So we had pre-arranged a tour. The are several charming towns to visit including Piran and Koper and they reflect their Venetian heritage.

We explored Koper starting from the Muda Gate/Vrata Muda (top left). We sampled drinks from a family distillery, and wandered through the arches of Taverna Koper a 17th-century salt warehouse turned into a cultural venue. At Tito Square we noted the Bell Tower (Mestni stolp) next to the Assumption Cathedral ( Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary) and the Praetorian Palace / (Pretorska palača). Nearby we got a shot at the  Lady Justice perched on Praetorian Palace. 

We contunued on to the Cathedral of St. Nazarius. Built in the second half of the 12th century it features some fine artwork.

We admired Izola and Adriatic views from hills of Jagodje, and views of Piran from the Strunjan Peninsula.

As we headed into Piran, we checked out the salt basins near Strunjan.

Piran, one of the oldest and most beautiful Slovene towns, reflects it's almost 500 years of Venetian influence. We strolled through the streets and along the shoreline.

We interrupted our stroll along the waterfront for lunch at Ivo where we shared a seafood platter paired with Malvazjia.

We drove through Portorož to the small village of Marezige. Time for more Slovenian wine!...from a "wine fountain" which looked more like a draft beer tap. Nice view. OK wine.

Back in Trieste it was time to visit the Castello di San Giusto. It was August15, Ferragosto, an end of summer holiday in Italy. Folks typically celebrate with family and/or head to the coast or the mountains). Which means the city and the castle were less busy than usual.

We walked up and up and up... The good news is there was no Bora wind. The Boras can get up to 60 mph. It felt like that during our 2013 visit. We passed the Roman Theatre of Trieste and visited Cathedral of San Giusto with its12th-century Byzantine apse mosaic of the Virgin Mary. We wandered the ramparts, and enjoyed views over Trieste and surroundings.

We noted the fine Yacht in the harbor,. Apparently it has been confiscated from a Russian Oligarch but the Trieste government feels compelled to maintain it for €30K /month. Further up the coast we caught a glimpse of Miramare.

On our way down from the Castle we enjoyed Caprese and then Sardines (Pat) and Carbonara (Bill) at Osteria all'Ombra.

We were especially looking forward to visiting Miramare, a beautiful small castle built to the dreams of Archduke Maximillian of Habsburg and his wife Carlota of Belgium. Actually we learned that it was really his dream, not hers as she considered it too remote. It is an elegant blue and ivory building perched on a rocky cliff overlooking the Gulf of Trieste. The castle is famous for its stunning sea views, eclectic architecture, and sprawling botanical park and is located 10 km from downtown Trieste. 

We considered taking the ferry for €28 per person, an Uber for $88 total or the bus (much longer trip) for a couple euros. The ferry sounded like the right way to go but the schedule is very limited. And it is difficult to find the departure point. We looked for the terminal on an early pass by the dock but, like much of Europe, if something isn't open it does not appear to exist.

We decided to splurge and take the Uber. Now (during the day) we saw a "taxi" option with the cost of €2-3. Weird. We decided to chance it Sure enough it worked like an Uber with a blind price The price turned out to be €30! including the service charge of €3. Well worth the service charge.

The blue and ivory castle is truly lovely but has a sad story. The castle was constructed between 1856 and 1860. In 1864 Maximillian accepted the crown of Mexico and they had to leave Miramar.  3 years later, he was executed and Carlotta returned to Europe where she descended into madness. If you would like to know more about this power couple, read The Last Emperor of Mexico.  

Fortunately the castle has lots of its original furnishings, beautiful. Maybe not comfortable. The one  and only set of later residents remodeled some rooms to a more comfortable "Art Deco" stye. The earlier has more beauty. The later has more elegance and comfort (probably, We were not allowed to confirm the theory.)

We had a nice seafood lunch at Tavernetta al Molo by the Miramar dock. Pat- grilled calamari with bacon and polenta. Fantastic. Bill had more branzino. Plus a side dish of green beans.

The Stables of Miramare Castle were  hosting a special exhibition titled "A Sphinx Lures Him".  Archduke Maximilian had a passion for ancient Egypt and had a fine19th-century collection, which was transferred to Vienna in 1891 and this summer it was returned to Trieste. For this temporary exhibit which included over 100 ancient Egyptian artifacts, with key loans from  Museums in Vienna, Turin and Trieste. 

Below:  top left - head from a sphinx of Pharaoh Senwosret III, Sphinx of Miramare (Sfinge di Miramare) perched near the pier, ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Psamtik (Psammetichus), a sculpture at the entrance to the exhibit.

For our return home we got the same taxi with the same pricing.

We spent our remaining time wandering, enjoying the architecture, ambiance, shops, and restaurants. The type of in-depth, relaxed experience we were looking for at each location on this trip.

We found a great store for cooks. It is packed with special purpose tools. Pasta equipment, jamon racks & juicers, an amazing selection of cookie cutters, loads of cutelrey and losts more.

For our last dinner in Trieste we had meatballs, carbonara, and roasted vegetables with al Barattolo Carpaccio and a local Merlot followed with a complementary limoncello to finish. 

Wednesday we were off to the airport for our flight to Naples.

Ljubljana, Slovenia

It was time to return to Europe, primarily to Italy. And we were in the mode for a slow paced visit. Hence we booked one week in each of Ljubljana (Slovenia), Trieste (in Italy, 2 hours drive from Ljubljana), Naples, Capri and the Amalfi Coast; Plus 3 weeks in Rome. On our return to Mexico, we planned to stop in California for Pat's 40th Business School Reunion. It was to be a relaxing trip with more casual focus on sightseeing than usual, along with picking restaurants a bit more at random to feel more like locals. We were also hoping for reasonable daytime temperatures. They have been getting some insanely hot weather there in recent years. Spoiler alert. It all worked out.

We stayed overnight in Coyoacán (Mexico City) with Alejandra and then departed Mexico for Ljubljana. We arrived in the evening a day later. After a nights rest, we began our day with breakfast at Cafe Capri (fabulous coffee, pastries were nice too) followed by a trip to the supermarket for supplies.

We deposited our purchases in the apartment and crossed the Dragon Bridge to visit the Central Market. Not impressive on a Wednesday, but market day is Friday and we'll check it out again then. We continued along Ciril-Metodov trg (yes, the street names are hard to get used to), stopped in to see the Saint Nicholas' Cathedral (elaborate interior with baroque painting and lots of gold) and continued along Mestni trg toward Stari trg, a street lined with shops and restaurants. 

We had a nice lunch at Julija. Pat's' Slovenian pinot noir wine went well with her noodles & porcinis, as did Bill's Slovenian Merlot wine and goulash. We finished with a sweet wine (Pikolit from the Slovenian Goriska Brda Wine Valley) for dessert.  

 After lunch we wandered back to the apartment along the other side of the Ljubljanica River. We passed through the main square, Preseren Square, where the Triple Bridge (a19C bridge with 2 adjacent 20C footbridges) connects the castle side of the river to 4 main streets. In the center is a nice cooling fountain (disguised as a simple wet circle with folks old and young standing in it). We had to join them and discovered ourselves in a light mist coming from a sprinkler suspended by overhead cables. With Temps at 34C / mid-nineties F, it was delightful. 

For an evening snack we went to nearby Viniski Bar Most. The sea bass ceviche (with Chive oil, ponzu, cream cheese, orange zest and panko crumbs) was unusual, and great. Instead of tasting lemony and tart, it was mellow and very wine friendly. It went very nicely with the white blend we had for wine. We followed this with "Upper Savinja dumplings filled with quark. Quark is a soft, curd-like creamy dairy product with a mild, slightly tangy taste. The wild garlic, seasonal mushroom sauce, leeks, and chives completed a very tasty dish.

Slovenia has been overrun and governed by many "empires". The Romans in 14 AD, the Huns (led by Attila in 452 AD). Waves of Ostrogoths and Lombards were  followed by Slavs and Franks. Then the Hapsburgs, French, Austro Hungarians, Nazi Germany and finally Yugoslavia before becoming Independent Slovenia in 1991. Which is to say there is a Castle, one that is more of  a fortress that protected the villagers who lived within. No palace. The Castle is, of course, on a hill top with fine views in all directions. So the next morning we were off to see Ljubljana Castle. We encountered a statue at the base of the funicular (what is a kangaroo doing in Slovenia?).

Lots of steps around the castle but great views over the city. Because of the heat, we headed up to the castle early to arrive around 10am. It was well-planned. There were few people waiting for the funicular and exploring the grounds. It was darn hot in the sun though fortunately there were only small stretches that weren't shaded or inside. But following our return funicular trip we found literally hundreds of folks waiting for the uphill ride. Access is also available by bus and walking. 

There are lots of exhibits including wall murals, a church, a floral heart, historical displays, animation and puppet exhibits.

The temperature was 35-36C / 95-97F but on the walk to lunch we stayed pretty much in the shade and it was fine.

We were looking for Gostilna AS only to realize it didn't open until later. We choose to dine at neighboring Pops Aperitivo  which turns out to be part of the AS family. Very fine food and wine. Pop's was very pleasant and the waiters took good care of us. Choosing the finest wines by the glass. We shared carpaccio for our starter followed by Pasta Amatriciana with tomato onion and crispy thick guanciale (basically bacon). With these we had two local Cabernets, Zaro 1348 Bacchus vineyard cabernet sauvignon 2022 (aged in oak, quite robust) and a Brda Rdece - Rosso Epoca 2021 (merlot & cabernet, much more mellow). Both worked well with the food.

We took it easy in the afternoon as a step toward recovering from our long day of flying to Europe.

We went to Vinoteca Movia for our evening snack. The wine bar features Movia's wine. Movia has been a family operation for 9 generations. The sister of the current wine maker manages the Vinoteca. We started with burrata and a mix of flavorful fresh tomatoes paired with two white wine  blends, and then moved on to foie gras with two contrasting chardonnays. For "dessert" we chose a sparkling rose and a blanc de blanc. Quite pleasant and good conversation about wines.

Friday is market day. So we returned to explore the Central Market. There were maybe 2x the fruit & vegetable dealers than on Thursday. Great selection of veggies but we expected a wider selection of products. We purchased some fruit for breakfast and some shell beans … because we like them and cannot get them in San Miguel. Next we visited a couple pastry shops and a small super market for supplies and walked home prepared for a few more breakfasts.

Later we went to lunch at Landerik, a Michelin rated spot. Excellent. We shared a fine chicken pate. Pat followed up with pasta with pancetta and an egg yolk. Bill had risotto with veal cheek. These paired well with a fine Slovenian red, a Reddo 2019 blend of Schioppettino 50%, Blaufrankisch 30%, and Refosco d'Istria 20%. 

Another day we took a wine tour to the Vipava Valley wine region (on the Italian border, north of Trieste). Along the way, our guide happened to mention the Slovenian National Anthem. Our interest perked because during the World Cup series we noted that many National Anthems are either rallying cries or celebrations of victory. But the Slovenian national anthem, Zdravljica (“A Toast”), stands out because it’s one of the few non-militant anthems. Instead of emphasizing fighting or national power, it’s all about peace, equal opportunities and living harmoniously with all nations. Nice thought.

We visited two wineries with lunch sandwiched in between. We were so glad to have a local guide. The roads through the villages are teeny tiny and the route was through a maze of narrow roads. Tough to drive. Tough to navigate. Easy for the riders!

Our first stop was at Tilia - a singe man operation but with a renowned winemaker.  We tasted a sparkling wine, followed by a range of whites and reds while enjoying a nice view over the countryside.

We went on to Gostilna Pri Izviru Hubija for a lunch of pasta and roasted vegetables.

At our next wine tasting, Ferjancic, the sister of the wine maker hosted the tasting. The wine maker also participated while preparing for this years vintage.

On Sunday we went to Tivoi Park. Acres of space with hiking and play grounds, We enjoyed spritzes along side Tivoli Lake with young swans  and red water lilies. 

Continuing our walk one building caught our eye. Investigating this, we discovered it was the US Embassy … lovely.

Shortly after our walk, we had a more Slovenian lunch. At Slovenska Hisa Ljubljancanka Bill's sausages and Pat's breaded steak stuffed with ham covered with cheese went well with a nice cabernet sauvignon.

We returned to our apartment via Preseren Square with the three bridges crossing the river. walking through the  cooling sprinkler in square. We noticed a map of Ljubljana that covered pretty much all that we saw in Ljubljana. Tivoli, on the west of the city, is the only part of the city more than 10 minutes away from our apartment.

Evening saw us back at Most enjoying a caprese salaad and a salad with spicy beef strips accompanied by a pinot noir (Blaufrankish).

In the morning we returned to explore the market further. This pass we checked the buildings surrounding the fresh vegetable area. There are a continuous stream of dining options followed by a few souvenir shops. One with very high end goods, others with more typical touristy souvenirs. 

In our search for lunch we decided on TaBar, short for Tapas and Bar. It had a limited menu due to it being summertime vacation BUT we were attracted by the Pasta and Truffles, as well as the venison steak and fries Both were very fine. In fact, the pasta was amazing, thick 3/4" round tubes 1.5 inches long cooked al dente and in a butter truffle sauce. Excellent. The venison was fine (but not as gamy as Bill likes.) The Barbera made a great wine pairing for both dishes Then we had baked apricots and rhubarb for dessert. To die for. Pat's opinion. Bill loves rhubarb but not apricot.

Wine bar Suklje was the choice for the evening repast. We chose and Albania Brut Rose and an Oskar Brut with shrimp croquets. Pat followed with a red blend and Bill a white (rebula). The white was OK, the red was good but a bit too big for the croquets. The "Icon" wine Numerals Unico we had for "dessert" was excellent (glass price €32!). The wine music moods are a creative way to distinguish different wine styles (Jazz is smooth where Heavy Metal is robust).

We strolled back along the river to our apartment. 

Jose Plečnik was born in Ljubljana but his early career was in Vienna (capital of the Austro Hungarian empire) and then moved on to Prague. Finally around age 40, after making his name as an architect he moved home where he created the Plečnik House (combining two houses into one thinking his brother would join him there, which never happened). He was noted for his work on some castles in Prague and many folks sought him out. Too many for his somewhat anti social tastes. So his entry way features designs to cause discomfort so that visitors would leave early. The seat of the bench slants just a little forward. The bench also features a very uncomfortable back. The sun roof heats the room too much. All quite effective but innocuous looking 

Such designs were not limited to unwanted visitors His own bed was designed such that he would not sleep late and would spend more time working. Note: He was a smoker who got little sleep or exercise and ate poorly but lived to nearly 85.

We stopped at D'vorni for lunch. The selection was from its extensive pizza menu. Wine was in a 1 liter bottle not 750ml. A bit much for lunch.

Later at home, we inished our cheese, meat and tomatoes with shell beans and a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon for our evening repast.

Next morning we were up and packing for our touring transfer to Trieste. En-route we stopped at Predjama Castle. Originally started in 1274 and built within a huge cave. Hidden features included "backdoors" through natural runnels to escape sieges. It also comes with some mixed staircases with steps carved in stone at anything from 6-18 inches high. It was converted into a museum after WWII.

We stopped briefly in the town of Stengel. It is a lovely castle town. The castle and  gardens all blend into one. But we were hungry and the one restaurant was closed on Wednesdays. So off to find a local restaurant where we enjoyed an Asparagus risotto and Calamari fritti.

After lunch we continued our journey to Trieste.

Baja Sur

Next stop:  La Paz (Baja Sur) in the NW of Mexico. La Paz is the quieter neighbor of Los Cabos which was  the next destination. We stayed at the Baja Club Hotel and, given our late arrival, we had arranged to have dinner there.

Our first excursion was to Isla Espiritu Santo to see Sea Lions. 

Along the rugged sometimes rocky coast we spotted a few interesting yachts (eg the super-yacht AV, formerly known as Palladium.) and creative architecture.

We also saw Frigate Birds, Brown Pelicans, whales, and yes, Sea Lions. On the return trip we stopped at El Hongo (The Mushroom Rock) a famous natural landmark located at Playa Balandra. (Balandra Beach).

While the others went snorkeling the next day we explored La Paz along with Rosemary. We checked out the  Catedral de Nuestra Señora de La Paz and ‎⁨the Regional Museum of Anthropology and History. 

 A pleasant stroll along water front at sunset led us to an excellent Italian Restaurant Oliva al Mare.

From top left:

• Main altar of the Catedral de Nuestra Señora de La Paz
• A costume blending elements of a Mexican charro outfit—including a fringed jacket and chaps—with a mask featuring both a Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) sugar skull design and goat-like horns
• Traditional Mexican ceremonial masks
• View fof the waterfront boardwalk (Malecón)
• The "Mermaid and Dolphins" sculpture created by artist José Kuri Breña and silhouettee in the sunset
• Artwork by artist Luis Covarrubias, titled "Danza del tigre," is dedicated to the deity Tepeyollotli. It depicts  the tigre (jaguar) and dancers originating from  Guerrero State.

From La Paz it is a short drive (2 hours) to Los Cabos, passing through Todos Santos, where we had to stop to see Hotel California. Was it featured in the song by the Eagles?  Maybe.

Alejandra arranged amazing accommodations for us  at Club Regina near San Jose del Cabo. Our rooms were right on the water's edge overlooking the  cliffs and ocean. On the way, we shopped for breakfasts and snacks at the newly opened two story City Market in San Jose del Cabo.We have a nice City Market in San Miguel.  Ours is a best half the size of this one. The store must have enchanted us because between Mark & Rosemary and Bill & Pat (supplemented lightly by others) we were able to provide one lunch in the suite, complete with wine (of course). 

While the others went diving (Paul) and snorkeling (Agnes, Alejandra, Betsy, & Mark) we wandered the Regina Club and later (with Rosemary) visited Old Town San Jose del Cabo. 

It was Thursday, and time for it's popular Art Walk, so things were busy.  

From top left:

• Ceramic piece depicting the demise of Spanish Priests during the 1734 Pericú Revolt, an indigenous uprising driven by resistance to cultural disruption, forced conversion, and the banning of traditional practices like polygamy.
• View from our room at the Club Regina.
• More of the Regina Club.
• We finished the day with dinner at Kitchen with Rosemary. Just outside the restaurant was an interesting photo op.

It was a bit of a challenge to find a nice small restaurant with available space since it was night. of the local art walk.  The small and big bites at the Kitchen were excellent. 

We had a Harbor Cruise from Cabo San Lucas including a stop at the landmark arch near the harbor entry. As we sailed along the beaches toward San Jose del Cabo, we lounged, chatted and snacked while enjoying the views. Later we caught Alejandra and Betsy at the pool.

That evening we enjoyed a fine meal at the Manta by Enrique Olvera and witnessed a sunset to match.

We spent the next day around the Regina Club.  Luckily this gave us that opportunity to use some of the surplus foodstuff we picked up at City Market. 

In recognition of Alexandra's fine work pulling this trip together, she was awarded a certificate of merit created and presented by Mark. 

We ended the day with a Sunset Cruise complete with the usual drinks, whales and views. 

From the Sunset Cruise:

• Mark & Rosemary enjoying the ambiance
• Fruit and drinks for the gang
• One last Whale
• The Sunset over Cabo
• Bill, Alejandra, Paul and Agnes 

The rugged coast line north of Cabo features resorts and at least one golf course.  Note the green fairways along the the cliff and the golf cart on the top of the cliff. 

Heading back to the harbor, we were accompanied by lots of other sunset cruisers.

On Sunday we headed home. But not until after chef Rosemary provided Pat & Bill with a traditional English Breakfast. No extra grocery shopping required. All from our little shopping trip to the mega-City Market. Great breakfast. Thanks Rosemary!