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Trieste &
Miramare Castle
Friday 26th May 2023
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Like our hotel in Ljubljana,
the Continentale is located in a pedestrian-only street
in Trieste, so when our guide, Helen, arrived (at exactly
9:00am), we had to walk for a few minutes to where our driver
(whose name we can't remember) was parked. They both greeted
us warmly. His car was even bigger and better than our car
yesterday! |
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It was a relatively
short drive to our first stop Trieste
Cathedral, which is at the top of a hill overlooking
the city. |
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From the terrace there
are some good views of the city. The
Temple of Monte Grise can be seen on the hill in the
distance. Helen spent some time explaining the history behind
it. She also told us a lot about the fascinating history
of this region. We asked lots of questions, because we knew
some things, but had big gaps in our knowledge too. She
managed to fill in those gaps in a really informative and
engaging way. |
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First
World War memorial |
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After
chatting for what seemed like ages, it was time to go into the cathedral. |
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Between the 9th and
11th centuries, two basilicas were erected on the ruins
of an older church. In the 14th century, the two basilicas
were joined by means of the demolition of one nave of either
basilica and the construction of a simple asymmetrical façade,
dominated by a delicately worked Gothic rose window, as
ornate as the new bell tower. Some materials from the ruins
were also used. |
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Bruce,
chatting to Helen after the visit. |
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Time was slipping away
from us, so without further delay, we were back in the car
for the drive along the coast towards Miramare Castle. We
parked here and walked the rest of the way, admiring the
sea birds in this protected part of the coast. |
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Beaches,
in the traditional sense, are in short supply on Trieste. Many people
come here to get close to the sea. |
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Miramare
Castle looked very interesting, as we got closer to it. |
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Miramare
Castle has a very interesting history. Once again, Helen brought
it to life with her excellent guiding. She also gave us many insights
into the lives of the various occupants of the castle. |
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After
visiting the castle, we walked through part of the extensive gardens. |
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Our driver met us at
the exit to the gardens. On the way back to Trieste, he
made a detour so that we could get a photo of Vittoria
Light. |
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We said goodbye to our
driver near the Synagogue,
which Helen thought we might find interesting, which we
did. She said that a guided tour of the interior is also
very good to do, but that it wasn't open that often. |
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Caffè
San Marco is nearby and is well
worth a visit, said Helen. We were quite thirsty, so we
went in for some coffee. Helen was right. It was a very
warm and inviting place, with a real sense of history. |
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Helen continued walking
with us and telling us more about the city. Eventually it
was time to say goodbye to her, but not before Bruce had
got a list of the best places to buy gelato! |
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One of
two famous characters associated with the history of Trieste.
Giuseppe Verdi and James Joyce. |
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Trieste's
Grand Canal. |
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The Lutheran
Church. |
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Thanks
to Helen, we found the best gelateria! |
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Aperitif
time again... |
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A 15
minute walk to the restaurant and the streets were buzzing! |
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Trattoria
Nero di Seppia ("cuttlefish ink") - our restaurant
for tonight. It's just as well Bruce didn't translate the
name beforehand, or he may not have gone in! The restaurant
didn't look to be anything special from the outside, but
we had a superb meal there. |
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Geoff's starter - grilled
scallops - cream of aubergines, lard from Colonnata and
cherry tomatoes in oil. |
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Bruce's starter - "Triestin"
- Scallops au gratin, sardines with flavourful accompaniments,
creamed cod with grilled polenta, tuna crouton with horseradish. |
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We shared
the fish of the day - turbot. |
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The wine
was excellent! |
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Geoff's
dessert - green apple sorbet with calvados. |
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Bruce's dessert - well,
the picture tells the story. He did get a detailed list
of ingredients beforehand, but after hearing "chocolate",
he forget the rest of them. |
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Another full day was
over. We were looking forward to bed and not having to get
up too early in the morning! |
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