Rae's impression of our Italian Adventure so far (December 2015)

Italy is always different - seasons, weather, circumstances why people visit...
Here are some brief comments on this visit so far...... this relates to the East - from Trieste to Florence.

Coat of choice – puffer – many styles

Accessories of choice   - medium sized dogs

Pot plants of choice – Bougainvillea

Xmas decorations of choice – Lights

Hotels of choice - ours – Star Group

Beverages of Choice – wines and beers – local of course

Ambient places of choice – any city  square

Weather of choice – cool, balmy,  but some wind please so streets do not stink of that horrible Italian tobacco!!!

Smoker’s bad taste location – immediately outside hotel, eatery and shop doors

All this changed once we reached Pisa.....

A day's Adventure in Trieste

Now that we are in Trieste, Italy, after overcoming our jetlag in London, it feels as if our adventure has really begun! As you can see in the pics. The weather in Trieste is overcast and very balmy. Our first ‘port of call’ was the Museo de Mare – the Trieste Maritime Museum.  Trieste was one of the most important ports in the Mediterranean in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when it was the principal outlet to the sea of the Habsburg Empire. After it became part of Italy in 1920 Trieste’s ship building industry flourished. This small, well presented museum features a huge variety of models of vessels in the area and how they were made  - diagrams and tools.  Next we strolled through the narrow streets of the old  town and had a relaxing break in at the Cafe Tommaseo, one of  several historic  cafes in the area, all of which have their own special stories. Later we travelled by bus down the coast to the Mirimar Castle, perched on a prominent point on the west side of Trieste.   Specifically designed by and for Ferdinand Maximilian in 1860, today the castle and park grounds are open to the public and the surrounding waters are a well protected maritime reserve.  Back to the city and a trip on a local bus which wound through Trieste’s narrow old town streets hairpinning up the hill to the 14^th century Castle Quisto, set in parklands above the city. However it was closed…… Having noticed several flights of stairs on our bendy bus route, we stepped down to a town square to find a street market in full swing, and everyone seemed to be there, enjoying hot beverages, beers, food and gossiping.  Ideal on a balmy autumn early evening - especially with a chocolate waffle in hand! The day finished with  a light meal at the comfortable Pizzeria Crystal.  Trieste done!  Now to our hotel to prepare for our Venice adventure tomorrow……..

A comfortable start to our Italian Adventure in Trieste

We were very lucky that thanks our son who worked for a very good Sun Hotel Group, we stayed  at some very nice  warm and comfortable hotels during our Italian adventure. In Trieste the Excelsior Palace Hotel is as stunning as it’s name. Erected on the waterfront in 1912, it was the ‘most impressive luxurious hotel in Austria and Hungary. Recently refurbished, it is back to its original majesty. The black and white pics on the walls of our large room feature old Trieste and its sculptures.  During our stay the foyer had several displays of beautiful red and white orchids, which the pics do not give justice to.

Travelling to Trieste, Italy, from London

We travelled to Trieste from London via Ryanair from an extremely busy Stansted Airport and cruised over many mountain ranges which did not yes have much snow. We had heard about the issues that passengers often have with Ryanair and sure enough – the first issue for us began   - our booked pickup did not arrive!  Two hours later the Trieste airport information centre phoned the airline – who refused to come and get us as we were only two and it was Sunday evening. So we ended up traveling on the local bus at a fraction of the cost.  Will we get a refund?  I suspect the odds are against us……..