Venice & The Dalmation Coast

Trips involving multiple locations are designed for me to discover whether I would like a place well enough to spend more time there.  It is usually more expensive to stay in hotels than apartments.  This trip was a hybrid.  First and foremost I was going because I wanted to see Amalfi and Cinque Terre.  The rest just worked its way in between.

When I decided not to stop in Naples and go to Pompeii (yeah, what was I thinking right?  Pompeii in Aug?!  Met a guy who had just returned from Pompeii.  He didn't look like he felt too good.) I chose to delve a little deeper into Slovenia and Croatia.  Both countries are lovely and this time I headed further down the Slovenian coast to Izola, Piran and later Split Croatia.  Stopped in Venice for a couple of days prior. 

There were a couple of apartments I wanted to check out in Venice and Piran.  Good thing I did because it turned out neither location will work for us.  After this short re-visit to Barcelona and realizing how much I still want to return, I will make a more concerted effort (subject for another post) to find an apartment for next time. 

Split felt completely different from Dubrovnik.  I prefer Dubrovnik much more.  Split seemed to have a large number of pregnant English girls living there?  And numerous shoe stores.  One from which I purchased a pair of sandals.  Once you get off the Riva (their equivalent of a seaside boardwalk), few people spoke English. 

Make sure you remember what the currency exchange is roughly because everything will be priced in the hundreds (Kuna).  Their credit card machines don't have you verify how much you are paying before asking for your pin...  And there is sales tax.  I'm so used to the VAT, I right away thought an error was made after my transaction went through, until I remembered.

D and I were in Venice last June.  There was a noticeable difference this time maybe due to the Euro crisis and also tighter pockets of tourists who still want to see new places but have reined in their leisure spending? 

Firstly, there were a lot of empty seats at restaurants and lots of signs about cover charges or no cover charges.  It made things look a bit tacky.  We have such wonderful memories of relaxed dinners in pleasant restaurant environments watching boats go by.  There was an air of desperation this time which ruins the magic of Venice. 

From what I could see, people were just eating ice cream for lunch and dinner.  Don't blame them, it was 37 degree Celsius, full sun, no breeze and humid.  Others were walking around with pizza slices (5 Euros).  The ones sitting down at restaurants were eating pasta or pizza vs seafood.  Last year we had trouble finding an open table and school wasn't out yet. 

I did discover a delightful new to me restaurant, tucked away in a courtyard.  Two antipasti, a bottle of mineral water, an espresso plus tip came to 50 Euros.  Even thought prices were higher than I remembered, the food was worth it and the people working there were happy, friendly and relaxed which made all the difference to me.

There were a tonne of tourists but not many were spending.  I also noticed a decrease in number of smaller neighbourhood cafes.  Shopkeepers gestured from inside the store at window browsers trying to get you to go into their shops.  Not what I was used to.  There were also more people begging -- Italians!  Not gypsies.  Some of them will follow you.  Just turn around and look them straight in the eye so they know you know. 

Watch out for cover charges at restaurants and outdoor cafes.  Depending on where you are, you can pay up to 20 Euros for a cappuccino.  Ask before you sit. 

Split Croatia

The Riva, Split Croatia

On my way to apartment check, Venice.

Delivery day on the Rialto.

These yummy treats are sold by weight. 

Found in a little cafe west of the Rialto market Venice.

They aren't misshaped.  I had gotten to them before the photo.

Izola, Slovenia

Piran Slovenia

Main square, Piran

Salt flats Slovenia.  They are well known for it.

Ljubljana, Slovenia

[This is the first of a number of posts about my trip to Venice. Warning: They will not necessary be in order or be related to each other, nor about Venice. You'll see why as the story unfolds... :) I'm still processing it and basking in the afterglow of it all.]

Our recent trip was enhanced when we took a day trip to Ljubljana, Slovenia -- 2 1/2 hrs by car from Venice. What a cool hip but gentle city. Lots of young people due to the university. Easy to get around. Hard to get really lost. Lots of upscale stores.

A colleague of D's made us promise to have a Union beer or two on her behalf as it was her home town. Apparently if we drink the other main brand Lasko in the city, we would be looked upon weirdly.

Later, by the coast, we did try Lasko. I think the waiter thought I was surprised by the cost because it was more than I expected when it was the opposite. Two pints and a large bottle of sparkling water was 7 euro! I thought he meant 17 euro and we would have considered that cheap as you can easily pay 12 euro for 2 espressos or 10 euro for a large beer in Venice sitting down.

Lunch was eaten in the heart of the old town a couple of store fronts by a wonderful chocolate store (more later). I wanted to try something local. The menu translation left a bit to be desired as my dish was called "roasted pork knuckles" served with potatoes and garlic.

The waitress's clarification wasn't much better but I went for it. D had a steak with an interesting brandy sauce and about a palm size hunk of baked goat cheese. There is some serious cafe culture here. Had an excellent medium bodied glass of white wine made by Vinakoper.

My meal ended up being roasted ham hocks. It was fall off the bone tender. The meal portion was huge -- I got 3 of them. And the potatoes was a a baked potatoe chunk pie held together with lots of garlic and I think cream or creamed goat cheese.

Despite my better judgement, I ate it all and followed it up (not all at once) with a large dark chocolate macademia nut bark from the above mentioned chocolate store -- 5 Euro! Would have been much much more expensive in Paris.

Slovenia is hilly and very lush. Whoever does their tourist website has done an excellent job. I was very excited to see it. While on the highway to the capital we saw numerous wind warnings and wind measuring devices found at small airports.

Apparently wind is a serious issue and highways get closed often as cars have been known to blow off the highway. Roads are in great shape otherwise. Everyone heads to their small coast on the weekends to see and be by the water so there is serious road congestion then.

We met a wonderful Slovenian lady who spoke perfect english and she painted a picture of Slovenia that was "typical" of middle class families. People get paid once a month. Average income is $1000 euro a month and typical housing expenses (rent, utilities etc) eat up $700. People dream of owning their own apartment and car. Neighbours get along as long as you car isn't better than theirs (no joke).

The government of Slovenia provides a pension equivalent to 70% of a person's income. There is universal healthcare and "free" education. There is a general aptitude test taken after highschool that will allow you to choose a professional path based on results. Like many countries, the government is trying to cut back retirement benefits.

The day we were there was "freezing" compared to the mid 30's Celcius we had been experiencing so being unprepared for 11 degrees celcius we were frantically looking to buy clothing. The main department store in town was Salvatore Ferragamo upscale so no go there. I just wanted an inexpensive pullover. We did find something that worked when we finally found a Zara.

We both were surprised by how much we enjoyed Slovenia. I've already looked up potential apartment rentals when we are ready for a return trip. If you have a chance, please go.