Trieste - my intro to Central Europe

My view from Miramare Hotel (Thank you for a nice room with a view!)

Trieste is a milestone for me.
It was the first place where I travelled and stayed alone.

It was the first place I visited in Central Europe.
It was the first place I visited under the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region.
It was the first place where I saw lots of half-naked sunbathing folks.

Since it's been years since I went back to Europe, I wanted to spend some time on a suburb other than Slovenia where I can see if I can survive a number of days with just good ol' me. The quiet days that I long for is a good respite while I embark on completing one of my bucket wish list - to travel alone. Two birds in one stone.

There are many perks on travelling alone as you all know. But what I enjoyed most is the freedom to do whatever you want without adjusting to another traveller's goals or without making others adjust to your own. I am a bit naive though and it was helpful for me to have watched Taken (the first movie) before all this happened. So whilst traveling, there was a constant fear in me which made me always... always... check my surroundings or the people around me. I didn't have the indulgence to be lost in one place, which people who have travelled with me will swear is my biggest fault - disappearing for some time and will only return once I'm satisfied with my shots. I have this false notion that I am safe, because I can easily find them if things go wrong.


I only realised all that when I travelled alone. There was this incident in the Amsterdam Schiphol airport where I was questioned about the purpose of my travel. I suddenly realized that if I get detained and I didn't have someone to call from Slovenia, the next kin would be in Asia, hundreds of miles away.

The Lovely Holland Tulips

Or if I miss one of my transfers because I got lost in my stop-over in Milan, the next plane will only be available on the next day and I will be sleeping (no I will not be able to sleep!) in the airport alone. But what I discovered most of all is that silent bubble around you once you go through the journey. You are there yet it's easy to begin feeling that you are just an audience watching the hustle and bustle around you. This is when I really understood why foreign tourists would always raved about Filipino hospitality. Too bad it is slowly being threatened by scams and petty crimes.

Trieste unita d'italia-I wasn't able to get a good shot because of the event, with lots of police cars. Again, I was like in a bubble just watching folks.

I wanted to go to Austria but when Trieste was suggested to me, I started to get curious. I already love to visit places with Roman ruins which Trieste is abundant, but my research led me to my greatest pull to this place, the amazing sunset over the sea, the Castello di Miramare and the story of Princess Charlotte of Belgium when she became the wife of Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico.


My IR Shot of the Miramare Castle

I regretted to say though that this is one of those museums where you can't take pictures. It was beautifully restored and you can almost feel the eeriness of it all. Having been built for a dozen of centuries, you are transported through time as you move around the castle and the exhibits on each room - from the Maximilians era, the parties of Emperor Joseph and Elizabeth of Austria until the American troops takeover in the 1940s. I felt though that I was trap in the thought of how Princess Charlotte moved around the castle. Even if she left this castle for Belgium and live forever in seclusion, I imagined that in her mind, she kept going back to this place, haunted by the life she had spent in this castle with the promise of a beautiful future and a heartbreak that she carried for the rest of her life.

The princess could have been looking out to the port in front of the castle while waiting for her husband. In modern times, this would be the parking. Gara!

Yes, I can imagine how a lovely young woman like her can carry that broken heart forever. Like Maximilian's last words - Poor Charlotte!

After visiting the castle, my next stop is Trieste Unita D'Italia. Now this is where I made that awful mistake of deciding to walk. I am good in using Google maps and getting directions, but not on measuring distances. And so, at the middle of the noon sun, I ended up walking the streets of Viale Miramare towards the plaza. Halfway through the road I was really debating on taking the bus or a taxi because it was soooooo hhooot! But I didn't review on the language and the transportation system so I really didn't have much choice but to keep walking.

The walk involved a stop for a Lemon Soda. When I started to pay, the tindera started to get agitated and said "uhhmm... picollo, picollo.", pointing to the bill. I gave a smaller change and she started to smile. I honestly think we were both flattered that I understood her. That, or I just save her the trouble of looking for someone to break the bill.

 It took 4 effing hours before I was able to reach my destination. I wanted to kiss the ground!

One of the buildings in the plaza.

The main town square is very vast and it seems to me the center of Trieste in a tourist's point of view. This is actually a good place to start your trip. I choose to place it second to the Miramare castle though because my hotel is nearer to the castle. I went here on a Saturday so there were a lot of people hanging around the mall at the back of the main building. It is also near to tourist spots like the Castle of San Giusto so I also found tourists like me roaming about. There were two options for me to go around - the walking tour, which I immediately scrapped and the hop-on hop-off bus.

Both options will lead me back to the Miramare hotel whilst giving me a chance to enjoy the rest of the tourist spots. As I was climbing the bus and enjoying the company of other tourists travelling alone like me, I was silently thanking the Almighty that I existed in a generation when this tour already existed. I am sure my feet are thankful too because when I've reached the hotel, all I can think about is lay in that sunbathe chair outside my veranda and enjoy a lazy break while waiting for the sunset. I made a quick stop to Bar La Nave found next to the hotel where I bought this scramble ice cream. They have other choices for sandwiches, ice creams and drinks that you can eat in an outdoor setting. But because of the heat, I opted to just go back to my room and enjoy my veranda.



I found this which I first thought as ice cream but it turned out to be like scramble in PH, hence the straw. I really love it, please bring this to Manila, Selecta!

I would have to say that one of the best choices I've made when I went for this trip is to stay in Miramare hotel. I was debating on a hotel nearer to the town square but how can you say no when even if in the hotel's website, you can already hear the sea!

My veranda, I want!

The only setback I could remember now is on actually finding the place. Thankfully, the cab driver knew who to call for directions and she (yes lady driver, girl power!) might have missed one turn because of the small sign, but after that we were able to reach the hotel without a hitch. Funny thing was that when I told her "Keep the change!", she can't understood what I was saying. We spent almost 2 minutes trying to decipher what each other was saying and I have to hold back my laughter because she might be offended by it. When she finally knew what I meant, we gave a short sigh at the same time, and that's when we started laughing. It looks like it's not a good practice to tip in Trieste!

Breakfast and dinner are served in the restaurant next to the lobby of the hotel. I was worried that I have to go to the plaza and buy food to take to the hotel during my trip. Food is truly Mediterranean. I also found that one of the staff is Filipino so I knew I was in good hands.

The Breakfast Buffet

Mediterranean Dinner

The only problem is Restaurant Le Vele is in a romantic setting having those candle-lit tables and a sea view. I kinda felt out-of-place with only my trusty iPad to accompany me.

So during my last night, I opted to end my day with the comfort of a Seafood Carbonara pasta and soda drink at La Terrazza Dell'Ostello Di Giovanni Tosto. I must say I didn't plan to visit this ristoranti when I was building my itinerary because the website didn't have much info on it. But on the mornings I spent walking near the breakwater, I always see how inviting it was. I decided to try it out while waiting to shoot for the sunset.

It was a little dry for me, being used to be served with indulgences on the carbonara sauce, but the seafood compensates for it. Service was excellent!


My last sunset in Trieste

So finally, dear readers, here is the sunset I've waited for. We had some good times, this sunset. Deep conversations, a promise of good day on the morrow while I say my goodbye and thanks for a very nice weather and rewarding journey. Needless to say, it was an adventure that I will remember for the rest of my life.