FUN-photos: Trieste to Venice for Adriatic Cruise – October, 2013
November 11, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-photos: Trieste to Venice for Adriatic Cruise – October, 2013
We arrived in Trieste on October 2nd and were warmly welcomed by Chris’ sister Cinzia. We spent three wonderful days with her and her family before taking the train to Venice to board the ship for our 10 day Adriatic Cruise on Seabourn. Our stops included Corfu, Katakolon, & Igoumenitsa, Greece – Brindisi, Italy – Kotor, Montenegro – Split & Ravinj, Croatia. The pictures are from the places we really enjoyed – Trieste, Venice, Kotor, Split & Ravinj
If you click on the first picture it will allow you to create a slide show. And it turns out they are in ascending order (in other words, the first is actually the last) So if you click the back arrow you will see them in order. Enjoy!
FUN-travel: Trieste to Venice, Italy for 10 Day Seabourn Cruise
October 8, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Trieste to Venice, Italy for 10 Day Seabourn Cruise
Day 20 – Saturday, October 5 – Trieste to Venice, Italy for 10 Day Seabourn Cruise – gray overcast, gloomy skies – warmer, maybe 60 – turns misty & cooler in Venice
What I LIKE
UMR – usual morning routine
8:30 – to train
8:35 – arrive
9:18 – train on time & has 1st class
Trieste Roman Ruins
- 9:55 – starts pouring rain
- *11:26 – arrive St Lucia train station on time
- 11:40 – reservation for water taxi to ship terminal www.motoscafivenezia.it
- plenty of water taxi’s – costs the same $70 Euro – cash only
- 12:15 – arrives dock (wrong one)
- **12:20 – arrive correct one
- 12:35 – board ship
- easy check in
- Deck 6 – bar & lunch – different kinds of wraps – nice glass Stags Leap chardonnay & Koonunga Hill shiraz for Chris
- 2:00 – room ready & my bags are there!
- nice bottle of Nicolas Feuillatte champagne awaiting us
- 3:15 – safety drill – don’t have to carry life vest
- 3:45 – chris’ bag finally arrives (would have been freaking out if it was me)
- ***3:50 – scope out laundry room down the hall – 2 washers & dryers – free & empty!
- 4:00 – sail off
- +4:30 – get 1st load in (nice man shows me how to navigate the wash cycles)
- turns out he’s my next door ship mate from San Francisco!
Trieste Church
- 5:00 – get 2nd load in
- 5:30 – check laundry & one’s available – tell lady trying to use other washer to hold it for me & I will show her how to program it
- ++back to room for last load
- 6:15 – final load in & end of laundry fiasco!
- 7:30 – dinner in main dining room – join table w/2 Brit couples
- lively discussion on politics
- lamb chops & halibut (not the best)
- good wine!
What I DON’T LIKE
- feel sad & wish Cinzia lived closer
Cinzia & Me
- *station packed w/people
- water taxi chaos – not sure where or how to find ours
- **have to stand & wait for security to open
- ***3:55 – somebody already snagged both washers!
- +very difficult to figure out settings
- ++she lets someone else take the washer!
FUN-fact – Booking the water taxi from the St. Lucia station is the easiest but expensive. The other option is too walk a long way over bridge with steps to Piazzale Roma. It never occurred to us how difficult the logistics would be in Venice to get to the ship.
Not so FF – Man on cruise said he paid $180 Euro from airport and then another $180 Euro to get to ship terminal. OUCH!
More FF – Cinzia said the name Crisafulli means “the maker of jewelry.”
FUN-travel: Trieste, Italy – Full Day 2
October 7, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Trieste, Italy – Full Day 2
Day 19 – Friday, October 4 – Trieste, Italy – sunny turns to high clouds – still very windy, chilly 60’s (feels like high 50’s)
What I LIKE
Risiera di San Sabba Mini Cells
- UMR – usual morning routine
- *research Venice train station to ship transportation options
- book vaporetto online (water taxi to ship terminal) www.motoscafivenezia.it $70 Euro
Risiera di San Sabba Sculpture
- 11:00 – meet Cinzia for nice city tour, walking & window shopping
- church stop – light candle for Maria who has just passed
- find really cute pair of leggings @ Stradivarius only $13 Euro
- 12:45 – cappuccino break
- 1:30 – lunch @ home – lasagna w/béchamel, mixed green salad, smoked cheese bruscetta
- 3:30 – walk to hotel only 3 blocks
- 5:30 – walk back for dinner & to see kids before basketball practice
- 7:00 – dinner – pasta w/tomato & mushrooms, prosciutto wrapped cheese, grilled zucchini, baked small tomatoes w/garlic & breadcrumbs, apple strudel & nice Barolo wine – Yummy!
What I DON’T LIKE
- *paid for train reservation to Venice & can’t use – need to go to St. Lucia stop
- 48 hour advance cancellation policy
- OW (Oh Well)
FUN-fact – It has been so wonderful to finally meet Cinzia. The last time Chris saw her was 1998. We are going to Skype so we stay in closer contact.
Having FUN!
FUN-travel: Trieste, Italy – Full Day 1
October 7, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Trieste, Italy – Full Day 1
Day 18 – Thursday, October 3 – Trieste, Italy – sunny blue skies w/wind – low 60’s (feels like high 50’s)
What I LIKE
- 7:30 – wake up to real, authentic cappuccino in bed! (hey we’re in Italia now)
- *get email from my computer guy how to fix problem
Castelli di Duino Garden
- 9:45 – breakfast – nice fruit
- 10:30 – Cinzia takes us sightseeing
- 1st stop – 11:00 – Miramare Castle – winding tree lined walk – perched high on hill above sea w/panoramic views
- see lots of jellyfish in bloom
- 2nd stop – 12:00 – Castelli di Duino – built 14th century on ruins of Roman outpost– 4 floors fully furnished – climb up tower for more panoramic view – includes bunker built by Germans 1943 – lovely gardens & pool w/fountain
- can see il castel Vecchio – perched high on rock overlooking see
- 1:00 – lunch – mixed grill of fish, caprese, mixed green salad w/carrots, cucumber, tomato & local wine (not bad)
- 3rd stop – 2:30 – Risiera di San Sabba – began as temporary prison camp for captured Italian soldiers – converted rice-drying facility w/oven then enlarged to crematorium
- 8:00 – dinner w/Cinzia & children Isabel & Sebastian – their pick Birreria Kofler Paulaner – it’s Oktoberfest in Trieste! – yummy pizza diavola for us (theirs more like ciabatta bread pizza) & Colio Lereguta cab franc (so so) it’s a beer place = $80 Euros
Castel Vecchio
What I DON’T LIKE
- *scan takes really long time
- internet still slow & sometimes won’t connect
- no patience for this!
FUN-fact – The fortress of the rock of Duino (Castel Vecchio) dates to 1139 and is known as the White Lady.
Not so FF – Risiera di San Sabba was originally a rice-husking factory and the only concentration camp in Italy. 17 mini cells housed up to 6 inmates each. Several theories about execution methods include: gassing in vehicles & using exhaust piped in, blow with a club to base of skull, shooting.
Chris & Cinzia
FUN-travel: Villach, Austria to Trieste, Italy
October 6, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Villach, Austria to Trieste, Italy
Villach
Day 17 – Wednesday, October 2 – Villach, Austria to Trieste, Italy – gray clouds mixed w/white & teeny patches of blue sky – cool 50’s – turns to sunny, windy & chilly in Trieste
What I LIKE
- *6:40 – first wake up
- get dressed to go downstairs for coffee
- WATCH! – open door & he’s standing their w/hot cappuccino
- it’s really good!
- 9:15 – head for breakfast to go
- 9:30 – ready to check out (get more on time bonus pts!)
- 200’ walk to train
- on track 1 (closest w/no stairs)
- **9:35 – board train – 3 seats double facing, enclosed w/door (like the old trains)
- 10:04 – takes off on time for Udine
- 10:20 – cross border
- Yo adoro Italia!
- sun is shining
- ***11:58 – arrive on time
- 12:18 – take off on time
Villach
- 1:26 – arrive Trieste & no stairs
- met & picked up by Chris’ sister Cinzia who lives here (& why we came here)
- wonderful lunch @ her home w/family – Dario, Sebastian & Isabel
- caprese, melon w/prosciutto, roast beef, bread, vino & special dessert – molto buono!
Sebastian & Isabel
- 4:00 – check in Hotel Victoria Trieste
- nice big room, top floor (5th) w/little balcony
- 5:00 – pick up for happy hour @ Caffe’ Tomasseo – local wine w/snacks of olives, chips, peanuts
- 6:30 – walk thru town & main square
- very cute & clean w/grand buildings on main square
- 7:30 – dinner @ local restaurant – La Tecia di Lapaine – salad w/shrimp & mushrooms, mixed grill meat platter – local wine = $65 Euro
WATCH – What Are The CHances
What I DON’T LIKE
- *chris trying hard to not make noise (NOT!)
- 7:15 – no sign of chris w/capp yet
- **only has 2nd class train cars
- *** no elevator or escalator – have to schlep bags down stairs then up again!
- 9:30 – turn on computer to find: Detected DNS cashe poisoning attack
- now internet is really slow
FUN-fact – Trieste has a population of 250,000 on the north end of the Adriatic sea near the Croatia border.
Trieste Building with Mosaics