Last day… thats a sad thought but I guess its getting me closer to home and I do miss you all so much. Anyway, bathers on first thing and down for a swim. But I think there is some higher power at work because the water was full of little jellyfish. Now I hate these little buggers having been stung twice now and the sting is really painful and highly annoying. Anyway what can you do, you cant not have a swim on your last day so in I went but I didn’t stay too long in the water.
Then we went off up to the Karst again. We have become quite fascinated by the Karst with its little bi-lingual towns everywhere. You actually have no idea whether you’re in Italy or Slovenia most of the time. Someone had told Chris about a restaurant up there so we sat in the sun and had our wine and calamari and sardines for lunch (Rose has photos).
Then we wanted to find the winery where we had the delicious Vitovska wine in the restaurant yesterday. That was a process of multiple wrong turns and asking for directions but we found it. A remarkable little vineyard, Lupinc ,…only 4 hectares but provides wine to restaurants in Trieste, the Istrian Peninsula and beyond…20,000 bottles a year. A lovely young man who has taken over from his father. Anyway that was fun.
Then Chris had read about this place where thousands of Italians were thrown into a massive hole in this area of grottos. The communist partisans from Yugoslavia, with the help of Italian partisans, murdered them in their thousands. It wasn’t acknowledged until 1995 because it was an embarrassment but is now recognised and there is a large memorial and the covered top of the hole…really quite amazing.
By this time these massive black clouds were gathering (another sign our beach days were over), thunder was rumbling and lightning flashing. But Chris remained stubbornly obsessed with climbing the bloody lighthouse. I still had my bathers on and was dying for a wee after a long day. But off we went to try and find the lighthouse once again. It took 2 attempts even after all the previous attempts but we found it. I walked up to it but no way was going to climb it, so Chris went off. However, she discovered there was a lift so came and got me and up I went too. The wing was blowing, the lightning flashing and thunder thundering. Consequently they closed it after we went up…how lucky was that. If Chris had missed out again I think she would have cried.
Finally we’re back here, I’ve had a shower, and Chris is in talking to Mariella about our misdemeanours i.e. having some yanks to stay (a big misdemeanour) and further breaking an already broken door.
It’s clean up and pack up time and already I’m worrying about getting my case up the 80 steps and then steep climb to the top…slowly, slowly!! It really is a huge privilege to enjoy this place, it is one of the most beautiful, interesting and relaxing places on earth. There are endless things to see and do but at the same time you have the water at your doorstep…fantastic.
I’ll be sending the last 3 days of my tales when we get back to Roma tomorrow evening, that will be just too boring so ignore as you will.
XXXXXXX
P.S. All well with Mariella, no extra charge for the American invasion and the confession re door seemed to go OK.