On Monday we docked in Trieste. As it turns out we were in for a pleasant surprise. Although we docked in Trieste, Italy as advertised, the tour we signed up for was right next door in Slovenia. It never occurred to us that the tour we booked would be in Slovenia. But it was. And that turned out to be a very pleasant surprise.
Slovenia is a very small country in Central Europe with a population of about 2 million people. It borders Italy to the west; Austria to the north; Hungary to the northeast and Croatia to the south and southeast. It also has a short coastline on the Adriatic Sea.
The country has been part of many different states and Empires, including the Byzantine Empire, the Carolingian Empire, the Holy Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Hungary, the Republic of Venice, Napoleon’s First French Empire and the Hapsburg Empire to name a few.
It once again became a part of Yugoslavia and then fell into the Soviet Empire after WW2. But Marshall Tito, who had his differences with Stalin, nevertheless declared Yugoslavia to be a Socialist state.
Surprisingly enough, under socialist rule Slovenia was a poor state. Virtually all of Slovenia’s progress was made after the Berlin Wall came down, the Soviet Union imploded, and Slovenia adopted democratic capitalism, a fact emphasized by our tour guide.
Today, according to 2024 statistics, Slovenia’s GDP is about $72 Billion. Per capita GDP comes in at around $34,000. Consequently Slovenia is now categorized as a high-income country, albeit at the lower end of the high-income designation.
Anyway we piled into the tour coach and headed first for the city of Piran, one of the 3 major towns of Slovenian Istria. The town is known for its medieval architecture with the attendant narrow streets. It has become a bit of a tourist attraction, no doubt aided by the fact that Slovenia is the home country of First Lady Melania Trump.
In any event, the town was beautiful and very clean. Spotless in fact. We ambled around the town, did some sightseeing and had a cup of coffee before heading back to the coach.
Next we headed for Padna, a small village of about 30 families located toward the top of a mountain. The townspeople, who are mostly farmers, turned out and displayed their wares, which largely consisted of food that they had harvested and prepared.
As part of the tour we were given 5 coupons apiece which we could spend on samples of asparagus lasagne, garlic flavored pasta, apple strudel, cheeses, meats, and glasses of white and red wine. We dove right in and the food was delicious.
There were other things for sale in addition to food. For example, there was Bobbin Lace, some of which we purchased. And there was a man from the town who could (and did) play several musical instruments.
In the end, it turned out to be a delightful tour. And we got to see a slice of Slovenia which we never even would have imagined.
Next stop: Back to Croatia.
MAM & JFB