Trieste

Hello everyone, warm greetings from my last stop in Italy, Trieste.

After settling into the hostel, I took a stroll through the city and immediately hiked up to a viewpoint (lots of stairs).

The next morning, as expected, the weather was bad, so I decided to take it easy and try to sleep longer, which only semi-worked since by eight, the first people from the room started to leave, and someone had to phone for a full three hours. By early afternoon, I decided to visit a cave near Trieste. However, the journey there was unexpectedly exciting.

First, I had to buy the ticket on the bus, and no one could help me, which was mostly due to language barriers. Then I spoke to an Italian woman who spoke good English, but she didn't know the area as she was not from Trieste, but she could at least translate the explanations from others for me. So that finally worked.

In the end, it turned out she was also on her way to the cave. My luck, because you need a reservation for the guided tour, which I obviously didn't have. She had two reservations but was traveling alone. So I got to use her second ticket. Lucky me!

And inside, it was simply breathtaking.

The cave near Trieste is 360m long and 160m deep. It is 98m high and was the largest show cave in the world until 2010. It was accidentally discovered in 1840 by Frederico Linder, who was actually just trying to trace the underground flow of the River Timavo.

Today, proper paths are laid out, and you go in one side and come out the other side in a circular route. There are a total of 500 steps down into the cave and then another 500 steps back up. So one should be fit for climbing stairs.

Once back at the top, the Italian woman invited me for a drink and cheese. We went to an 'Osmize'. This is a small, very simple restaurant on a farm. They only serve what is produced on the farm itself. It was super delicious. The non-alcoholic option was a good elderflower syrup with water. And four different types of cheese with bread.

Back in the hostel in the evening, I met a few girls (of course German-speaking). After a short walk through the city, it was decided that I would stay another night and spend the next day with the girls.

So the next morning, we headed to Castello di Miamare. A castle on the outskirts of Trieste.

After we took the bus, our group was separated when getting off, as the bus just closed its doors and didn’t open them again and drove off. So we had to walk a further distance, which was also very nice.

Upon arriving at the castle, we simply walked through the park area; I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

On the way back to the city, we finally found a spot where we could cool our feet in the water. Very cold, but refreshing.

Otherwise, Trieste is so much more beautiful in sunshine than in rain, and I am glad I stayed one day longer.

The clear highlight was an ice cream parlor right around the corner from the hostel. Mega huge scoops, great selection, and really good ice cream! So whoever is in Trieste must definitely visit Gelateria Zampolli. It's worth it!

A few postcards from Italy have also been sent on their way. I hope they arrive soon.

Until then, your Almut!