Izola to Koper to Udina

Devon's new favorite Spritz. Made with P31 all natural green aperotivo. Here we are in Koper,  Slovenia, the P31 is made in Podua, Italy north of Bologna, and we can't find any Italian bars or tavern that has even seen it before. 

It has been a bit difficult getting this post out because of feeling pretty lousy from a cold but with this view from the tavern in Koper, the only place in town with P31's, it became a place to have a drink and hangout. 

Devon sporting a new haircut she got in Koper.

Leaving Koper and headed to Trieste. As we got into Trieste we noticed lots of Polizia up and down the waterfront street. They then stopped all traffic, helicopters flying overhead, then the Presidential motorcade and security drive by. Quite interesting. 

I seem to have made a habbit out of visiting hospitals on our bike trips. My cold is gone but I can be nagged by a bronchitis astma thing for a long time afterwards. So here I am headed down the hall of the Trieste Hospital to see a doctor to get a asthma inhaler. We were told to go after 8pm by the pharmacy. The hospital is quite bleak and industrial. There was no reception, no indication of much life. I walked down the hall and found a couple people waiting to see a doctor. They told me to knock on this door, which I did, a guy comes to the door in jeans and street cloths. I explained to him the asthma spray I needed and gave him my drivers license for an ID. 10 minutes or so later I have my presciption, drivers license and off I go. No charge for services. I am doing much better now.

Devon in a castle lookout in Trieste. From ancestry.com I have learned that my father's side is from Trieste, Slovenia and Croatia. The very parts we are visiting. 

Up at the Trieste Castle with the city below. Not feeling the greatest yet but recovering slowly. 

In Trieste by the castle.

Wisteria seems to be everywhere in Italy.

We decided to take the train to get us out of Trieste. We had already ridden that section, earlier in the trip, it is a very busy road with trucks and traffic so the train was a easy way to bypass it. Train travel in Italy for cyclists is fantastic. You can take an assembled bike on most non high-speed trains. Here you see our bikes hanging on a bike rack. The bicycle coach is marked with a bike on its side so you look for it as the train arrives.

Devon enjoying the view

Here is a picture of a 3 masted boat. We saw it at long distances earlier in our trip and couldn't make it out. We saw it again on the train ride out of Trieste. It's name is Super Yacht A owned by a Russian Oligarch and was seized by the Port of Trieste. It cost $500,000 to fuel it in 2017 when it was launched. Cost of the boat was about $600 million. Google Super Yacht A it is quite interesting.

We had a beautiful days ride to Udine.

The walls around this small country town.

This days ride to Udine was just wonderful. Nice and flat with beautiful pastoral scenery.  Nothing spectacular but super enjoyable on very small paved country roads with very little traffic. 

What kind of tree is this?? The starkness of the vibrant flowers next to the large branches is just fantastic. 

A fun evening in Udine at a Enoteca Osteria. There was a couple, a bit younger than Devon and I,  sitting at the table next to us. I immediately said to Devon that he looks Australian not Italian without hearing him speak. I then had to ask where they were from as I thought I heard some English. Sure enough they were from Australia. 

He races Laser Sailboats, like in the previous post, but the taller masts. He travels every year to compete internationally. They move the location every year, like the Olympics, to different international locations. He races the 35 and older group with 350 racers. Quite interesting listening to how it all worked.

On the following maps the straight line represents the train ride but is not part of the mileage or data. We paused the bike computers for the train ride.