Happy Wanderers: August 8 & 9 Trieste, Italy

August 8 & 9, Monday and

Tuesday - Trieste, Italy

Here we are again. This time we did not take a shore excursion. The central square and several attractions are within walking distance.

Monday afternoon we walked through the square to a tourist information office. The lady gave us a very good map and highlighted some nearby sights that would be good for us to see. One of these was the hill of San Giusto.

This hill behind the square a way is named for the city’s patron saint. It features a castle and a cathedral with great views of the city. She explained that if we took a couple of side streets and walked through a parking structure we would find a free elevator to take us to the top.

We set off to find the hill. As we used the map and tried to locate the side streets we were not sure of ourselves. One wrong turn and a little backtracking led us to the parking garage. It was a very long walk through a tunnel to the other side. Sure enough, there was the elevator. In no time we were at the top facing the castle. We had not met another tourist. What great directions.

We visited the cathedral before crossing the castle square and walking along the castle walls. We did not venture up the steep cobblestone path to enter the castle. Then we took in the beautiful views. After some time we found the WC and went back to the elevator.

Now we took a different route back to the ship. The waterfront walk was nice. The traffic was horrendous. We were in Italy. And it was almost dinner time. After dinner and nightfall, we spent some time on deck to take some pictures of Trieste after dark.

Tuesday was devoted to the square, the opera house, the grand canal, and the Orthodox Church of St. Spiridon. We also walked the pier in front of the square. But first, we took a picture of our breakfast waiters and hosts. The waiters would be rotated away from us in the morning.

From the pier, we saw an unusual-looking yacht anchored offshore. It was in the same spot the last time we stopped here. We were told that it is owned by a Russian oligarch and the Italian government has seized it under the Ukraine war sanctions. If it will ever be released is still unknown. We wonder if it is being maintained and who will foot the bill.