Global Studies - Ljubjana, Rijeka, Trieste

But it was Hello from Ree for the next part of the half term holidays.

Less than 12 hours back in Cambridge, we were now headed off to Ljubjana. This being my first time in Slovenia, it was great to tick another country off the list. This is definitely a very underrated European city. It's perfect for weekend break, with enough sites to see, a beautiful riverside, and an interesting one to visit especially if you're particularly interested in the Hapsburgs. They even have a regional food market which we missed! Definitely would go back to this city.

Along the River Ljubjanica

From Ljubjana, we headed off on a train to Rijeka, to visit another friend of ours, Mis, his dog and his partner Ro. As the train reached the Adriatic Sea, it followed the coast towards Rijeka and the view was amazing, especially as the colours of dusk were reflected onto the water. Mish picked us up from the train station and going back to his place, the same view from the train greeted us. It was only appropriate that we sat at the balcony admiring the view, catching up, complemented by Italian red wine. Comfortably inebriated, we then walked down the hills towards the centre of Rijeka to enjoy a local seafood dinner.

The next day while Mis was at work, Ree and I enjoyed the Adriatic Sea fm the balcony once more. We then slowly made our way up the hill towards the University of Rijeka with a pit stop at a restaurant with a spectacular view of the coast. Just staring at the magnificent view was not enough, so Mi took us down to the coast and we swam in the sea! The water was cold but still comfortable enough after the first shock of entering the water. The fishes were swimming with us amongst the corals. Probably the highlight of the trip!!!

The Adriatic Sea where we swam

We then headed to Motovun in the Province of Istria. This region is very green, still lots of forest cover. Although the old walls of Motovun and the stunning panorama from the top of the city was impressive, it was here where I found my favourite cheese - Truffle Cheese, cheese infused with Istrian Black Truffle. A small snack by the outdoor dining area despite the cold weather was still worth it as we sat and enjoyed the panoramic view of the region from the top of the hill Motovun is located on.

Next on the itinerary was to pick Ro up from the bus stop in Rijeka and from there, we headed to another seafood restaurant in town. The three of us, excluding the vegetarian Ree munched down a perfectly fried sharing platter of various seafood.

The next day, we walked around the city centre of Rijeka, checking out the old Roman wall remains, the local market, and absorbing the overall vibe of the city. Quite a bustling town I might say - definitely more of a working city where people live and work in. Our intentions to look for a swimming area by the city was thwarted by private property (hotel didn't let us through to the patch of rocks) on our first try, old territorial people on the second just staying put at their patch of rocks in the sun, and on the third good old pollution in the water (it was by a busy port anyway). Swimming shorts unused, we settled for a quick drink at a nearby cafe. We ended our final night in Croatia at a local bar, where lots of Croatian lager were drunk.

A 2 hour bus ride the next day took us back through Slovenia into Italy. Trieste is one of the underrated Italian cities with beautiful buildings, great panaramas, and obviously delicious Italian food. And, what luck that we even met our master programme coordinator from Vienna, taking some students from Chicago around on an excursion, over an Aperol Spritz.

Main Square in Trieste

This ended the European adventure this time around.