Sunset over Piran, Slovenia

Across from Venice on the other side of the Adriatic is the Istria Peninsular in the shape of a heart, spanning about 120km from north (Trieste) to south (Pula) - or roughly the same distance from Venice to Ravenna, or New York to Philadelphia.  It begins from Italy's Trieste in the north, passing through Slovenia, with the huge chunk of the heart belonging to modern day Croatia.  Piran is an ancient Roman town in Slovenia close to the Croatian border.

It is quite the popular tourist destination nowadays.  Tourists are kept busy visiting the city wall and beautiful marina, the Municipal Palace, the breath-taking town square, and many other historic buildings and monuments.  Never straying far from music, this was also the birth town of the famous Italian violinist composer Giuseppe Tartini (1692 - 1770).  At that time Piran was part of the Venetian Republic so Italy lays its claim on his legacy, but Tartini was actually born into one of the most important aristocratic Piranian families.  The town square is dedicated to him with a statue of him holding what I can only assume is a Baroque violin bow (not a modern French bow).

The townsfolk had been fishermen since time immemorial, and it was incorporated into the Roman empire by 178BC.  The town's name probably came from the Greek word for red, or "pyrranos".  So named because of the red stones found in the area, which perhaps gave rise to many of the red houses found today.

To catch Piran on a quiet day would be seeing paradise: wandering through the narrow meandering streets, exploring many of the art galleries and shops, admiring the beautiful houses and medieval architecture, and, in my case, watching the sunset over the Adriatic.  It's hard to find a reason not to come back again.

Official travel guide: http://www.slovenia.info/?_ctg_kraji=2650

斯洛汶尼亞的 Piran 位於伊斯特里亞半島。這個向南伸展的半島由北面的意大利邊境城市 Trieste 開始，經過中部的斯洛汶尼亞，一直到最南尖端的克羅地亞小鎮 Piran。
 

Piran 是古羅馬時代的克羅地亞邊境，當天留下來的古城牆、莊嚴的皇宮、遊人不絶的中央廣場，以及其他歴史悠久的古建築及遺跡，都成為了今天無數遊人的目的地。這裏亦是著名意大利小提琴作曲家 Giuseppe Tartini (1692 - 1770) 的出生地。當 Giuseppe Tartini 出生的時候，Piran 是意大利的領土，但是他其實是生於一個當地顯赫的 Piranian 貴族家庭。現在，小鎮的中央廣場豎立了 Giuseppe Tartini 的銅像雕塑，我猜想他手裏所拿著的，是有別於現代法國琴弓的巴洛克時期小提琴琴弓。

 

Piran 自公元前178年起已歸屬古羅馬帝國，因此這個小鎮的名字有可能是源於古希臘文「pyrranos」，是紅色的意思，這亦符合了這一帶佈滿紅色石頭的景色。時至今天，這裏仍保有很多用這些紅色石頭建的小屋。

幸運的我在 Piran 享受了難得的不多遊人的一天。我在小鎮狹窄的小街道漫步，參觀這裏精緻的小商店及畫廊，欣賞了這裏無數的紅色小石屋及中古時期建築物，最後在這裏欣賞了無限美麗的日落，令我樂而忘返。

 

Piran 的官方旅遊網站：http://www.slovenia.info/?_ctg_kraji=2650

Celje and its castle, Slovenia

Forming an impressive sight at the confluence of several rivers, Celje is the third largest city of Slovenia.  It is prone to minor earthquakes occasionally, but we didn't experience any.  The main attraction is of course the 14th century castle on top of the hill, overlooking the town like a father watching his son.

Located up on 1,300 feet, the castle is a fortified Romanesque palace.  Written records actually date back to early 12th century, but the fortress-castle was probably burned down and the present one rebuilt from the ruins.  By the 15th and 16th century, it became one of the most important castles across the entire Eastern Alps (Switzerland, Northern Italy, etc).  Its many architectural elements became a model for builders of the region.

It is now an excellent museum and a vibrant cultural venue.  Just the view alone is worth the trip, which is just under an hour from Ljubljana.  We, however, drove up from the south, following the Sava river.  The scenic drive is blessed with small towns and the gorgeous Slovenia countryside. Slovenian railway also stops at Celja the city, and from there it is only a short cab ride to the castle.  

Official website: http://castle.grad-celje.com/

What's the capital of Slovenia? (And spell it too!)​

I couldn't have picked a better place to spend my Christmas.  Ljubljana is a beautiful city with a vibrant, bustling, and colourful city centre.  The Christmas market was stretched along the river, and there were different stages setup with live music performances, not to mention stalls after stalls selling holiday goodies, mulled wine, and hot chocolate.  If you want your peace and quiet, saunter around the smaller streets and discover little local restaurants.
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Originated from old Slavic name called Ljubovid - meaning "one of a kind", the first thing that catches every visitor's eyes in the city centre is the system of bridges that span across the water causeways.  Not far from these, a short tram ride to the top of the mountain takes you to the castle, with a panoramic view of the entire city.   

到 Ljubljana 過聖誕是一個再好不過的選擇。Ljubljana 的建築物色彩繽紛，市中心熙來攘往，是一個非常活潑的城市。聖誕節期間，市集攤檔滿佈河流的兩岸。聖誕市集除了售賣應節用品外，也有許多稀奇古怪、來自世界各地的小玩意，當中還有冬季非常流行的熱紅酒 (mulled wine) 以及各式各樣的飲品小食，加上到處的樂隊作現場表演助興，在這裏你必定有一個十分熱鬧而又多采多姿的聖誕節；如果你不是那麼喜歡湊熱鬧，漫步於寧靜的小街、在一間精緻的小餐館吃一頓晚飯亦是很不錯的選擇，

Ljubljana 這個名字源於斯拉夫語 ” Ljubovid”，意思是"one of a kind",，亦代表了水道上錯綜複雜的橋樑向四周伸展。如果想看看Ljubljana 壯觀的全景，可以乘坐一程小纜車到山頂，從山頂的城堡欣賞這個美麗的城市。