Grand Hotel Metropol Portoroz

... he is asking me if I am ok every minute and wont let me get out of bed to do anything. We have spent three days just doing nothing in the room but on sunday we went out for a walk and I seem to be getting better at one point I think that I wanted to come home but what difference does it make being here or at home. We have some sunshine now and I can just relax.

I have slept for nearly 14 hours ...

Today was hell, I am writing this a few days later so just to let you all know I am much better now and will post the pics so you can see the damage when I get to a computer that lets me. I will explain what happened.

We got up and had decided that we where going to leave tomorrow as planned and move on to somewhere else so as the day was a little cloudy and raining Ian said why dont we go to Pula ...

... d'Italia, the largest and undoubtly the most beautiful square in Europe overlooking the seafront, and the Molo Audace...all within easy reach!

When your legs start to feel tired, stop for a coffee or a glass of spritz, perhaps in one of the famous places where Joyce, Saba or Svevo used to get inspiration for their masterpieces. Just to mention a couple, Caffè degli Specchi in Piazza Unità, and Caffè San Marco, in via Battisti 18.

The ...

... willing to tell me when our stop was. Wed been expecting a bus station. Porteroce is a big boring city chock ful o' casinos, but turns out the big bus stop is exactlz that, a wide dustz spot in the road near the water. So from there to Rovinj.

Rovinj is like Vernazza, another tumbling down the hill redroofed incrediblz beautiful festooned with laundry city. We stayed at the Hostel Montalbano, tucked waaay inside the old city walls. Its ...

SUCH a quaint nice town. Theres a nice cathedral and these beauitful rocks that go right along the beach where you can lay out on..and today we took an all day boat trip around all of the surrounding islands of the coast. We worked out a ''special'' drop off inbetween the two trips on the most beautiful island called the Red Island. the sun is finally shining and shining strong ...

... a fairytale kingdom.

The cave was discovered accidentally in 1930. Tone Božac, a vineyard owner on whose land the cave is situated, worked in his vineyard and his peep fell into a hole. Not realizing the depth of the cave, Tone tried to cover the hole with soil but it kept falling deeper and deeper into the ground.

During World War II, the cave saved his son Josip who hid there while the Germans took and ...

... Oct-Nov!! So that should be great. And Patti is really excited as well. So should be a blast, and I will have left the family in Merate by then, and possibly staying in Trieste. Though I am still not completely sure what my plans are from about end of September onwards.... hmmm...must figure that out soon.

One thing I have come to a realisation about though, is that I think I am a little too calm, pensive, passive and INDECISIVE for the people ...

Sorry, too dark for any good pictures, but here are a few attempts. This place is HUGE, with awesome, massive caverns that blow your mind, very impressive and interesting. The remains of the original internal stairs are visible in many spots, built by the original explorers ...

... and I joined Mauro at his favorite restaurant and ordered a typical Croatian lunch. Grilled vegetable, grilled fish, calamari and of course beer. We watched a class of young sailors practicing in the bay right in next to our table. He told us many Italians come to Croatia for the food.

Mauro told us how he grew up in this small town and now is an English professor at a local college. His only ...

... is always a chance of rain in a country as verdant as Slovenia but it doesn't last too long. It's uncrowded and unspoilt and yet very well equipped for discerning tourists. Like Croatia and Montenegro it is best to visit before everyone else discovers these gems of the former Yugoslavia! Some websites: http://www.slovenia.info/intro/ http://www.spot-slovenia.com/wellness-i n-slovenia-portoroz.html http://www.lifeclass-portoroz.com/ang-0