As we got ready this morning the church bells rang across the valley calling everyone to Mass. It was Whitsun or Pentecost Sunday and we chose to spend it along the Slovenian Riviera. Yes, Slovenia has a Riviera! It runs along the Adriatic Sea for about 30-40km and is absolutely breathtaking in beauty. It’s not a sandy coastline, but instead has rocky white and cream boulders accented by aqua waters.

The Riviera was a little over one hour’s drive south from our Air BnB. The furthest southern point along the short coastline is home to beautiful vineyards, olive orchards, and Europe’s largest sea salt fields. After driving through the farmlands we drove to Portonoz and then to Piran, This seaside town sits on the top of a little peninsula that juts into the Adriatic Sea.

Piran was the ideal seaside town. The aqua colored waters lapped against the giant boulders along the coastline and gently rocked the boats in the marina, which was located off the main square. Passing through the square with it’s pastel buildings, we climbed uphill zigzagging through the narrow cobblestone streets until we reached the city walls, St. George’s Church, and the bell tower. We climbed an easy 140 steps to the top of the tower. From that height we beheld magnificent views of the sea, town, and peninsula! It wasn’t until we reached the top that we realized that it was almost noon! We braced ourselves as the four bells chimed the hour followed by a two-minute long musical ringing pattern.

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Next door to the bell tower was St. George’s Church. There was a little museum showing the four different eras of the building site’s foundations, from pre Roman through modern times. The church building itself had recently been restored. The lovely frescos offset by pure white walls with accents of gold enticed us to sit quietly in the pews and pray.

The physical and spiritual respite was nice, but it was time to eat! Rivia’s offered a nice selection of seafood. Faywen was particularly happy to eat fresh sardines straight from the nearby ocean. Our waiter was amused that a little American girl loved sardines. He complimented Faywen on her taste in seafood!  Just past the restaurant a bit further down the boardwalk was the old lighthouse, which is the furthest western point in Slovenia.

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We caught the bus back to our parking lot and drove another 20 minutes north to Izola Beach. The kids’ enjoyed swimming with the locals in the Adriatic Sea. However, due to the rocky bottom they ended up with a few foot and leg scrapes. Good thing the salt water acted like a natural cleanser!

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The final few hours of our day were spent just over the border in Trieste, Italy. The Grand Piazza is the largest in Europe to face the water. It was picturesque sitting in an open cafe, eating Italian food, and people watching.  Faywen even saw a GIBS classmate walk by! Our stomachs full of good pasta and wine we meandered to the piazza and the edge of the water to watch the giant cruise ship sail away into the sunset.  At that moment my Dad called from America and he and my Mom were able to enjoy an Adriatic sunset via Skype. It was a beautiful memory I’ll cherish my whole life!

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Gelato in hand, we walked back to our car and drove over the border into Slovenia.