Piran is small, but beautiful. Having lived on an island for about a decade, then living on the coast for another nine years, I've become attached to the ocean. I always recall the rolling waves shimmering in the sunlight and hearing them gently lap against the shore whenever I get pangs of homesickness. I miss the Pacific.
We climbed the town wall, built in the fifteenth century, and roamed around the Cathedral of Saint George. We had lunch by the water (I had a mozzarella and tomato starter followed by mushroom pasta, chased with a half-liter of beer) then relaxed on a rocky beach. When I removed my shoes and walked into the salty Adriatic Sea, my homesick feelings ebbed away. I can still taste the saltwater.
Another friend joined us for coffee, and afterwards we strolled along the shore walk, chatting about politics and media and jobs. Since I love ice cream, we stopped for a massive sundae and watched the sunset. We drove home for a few beers and a lesson in Yugoslavian history, plus a few heated rounds of Name the Capital . . . which is a sure sign you've had a few drinks.
I stumbled into bed early in the morning - an excellent day, overall. On a side note, did you know that some high school and university graduates meet at the end of the school year for seven to ten days, usually in a foreign country like Italy or Greece, and have a celebratory binge marathon? These are not isolated parties: they are practiced all over, highly organized and teachers participate. If only my high school was that interesting! So, a question to our Slovenian readers: did you have a similar experience when you graduated from high school or university?
I totally lost at Name the Capital, by the way. My geography sucks.
6 comments:
Fo sho we did! :) We went to Crete at the beginning of 4th year of high school, took two teachers with us and had a rocking week. Mostly drunk, that is. I skipped the one at the end of university, I just came back from Canada dry like hell, so spending some more $$$ was not on my mind then ... but my colleagues did go and again they had a great time :) yeah, blessed be the place called slovenia, huh? ;)
That's really interesting! Is this practiced all over Slovenia, or just in Ljubljana?
Maybe I should ask a broader question: are these graduation parties held in other parts of Europe?
As far as I get it, they're practiced all over Slovenia... It's just the destination that varies... Crete was in my time "reserved" for trips at the end of university, whereas at the end of high school we'd go to Italy or Spain.
What a great send-off!
I find this really fascinating, probably because high school and university in graduates in Canada organize their own parties that exclude teachers, and rarely do they leave their city. In fact, graduation parties are strictly regulated.
I guess our nation is too involved in showing the world how our teenagers master the act of binge drinking :)
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