Lost in Slovenia

At least I got to see this breathtaking view!

So... I was in Trieste (Italia), which is really close to Slovenia. Let me just say this: first I was the Chosen One to a volunteering project in Slovenia… but I went dark side and refused it, because I really wanted to go to Italia. But being there so close to this country led me to think that I could escape quickly and do it a visit. So I searched for a bus. 45 min to arrive at Koper (a beach town). 6,60€ andata e ritorno (roundtrip). And I was like “Wow, so easy! I’m totally going”. I just had to seat my sweet portuguese ass and wait to step out in Koper. This trip alone, at least, was being completely normal.

But Sleeping Beauty here decided to take a nap in the bus… and being so tired... woke up three stops later… in Lucija.

I went to talk to the driver and kindly asked if the same bus was going back. Now imagine. I don’t know a single word in sloveno. He didn’t spoke English… and only knew a really bad italiano, so our conversation was kind of not a conversation and he rudely told me that I had to take a taxi if I wanted to go back.  And I just did my “Do I look rich?” face and stayed there in Lucija... before finishing my trip in Croatia. The thing is… I wasn’t even worried. Because I saw a map near the stop. But of course… I also saw the sea and decided to totally ignore the map to go put my feet in the freshwater, to do some photos and to take a caffé. Why not? I needed energy. Don’t ask me why but I was completely relaxed, even when I was looking to an Hotel outdoor and saying out loud to myself: “Maybe I will have to sleep in the beach tonight, cause I don’t have money to pay for this”. The good part? I go to see 3 different places... paying just for one. Bang bang!

Yes! I woke up like this. [ Lucija ]

But then I had a good idea (sometimes this happens). Maybe this small town had some connection to Koper and so I decided to look back for the map. I saw where the bus station was and started walking under the hot hot hot sun. I walked and walked and finally reached the station. The next bus to Koper was indeed parting… NOW!

Of course no one there knew how to speak english or italiano. But I managed to speak and ask the driver for directions. Body gestural language is the best, believe me!

Heading to Koper, passing by the amaziiiiing town of Izola, I started to think how calm I was… how one year ago (lets say) I would be panicking so much with this. But there I was, laughing alone, writing the adventures on my diary, certain that my Voluntary Service experience taught me a lot about not being afraid. And about being crazy too! 

Slovenia!

And I arrived to Koper. The next thing would be to search for a bus to go Trieste, but not without walking first around the town. Not without buying a postcard first. Not without going to the sea again to refresh myself.

But I knew that I had to go back to Italia, so in the end I asked a lady to give me directions to the bus station (because the other bus letft me in the beach). Again the gestural language was our idiom. And yeah, I got lost searching for the station, but after a while I got there… to find the tickets office closed. How the f*ck was I supposed to buy my ticket ? No ticket machines. Niente! The desert. 

There was a lady working there, but she was working for the trains, not bus. And she couldn’t sell me a ticket. At least this one was speaking fluent italiano and told me to try to buy the ticket online using my phone. The station had wi-fi. But a really bad wi-fi and so I wasn’t able to anything and after 1 hour of trying I quit and decided to go out waiting for the bus under the red sun.

Maybe I will have to sleep on the floor, but first le me take a seflie [Koper - Slovenia ].

A taxi driver saw me there and started to talk to me in sloveno (HELP!). I said that I was italiano di Trieste (I never taught of me as portuguese in this moments!! It's really scary, believe me!!). And then, trying to speak italiano, he started to scream and shout that for 30€ we would take me there. I refused. I think this one at least was legal, but I’m not 100% sure. And yeah… after a while I started considering that as an option to return, even if I would have to sell a kidney for that. 

The bus arrived. This driver was also rude, refusing to sell me the ticket. This one was italiano (Madonna!!!). And I kindly said that like that I would have to sleep on the floor that night... and he just gave me a f*ckin ticket. Really?!

Going back to Italia I was so happy seeing the views from the top of the mountains that we climbed to cross the border. The sea so vast and calm. Like me. Me, the luckiest bastard alive.