Vipava Valley
After our second meal at Pizzeria Minutka, a 3 hour affair, we set off for Slovenian wine country, the Vipava Valley, where our Airbnb was a modern 2 bedroom bungalow set in a vineyard.
Karst Region
The following day a new chapter of our journey began: exploring Slovenia in our rental car, Monte. First stop, the Skoljan Caves, a Unesco site less than an hour from Piran.
Piran
Arriving in Piran ahead of schedule allowed us to take a walk along the seaside promenade, seeing the Slovenians swimming at dusk in the Adriatic. Rather than beaches, access to the water is via ladders from cement slabs along the promenade.
Venice
Arriving in Venice brought tears to my eyes. I had a magically surreal experience last time I was in Venice in mid 80s and have been reluctant to go back, not wanting to break the spell.
Florence
We were not planning to go to Florence, given all we had heard about how insufferably crowded it is. However, friends in Telluride offered their apartment and Emily had studied Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Rafael last, in 7th grade, so we decided to make the trip.
Torino
Arriving in Torino, we ended up at Porta Susa, not Porta Nuovo, near our Airbnb. Rather than take the metro, we walked the 1+ mile to our apartment at 36 Carlo Alberto, admiring the magnificent architecture of the City along the way.
Annecy
And the location next to the lake and in the Old town, with it architectural marvels and canals was something we never got tired of exploring. We set out to explore the park and the lake before finding some food.
Paris
We began our road school journey in Paris, arriving at Charles de Gaulle Airport on September 8 at 4:30pm. We were scheduled to arrive at noon but were alerted before we left for the airport in Denver that our Norwegian Air flight was delayed by 4 hours.