My notebook entries for today’s trip appear to be a bit sparse. I was a couple of days behind with writing up my notes, so they are not exactly contemporaneous. We drove to Trieste and then decided to head into what is now Slovenia, but back in 1973 was still Yugoslavia under the rule of President Tito. This was a popular destination for Italian holidaymakers and this was Easter weekend.
I was able to exchange some currency at the border. In those days I relied on the wonders of Traveller’s Cheques, which I had obtained from the Midland Bank prior to my departure. They had to be signed in front of the dispensing cashier and you had to show your passport. The Midland Bank of course became HSBC at a later date. What changes I have lived through – banks changing names, countries changing names, even bands changing names (ELO, OMD, ELP – perhaps in anticipation of the advent of SMS? How we live in an abbreviated world).
We arrived in Postojna in the late afternoon. It was a very hot day. The youth hostel was not in use so we found a motel. It was great to be able to have a proper wash (after 2 days on the road) and to wash some of my clothes. After an evening meal of fried chicken , chips, peas and beer (names may change, but my palate has remained as sophisticated as ever!), it was blissful to drop into a comfortable sleep.
So, Day 12 sees me crossing another border into a country that no longer exists, changing money the old fashioned way and sampling the local cuisine. Well, maybe not the latter.
And where will tomorrow find me?
Clues: A town that has been a settlement for more than 3000 years on the Adriatic coast, in the foothills of surrounding mountains.
Psychologist on the Move 