An Embarrassment of Riches (Closed)

Last Thursday Doors, 28/3/24: Pazin, Croatia

Yes, the moment has arrived. My blogging days are over. Ten years was enough. I wish you happy doors.

It was March 30th 2014, a year after moving from Slovenia to Tuscany, that I posted my first post and so it went on until today. I’m not saying that I won’t pick it up again, but for now this is my last post. It’s only proper that I finish with Thursday Doors.

You will have to celebrate on your own bestia’s birthday next week, mine in May, my parents’ and sister’s in the summer, and so on. In case you get to miss me or any of my family members, whom I often shared with you happily, or my doors, or my Luka love, welcome to revisit any of the old posts. All my six blogs (see About me) will remain online as they are. There are always Facebook and Twitter/X as well.

Additionally, you will have to write your own poem-a-day in April. After six Aprils I’m done with NaPoWriMo. I have neither words nor really a wish to tell them to anybody. I’ll also be travelling the first week of April and having a visitor in the second week, and I don’t wish to be otherwise occupied during this time.

As you have noticed, I stopped replying to comments regularly a while ago. Frankly, that was a sign that I should close my blog. In my opinion a blogger who can’t even do that deserves no comments.

Let me leave you with a poem by Linda Pastan. This is how life feels more and more.

And so here are my last Thursday Doors, and some wall messages, from the town called Pazin in the middle of the Istria peninsula in Croatia, which we visited last Easter right after Rovinj.

We were hot and thirsty and nothing was open except a little shop where we finally got some water. The museum was inviting but we left it for the next time. Friendly workers helped father mend his shoe. The zipline crowd waited their turn. The old doors couldn’t believe that somebody was paying attention.

Thank you from the heart for your attention these ten years. We spent them together well. I wish you all the best and send you my love.

For Thursday Doors challenge hosted by Dan at No Facilities

Thursday Doors 14/3/24: Torre di Buranaccio

I remember more doors from this open-door day one year ago, promise. That day I finally climbed our tower. Here, have more photos than usually, just not with as many doors.

For ten years I had been watching it, this tower on the piece of land between Lake Burano and the sea a few kilometres from my home in southern Tuscany, but knew that it was not freely accessible as it is part of the nature reserve. Last March they opened the gate for us and after a half an hour march there it was for me to climb.

The views were lovely, the beds in the window nooks inviting, and the most amazing thing is that you can rent it. You know, for parties. Imagine that. Come to think of it, I still haven’t celebrated my 50th from four years ago other than online…

As for the doors, they are not the first thing that comes to mind. Let’s take this post as an excuse for showing you this place or I never will.

For Thursday Doors challenge hosted by Dan at No Facilities

Thursday Doors 7/3/24: Castelnuovo di Porto, again

We returned to the town of the LINA bistro one month ago and here are some fresh door photos.

This town is 40 km north of Rome, if you’re ever in the neighbourhood.

The castle above the square with LINA had a Serial Killer exhibition for some reason. I climbed the stairs – for the view and some photos, not for the killers – and found the Volkswagen Beetle up there. Yes, that one. I was so shocked that I didn’t even take a photo of it.

But LINA was friendly as ever, amore’s daughter and boyfriend served us cheeses and salamis and various appetizers and sweets and beer and wine, bestia took me on a walk to view some (hopefully new) doors, we found a couple of cat door guardians again, and the day was made.

Last night Luka and the Dallas Mavericks won again vs. Miami Heat after having lost five of the previous six games, no matter that Luka keeps scoring 30+ point triple doubles, even in defeats. But for some reason they refuse to play effective team defence. Apparently there has been some “battling through diversity with each other”, as Kyrie Irving pointed out after the game.

Hopefully they will manage to stand united and reach the common goal. 19 regular season games remain and they are currently 8th in the Western Conference. The first six teams make the playoffs directly, places 7-10 have to battle it out for the last two available spots.

But here are some doors and sights from the town with the castle and serial killers and LINA. The owner tells me the boar are often found foraging in the square early in the morning. Imagine that.

And finally, long live March 8th and all the women in the world, past, present and future!

I liked the bench and library combo. Every town in Italy has a Via Roma except Milan, or so I’ve heard.

For Thursday Doors challenge hosted by Dan at No Facilities

Thursday Doors 29/2/24: Doors of 2024 so far

In this post I will show you some of my sights and doors from this year so far, starting with our new car. We are not quite sure yet but I think we’ll call her Monica.

We waited for the new car so eagerly and now we barely use it. For now. But just seeing its yellow parked outside through the window makes me happy already. It spells opportunity.

These photos are from three occasions: the time when we returned to Castelnuovo di Porto to visit amore’s daughter in her bistro LINA and were (briefly) blocked by protesting tractors, the time when we drove to Porto Santo Stefano in fruitless search of a gelato, and last Sunday when we visited amore’s father in Rome and bestia took me around Monteverde on our usual walk. It was a glorious day.

And the doors, the doors are all around us at all times anyway. Let’s go.

(As for Luka news, after two ugly losses in Indiana and Cleveland and the beautiful Luka’s 25th birthday victory two days ago in Toronto, tonight Dallas Mavericks plays the currently best NBA team, the Boston Celtics in Boston. Sooo curious to see what happens.)

For Thursday Doors challenge hosted by Dan at No Facilities

Thursday Doors 22/2/24: Along the Ljubljanica 2.

Let me show you some more of my Ljubljana, the city that I miss. Ljubljanica is the river that runs through it, and here are some of the sights and doors that you can see on its shores.

We start at the footbridge with peculiar railing holders which I have showed you before. Then the area becomes decidedly urban with street art and “art”.

Cukrarna is a refurbished sugar refinery turned art centre. We move away from the river for a while and pass a church with the colourful front. I have yet to check the interiors or both Cukrarna and St. Peter’s Parish Church.

Then we continue along Trubarjeva St. with more street art and doors, and find ourselves in the city centre where we meet the river again. The last two doors are from the Academy of Music of the University of Ljubljana. Before that day I had never noticed or photographed them.

As for today, Luka plays basketball again in a couple of hours. I must show you how he arrived at the All-Star Game (where he: dunked once, the second time not so much, and fooled around with Nikola Jokić all the time in slow motion. Some people are upset that he never takes this event seriously, but he knows. It’s all to lull them to sleep.)

I had to do a doublecheck.

The Don has arrived. And in a week he turns only 25.

Also today I saw the first two poppies of the year. The spring is here. But now to Ljubljana as it was last April.

Marching and sharing the load. Lipičeva brv footbridge, designed by Saša Dalla Valle and Tea Fink in 2014.

For Thursday Doors challenge hosted by Dan at No Facilities

Thursday Doors 15/2/24: Along the Ljubljanica 1.

The Ljubljanica is the river that flows through Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, my city of birth. Last April, during our Easter week visit, I walked along the river and clicked at everything that surprised me. Some of it was doors.

I loved how spring made itself felt and seen. I loved the church that I had never noticed in all my 40+ years living in the city. I loved various windows and street signs, colours and shapes, the breeze and the flow. I loved seeing my exact place of birth, the city’s main maternity hospital. I loved the painted walls and even asked a security guy to move a little to the right unless he wished to be in the frame, which is not something I often do.

My coffee brand and a promising entrance. And spring!

For Thursday Doors challenge hosted by Dan at No Facilities

Thursday Doors 8/2/24: Draguć 2.

Let’s stroll along main street in Draguć, a town in inland Istria, on a calm and cloudy Easter day.

Whenever I see the name of this town, I’m reminded of the other Slovenian basketball player Goran Dragić (who played best for the Miami Heat), whose career will conclude with a star-studded event in Ljubljana this summer, which I hope to attend as well. The tickets go on sale next Thursday. Luka will come too. Speaking of him and the Mavs, they won their three last games – two in New York in grand fashion – and acquired two much needed new players. Good times in store.

And no, I’m not watching basketball only and nothing else in my life, I just get the biggest kick out of it. Yes, bigger than poetry. Sign of the times. And the fact that, as the internet says, I

I wonder why this sounds so relatable.

But this is Draguć, a small cinematic town in Croatia, and here is the second part of its doors from its other street with a couple of furry locals.

For Thursday Doors challenge hosted by Dan at No Facilities

Thursday Doors 1/2/24: Draguć, Croatia 1.

Let’s continue with the doors from last Easter when we day-tripped to Croatia. This town once played Florence on film, if you believe it.

At least this is what my father told us after carefully planning this day with online help. But after Hum, the smallest town in the world from my previous two posts, first we had to eat something and father came up with Agrotourism Stara štala (“Old Barn”).

We had to wait for the motorcycle gang to depart and they seemed to have eaten most of the menu because all we got was some (good) pasta. But the view was brilliant (even though rain made us run indoors to eat) and the company special.

Then we drove some more and reached Draguć of which I had never heard before. How it was able to play Florence is not particularly clear. But there were doors and colours and nobody else but us and it was good this way. The second part of the town’s doors will come next week.

But before we have our stroll, how about Luka’s 73 points in a single game? (Here is a video with all of them.) You may have heard of it but unless you saw the game, you don’t know. This was the most effortless scoring imaginable. And then they tried to diss even that. If the fans are fed up, imagine how he must be feeling. The message he was giving was: “I don’t like how I’m being treated, by the refs, the media, the association. It’s disrespect. Unless you fix it, I’m going to score just like this every game, but also way way better. Just because I can. Watch.” I’m sorry for everybody who is prevented from cheering for Luka for any of the number of dumb reasons. The history will eat you alive.

For Thursday Doors challenge hosted by Dan at No Facilities

Thursday Doors 25/1/24: Hum 2.

Here is the second half of the doors and other views from the smallest town in the world, if you believe it.

Last week we started it, this week we finish it, our Easter door tour of Hum in Croatian Istria, officially the smallest town in the world.

The town was not fully deserted but almost. I could imagine the summer crowds though, going for the limoncello (and orancello) of the house, slightly tipsy tourists falling off the cute little wooden stools.

These photos took me eight minutes. Small is right.

Parents and bestia returned to the car, while I had a quick look around.

For Thursday Doors challenge hosted by Dan at No Facilities

Happy Matic birthday

Today celebrates my kind, helpful, inquisitive travelling uncle Matic. Let’s see what the past year brought him and us.

Before the pleasant memories, let’s have a look at Piran on the coast of Slovenia as it was in November when you were there and sent me these photos and more. The sea decided to throw out some of its stones and rocks.

Lots of damage and cleaning up required.

Photo: Matic

And now let’s go through the year with more joyful photos. First we went to Slovenia for Easter and enjoyed your Ljubljana garden, then you came to Tuscany in July and took me to Slovenia for the summer, and finally you brought me back in September. For this I’m beyond grateful. As the last photo says, always welcome to do the same.

Cin cin and enjoy the little things in life, except the beer. The beer must be large. Happy birthday, Matic!