For
our stay in Piran, we followed sister Alex's advice and lodged
at the Momento Bed and Breakfast, just about half
a block off Tartini Square, in the heart of the city's "Old
Town." The location put us close to not only the square, but to
most of the attractions we hoped to visit, including the Church
of St. Francis, the City Wall, and the Church of St. George--all
only a few minutes walk away. It is a beautifully rennovated
botique hotel, done in a clean, minimalist style. The photo to
the left shows the entrance to Memento, off Bolniska 8, while
the photo to the right shows the reception area. Adjacent to the
reception area was a small sitting room and above it a small
area for a snacks and a supply of 
reading
materials. The sitting area is shown in the 
photo at the bottom left. The snacks area
was also equipped
with a coffee machine (in our case, a hot chocolate dispenser)
which we took advantage of every time we returned from a wet
outing. Breakfast was served at the Loggia, on Tartini Square.
Our room, located on the second floor was comfortable, and
mercifully warm, given the cold spring rain that descended upon
the city as we arrived. It is shown in the photo at the bottom
right. It was the perfect spot from which to tour the "Old
Town."
Although we only had time for a
few meals while in Piran, we made the most of our time, and
focused on two types of cuisine: seafood (of course) and native
Slovenian dishes. For seafood, we dined at Pavel, a very popular
tourist restaurant, located on the promenade. Despite its
popularity with tourists such as ourselves, it offers good
seafood at reasonable prices, and seems to be frequented by the
locals as well. We enjoyed two things in particular about our
visit to this bustling restaurant. First, naturally, was the
food--we dined on steamed fish and fried calamari-which was
fresh and deliciously prepared. The second was the ambiance, and
in particular the wait staff. Although you can see from the
photo at the upper left that the dining room is packed, the room
was light and airy, and avoided the feeling that we were 
packed
in like sardines. And the waiters were great--full of
personality without being unctous, and clearly they enjoyed
informing and entertaining us. These are not part-time
waiters waiting for a good audition. They are professionals and
the have a trove of knowledge and a love of food, which enhances
the dining experience. The restaurant is so popular that Pavel
Restaurant 2 opened next door, and it too was packed.
Located
in the 1st of May Square in the Old Town, Gostlina Fontana is
popular with local and tourists alike. It is noted for both its
seafood and its menu of traditional Slovenian dishes. Although 6
months later we cannot recall exactly what we ate, we remember
dividing our allegiances between traditional Slovenian meat
dishes and the local favorites of calamari and fish. And, yes,
wine was involved. The Gostlina Fontana, which is now sadly
closed, offered home cooked food and a family atmosphere that
again drew locals and tourists alike.
Just up the street from our bed and
breakfast was a fascinating multimedia museum which makes full
use of technology to tell the story of the area. The museum
lives up to its multimedia name by providing a 15-minute 3d film
of the area in addition to touch screens, interactive
motion-sensing screens, photographs, drawings and explanatory
text in five languages. The basement of Mediadome is
itself an archeological site, with a centuries-old underground
corridor, probably used as a crypt. It also serves as a venue
for cultural events. The Mediadome Museum uses 21st century
technology to tell a compelling story about Piran and its
environs, while retaining the traditional trappings of museum,
allowing it to capture the interest of young and old alike. It
was certainly an enjoyable way to pass a rainy afternoon in
Piran. Below is a gallery of photos from the museum taken from
their website (too dark for pictures when we visited) and their
promotional video. |
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| Touchscreens |
A Cultural Venue |
The Story of Piran |
Archeological Exhibit |
Underground Corridor |
There is also a
version of this tour designed specifically for VR headsets
such as Google Cardboard, and it works with both iPhone
and Android devices. It may be accessed by scanning on the
QR code to the left. If you are viewing this on a mobile
phone, you may access the VR tour by following this link.
For iOS devices: scan QR code with your device's
camera app, tap on the prompt to open Safari. Select "Allow
Device Motion" and the next prompt, "Allow Access to Motion
Orientation." Turn the device to landscape mode and a split
screen will appear. When the screen turns white, swipe up
for fullscreen mode, and place in headset. Here
is a video of how to do this--it is simpler than it
sounds! [The video opens in a new window--close when done to
return to this page]
