In any incomprehensible situation, go travelling. Inspiring Slovenia. Part 4: Piran

 Have you ever arrived to a new place and immediately felt like home in the deepest sense of that word?
 Something inside resonates with the environment and you realize that you have found a very valuable place for yourself. I have been to about fifteen countries and thus even more different cities and villages and I have found something interesting, exciting, valuable, beautiful for myself in all of them. But such unordinary feeling of ultimate relaxation and inspiration to live I have experienced only twice: in the Himalayan Dharamsala in India and here, in Piran in Slovenian Istria on the incredible Adriatic Sea.




 Here, sunlight is mixed with the smell of fresh fried fish tickling your nostrils. Here, all streets lead to the bank where the sea gives rise to a stream of images and shapes in your mind, and the wash of the waves merges with the jingle of the masts and the cheerful song of two lovers drinking a bottle of house wine.




 There are no tamed beaches, and upon entering the water, you walk, firmly placing your feet on the bottom, feeling with all their surface sometimes sharp stones and therefore you remain fully conscious, choosing the least "slippery" way. Here almost all of the city is a pedestrian zone, because modern cars can not squeeze into small medieval streets that sometimes turn into stairs. Here lightness and serenity echo with vigorous joy, inspiring action.

 In the side streets you can stumble upon small artists' shops with enchanting marine watercolors, and if you are near the church at night you can watch a movie in the open air cinema. Everything is imbued with creativity, subtly, but confidently set in the urban environment.


 And how can one not be inspired when nature, playing with light and color, constantly transforms the appearance of the city, creating in turn steady softness, then flashes of contrast, then mystical depth.




 When you see all this an unconditional desire to become a co-creator of this world appears inside. You absorb all the beauty, all the joy and pleasure, all the depth.
 You inhale the sea air, take a sip of red wine, taste the most delicious fish in your life and slightly hold your breath, dissolving, flowing out in every moment, so that you can become a part of this miraculous pattern of life with the out-breath...

 Piran has just a little over four thousand inhabitants, and the whole city can be traversed in about twenty minutes, even if on your way from one end to the other you get lost in the labyrinth of narrow streets. Its total area is less than one square kilometer, but the city is flowing with a sense of abundance. This is an example of the fact that in order to build a sustainable community with a comfortable and attractive environment, neither a significant territory nor a large number of people is needed...