A First…

How about peeing while standing up in the Trieste train station with my 25-pound pack on my back.*
Yup — welcome to Italy!
There was no toliet, just a hole to squat over, and no place clean or dry enough to place my pack down. (*Not sure how much it weighs these days, but it’s heavy…)
Honestly, it is more of a hassle to take the pack on and off while still in the process of getting from point A (station) to point B (accommodation). Not the first time I’ve seen something like this, but surely the first time I went to the bathroom with my pack on.
I was successful — no spills thankfully — and continued on my way. I’m in Trieste for a quick two nights, staying with a local woman I met through Couchsurfing. She has been a most excellent host…and has a really nice toliet too 🙂
Oh, crossing the border from Slovenia to Italy on the bus was a breeze too, but they did not stamp my passport which I thought was a bit surprising…the border guard just walked through the bus, made sure everyone had a passport, but didn’t bother to open or check them or anything. Lots of folks go back and forth between this border everyday I’m sure, so it would just take too long to check ’em all I guess.