We were very fortunate that our Mediterranean cruise included a few stops on the Adriatic Coast. Along with Kotor and Dubrovnik, we had a port of call in Koper, Slovenia. The city is a coastal gem. The medieval old town is well-preserved with its narrow cobblestone streets, and colorful facades.
The Praetorian Palace with its Venetian Gothic facade, the grand Cathedral of the Assumption, and Du Pont Fountain are the major landmarks in Prešeren Square. What’s interesting to note about Du Pont Fountain is that it was the last station of the aqueduct with supplied the city with potable water until 1898. In 1990, Prešeren Square was repaved and the fountain was restored.
We enjoyed a relaxed morning walking around the city, and serendipitously stumbled upon a charming antique shop where I purchased a tiny flower vase for my curio cabinet. Then we set off for our meeting point for our excursion.
Located approximately 30 minutes outside Koper, the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Škocjan Caves are renowned for their vast underground chambers, roaring underground river, and stunning limestone formations.
Our tour began with a short hike to the caves’ entrance where multiple small groups converged, and were subsequently divided up by language preference.
The highlight is the enormous Martel Chamber, a cathedral-like space carved by the Reka River over millions of years. Unfortunately pictures inside were strictly forbidden, so I’ll share these three from UNESCO.
We were allowed to take pictures at the exit. Because if there’s no picture proof, did it really happen? Ha!
The caves are quite impressive. I thought Mammoth Cave in Kentucky was cavernous, but these are even more so. We only realized how deep into the caves we travelled when we had to take a tram back up.
On the drive there, our guide – who was a bit of a comedian – gave us the history of the city and the caves. On the drive back he quizzed us. The FamTrav husband was in the lead by far, but lost the bonus question. It was all in good fun and everyone on the bus shared belly laughs at the commentary.
I’m going to wrap up this series soon with a final post about Venice and how we almost didn’t make it. Stay tuned!
Mykonos: Delos in 3D and an afternoon in Mykonos
Zakynthos: Shipwreck Beach & Blue Caves
Kotor : Blue Cave, Mamula Island, Submarine Tunnel, Lady of the Rocks
Venice: The Port That Almost Didn’t Make It
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