2nd September
Skocjan Caves
I was awoken to the sounds of a jubilant Rachel preparing breakfast. She was in a great mood not only because today we were going to the caves, but also because she had been out foraging whilst I lay in bed and had retrieved some blackberries to put in our cereal. They were a very tasty treat and a great start to the day.
The Skocjan Caves were quite simply amazing. Massive caverns underground filled with elaborately sculptured Stalactites and Stalagmites in all kinds of crazy shapes and sizes from the minuscule to ones so big you almost missed them. We traveled deep underground and followed a similar path to the original explorers (we were quite a few feet above however as the underground chambers can fill up at an alarming rate. Further on into the cave complex and way beyond the tourist trail there is a narrowing of the caves which restricts the flow of the underground river and consequently fills the huge lower chambers of the cave system in a matter of days) and the sheer scale of the complex was just incredible. Our guide also highlighted numerous types of formations of calcite and explained their formation. We exited the caves through the same tunnel the river uses to begin it's journey beneath the surface. It's a magical place not only where the river disappears underground, but as a consequence of the microclimates created both specialised Alpine and Mediterranean flora exist within metres of each other.
Outside of the caves we were treated to a number of smaller museums which were cottages, outhouses and other buildings which had been renovated by the locals to provide room for the exhibits of local life down the ages, explanations of the river system and maps showing where the river Reka finally came to the surface and joined the Adriatic to the north of Trieste. Two guides Boris and Matej were on hand to provide further insight, not only about the area and caves (of which they were extremely knowledgeable) but also we had a good chat about life in general! They were both really good fun - big thanks to them!
Trieste and Koper
In line with our day so far we followed the expected course of the Reka to Trieste (as most of it is underground much of it has not been explored so far and is guesswork). When we got to the Italian sea-side town we were freaked out a bit. We had enjoyed inland Slovenia so much with it's picturesque mountains and villages, but to find ourselves in the middle of the bustling port and seaside resort of Trieste was a real shock to the system. Our initial excitement at seeing the sea quickly changed to a desire to follow the coastal road out of the town and down to Koper, back in Slovene territory.
Koper was also quite busy but nothing on the same scale as Trieste and we were able to park after a bit of to-ing and fro-ing so we could explore on foot. Our stay was quite brief but we managed to see the Church of the Assumption and the 15th Century City Tower which dominates the main square. Adjacent to this is the Praetorian Palace which now houses the town hall and tourist info centre. We also stumbled across the oldest building in the city, the Rotunda of St John the Baptist which dates from the 12th Centutry.
Piran
We ended the day with a little stroll into Piran after finding a rare parking space and were treated to a spectacular sunset, which looked more like a inferno in the sky and was a nice end to the day.
Piran itself is mental for parking we stayed in a car park about 6Km away in the town of Lucija which is like a small extension of Piran, but much less hectic. We were told Piran and the area was bedlam in summer but as we had arrived in September we thought it may be quiet. It wasn't, but it wasn't totally crammed either, the only real problem was parking which is at a premium in Piran but with the bikes we brought with us we have been able to circumvent this little issue, and Nailz likes the runabouts he is getting!
3rd September
Piran, Portoroz and Lucija
We wanted to explore Piran more today so got up and started to cycle the 6km from Lucija to Piran but stopped at the town of Portoroz which sits directly between the two. We came across a little "beach" - basically some grass with a concrete waterfront - and decided that we should soak up the sun a little and spend the day relaxing and snorkelling.
In the evening we again went into Piran, where we found a sea food stall on the pier and managed to "sample" two free glasses of the local wine - from Koper - which was delicious (and not just because it was free!), before wandering Round the rest of the city which is crammed full of Venetian-Gothic style architecture. The name Piran is thought to have come from the Greek word for Fire (pyr) as fires were lit at the tip of the peninsula to guide ships into the nearby port Aegida, now known as Koper.
There are some spectacular views from the ruins of the city walls which are preserved as part of Slovenia's man-made heritage, and more views are available from the Cathedral of St George which is also very attractive inside. In the main square stands the impressive Venetian House and in front of this, is a statue to Violinist Giuseppe Tartini. Finally there is the Punta, the tip of Piran, which used to house the old lighthouse, although this has long been replaced with a modern equivalent. However the 18th Century Church of St Clement sits right next to it and creates a wonderful vista across the sea. There were lots of free entertainment and events on here too, such as Acrylic / painting demonstrations, rock sculpting classes (lead by a British woman) and more.
On the way back to the van we had a flat tire which meant we had a long walk in front of us. There was a silver lining though, as by walking we noticed a Dive Centre that we had previously cycled past three times so we popped in and had a chat with the friendly folks at Nemo Divers and arranged a dive for the next day - result!
Again we stayed in Lucija as we had scoped the place really well by now and got an early night to be ready for diving next day...
Skocjan Caves
I was awoken to the sounds of a jubilant Rachel preparing breakfast. She was in a great mood not only because today we were going to the caves, but also because she had been out foraging whilst I lay in bed and had retrieved some blackberries to put in our cereal. They were a very tasty treat and a great start to the day.
The Skocjan Caves were quite simply amazing. Massive caverns underground filled with elaborately sculptured Stalactites and Stalagmites in all kinds of crazy shapes and sizes from the minuscule to ones so big you almost missed them. We traveled deep underground and followed a similar path to the original explorers (we were quite a few feet above however as the underground chambers can fill up at an alarming rate. Further on into the cave complex and way beyond the tourist trail there is a narrowing of the caves which restricts the flow of the underground river and consequently fills the huge lower chambers of the cave system in a matter of days) and the sheer scale of the complex was just incredible. Our guide also highlighted numerous types of formations of calcite and explained their formation. We exited the caves through the same tunnel the river uses to begin it's journey beneath the surface. It's a magical place not only where the river disappears underground, but as a consequence of the microclimates created both specialised Alpine and Mediterranean flora exist within metres of each other.
Outside of the caves we were treated to a number of smaller museums which were cottages, outhouses and other buildings which had been renovated by the locals to provide room for the exhibits of local life down the ages, explanations of the river system and maps showing where the river Reka finally came to the surface and joined the Adriatic to the north of Trieste. Two guides Boris and Matej were on hand to provide further insight, not only about the area and caves (of which they were extremely knowledgeable) but also we had a good chat about life in general! They were both really good fun - big thanks to them!
Trieste and Koper
In line with our day so far we followed the expected course of the Reka to Trieste (as most of it is underground much of it has not been explored so far and is guesswork). When we got to the Italian sea-side town we were freaked out a bit. We had enjoyed inland Slovenia so much with it's picturesque mountains and villages, but to find ourselves in the middle of the bustling port and seaside resort of Trieste was a real shock to the system. Our initial excitement at seeing the sea quickly changed to a desire to follow the coastal road out of the town and down to Koper, back in Slovene territory.
Koper was also quite busy but nothing on the same scale as Trieste and we were able to park after a bit of to-ing and fro-ing so we could explore on foot. Our stay was quite brief but we managed to see the Church of the Assumption and the 15th Century City Tower which dominates the main square. Adjacent to this is the Praetorian Palace which now houses the town hall and tourist info centre. We also stumbled across the oldest building in the city, the Rotunda of St John the Baptist which dates from the 12th Centutry.
Piran
We ended the day with a little stroll into Piran after finding a rare parking space and were treated to a spectacular sunset, which looked more like a inferno in the sky and was a nice end to the day.
Piran itself is mental for parking we stayed in a car park about 6Km away in the town of Lucija which is like a small extension of Piran, but much less hectic. We were told Piran and the area was bedlam in summer but as we had arrived in September we thought it may be quiet. It wasn't, but it wasn't totally crammed either, the only real problem was parking which is at a premium in Piran but with the bikes we brought with us we have been able to circumvent this little issue, and Nailz likes the runabouts he is getting!
3rd September
Piran, Portoroz and Lucija
We wanted to explore Piran more today so got up and started to cycle the 6km from Lucija to Piran but stopped at the town of Portoroz which sits directly between the two. We came across a little "beach" - basically some grass with a concrete waterfront - and decided that we should soak up the sun a little and spend the day relaxing and snorkelling.
In the evening we again went into Piran, where we found a sea food stall on the pier and managed to "sample" two free glasses of the local wine - from Koper - which was delicious (and not just because it was free!), before wandering Round the rest of the city which is crammed full of Venetian-Gothic style architecture. The name Piran is thought to have come from the Greek word for Fire (pyr) as fires were lit at the tip of the peninsula to guide ships into the nearby port Aegida, now known as Koper.
There are some spectacular views from the ruins of the city walls which are preserved as part of Slovenia's man-made heritage, and more views are available from the Cathedral of St George which is also very attractive inside. In the main square stands the impressive Venetian House and in front of this, is a statue to Violinist Giuseppe Tartini. Finally there is the Punta, the tip of Piran, which used to house the old lighthouse, although this has long been replaced with a modern equivalent. However the 18th Century Church of St Clement sits right next to it and creates a wonderful vista across the sea. There were lots of free entertainment and events on here too, such as Acrylic / painting demonstrations, rock sculpting classes (lead by a British woman) and more.
On the way back to the van we had a flat tire which meant we had a long walk in front of us. There was a silver lining though, as by walking we noticed a Dive Centre that we had previously cycled past three times so we popped in and had a chat with the friendly folks at Nemo Divers and arranged a dive for the next day - result!
Again we stayed in Lucija as we had scoped the place really well by now and got an early night to be ready for diving next day...
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