Larry and I took a trip around the tip of the Adriatic peninsula to visit Izola. Izola very similar to Piran, just slightly more populated and with a lot of commercial fisherman. As such the harbor is full of fishing vessels. Larry fondly remembers a trip to Izola while on his mission, when he jumped out of the bus and raced the other missionaries for a view of the Adriatic. Much like Piran, it’s also a beautiful, ancient, highly photogenic town. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.
Izola from a distanceTown of IzolaThe imaginative names of these old commercial fishing boats: Fish I and Fish IIA couple of guys going out for some late afternoon fishingLarry and I loved this: the wives on one bench, the husbands on the other, sitting along the water shooting the breezeAlong the shorelineSome of the colorful homes in the townFuzzy little kitty jealously guarding her domain in the warm afternoon breezeTown elder enjoying the last sunshine for the dayWalking through the townPretty sunset across the harbor
Slovenija has beautiful overland scenery – but the beauty does not end there. In addition, Slovenija has beautiful underground scenery as well, in the form of some massive cave systems, including the largest in all of Europe. Larry and I visited one of them, Postojna, on our honeymoon, which was also a spot that Larry had visited on a P-day during his mission. However amazing Postojna is, it frankly is outdone in size and stunning beauty by the caves at Škocjan, a network of 12 large caves (the largest underground system in Europe) which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We came well dressed for a hike, as Škocjanske requires quite a bit of walking, both up and down (as opposed to the little 7-dwarves train you ride at Postojna). The tour of the cave is 2 or more hours long and requires you climb or descend about 500 steps, some of which are quite steep and slippery. The entrance to the cave was about 1/2 km hike downhill from the visitors center, at which point we were separated into groups based on our language, and then each group began its tour after an appropriate interval from the one before it. The English/Italian group was last, which was fortunate for Larry’s stealth picture taking aspirations. (Pictures, even without flash, were ‘officially’ verboten: many of these places forbid pictures so they can try to sell you a postcard or a book instead. It’s lame).
The River Reka (“Reka” in Slovene means river, so I guess it’s the River River) runs through Škocjanske, and contains the famous Proteus aguinus, or human fish. If you haven’t seen a picture of these guys click on the hyperlink in the previous sentence. You’re in for a treat. Undiscovered by the scientific world until the 19th century, it was previously believed by locals to be a baby dragon! Named the human fish because the color of their skin is very close to caucasian human, these fish live their entire lives in the underground portions of rivers (they exist in the Postojna cave as well) and literally have no eyes. Instead they have extremely developed electro-, chemo-, and mechano-receptors and use these highly sensitive qualities to detect prey, to navigate, to reproduce, etc. We had a chance to view one on our tour of Postojna a few years ago. Fascinating.
The stalgmites and stalactites absolutely amazing in Škocjan, much like I remember from Postojna, but the most awe-inspiring site was yet to come. A grand hall 150 meters (~300 feet) high with the River Reka running below, and a narrow bridge carrying us from one side to the other. This is a place where you hang onto the railing. But it makes for stunning pictures!
Map of the cave systemInside the first small cavernEnormous stalagmite formationCurtain formations along the wallIf you look closely you can see me at the bottom right of this picture, which gives you some idea of scaleOne of the medium-sized cavernsAnd here is the large cavern! At the very bottom, if you look waaaay down, you will see the River RekaA look along the large cavernMe crossing the bridge across that huge chasmLooking back at the path we've just takenIt's a tree!Where's Lisa?These formations actually remind me of Mammoth Hot Springs at YellowstoneDaylight!We made it through!
Just a few minutes south of Piran along the short coastline of Slovenija is Portoroz. Portoroz is a more modern, built-up town full of higher-end shops, casinos, palm trees, restaurants, and a boardwalk. Truly it feels like a miniaturized version of Nice or Cannes. Larry and I spent an evening there recently where I finally got to dip my toes into the Adriatic water. It’s very quiet now that the high season is over, and it was extremely peaceful as we walked along the water. We had a great dinner at a waterside restaurant where we were quickly befriended by an enterprising tabby who helped us finish our calamari. We can never say no to cute little furry creatures.
Dipping my toes in the AdriaticOur dinner companion
Just a short drive from Piran is an area where they have been harvesting salt from the sea for hundreds of years. Called simply Soline, which literally means ‘salt fields’, they are now no longer used as much as they once were, which leaves them with a bit of a haunted, deserted air. To be clear, they do still harvest salt at Soline using the same techniques that were used in the 14th century. And the salt harvested from Soline is highly prized by many of Europe’s top chefs, including Alain Ducasse. The salt harvested is put into simple small canvas bags and sold at the Piranske Soline shops in Piran and Old Town Ljubljana. Of course I had to have some for my collection, so we will be coming home with some of that prized salt ourselves.
The three Majas were kind enough to drive out from Ljubljana to visit us, so we made the trip to Soline together. Everyone brought their cameras (except me *sob* (see post on Barcelona vermin)). We had a great time exploring and taking photos. The sun cooperated and gave us some beautiful light and a stunning sunset. I can’t wait to get some of these photos home and frame them!
Walking out to the salt fieldsBirds at SolineSomehow this makes me think of the Seven Dwarves. The hills in the background belong to Croatia.Abandoned stone house along the salt pansThe sunset gave us amazing lightThis one's going up on the wall when we get home!Beautiful golden hour light on a deserted stone cottageAncient canalThe Three Majas, aka The Pink LadiesSoline portraitAnd the sun goes downBeautiful sunsetGood night, sun
On our honeymoon, Larry and I went on a day trip to the coast – all 20 kilometers of it. Slovenija unfortunately does not have much coastline owing to the fact that Italy and Croatia took most of it for themselves. Don’t even get Slovenes started on Croatia – they’re not happy about Croatia stealing all the coastline, in addition to the fact that they’re in a battle right now over access to the open sea. At any rate, the modest coastline that Slovenija does hold along the Adriatic is picturesque and charming and . . . a little bit Italian. The town we will be spending two weeks in is Piran – first settled by the Venetians several hundred years ago and as such, the city looks more like Italy to me than it does Slovenija. Even today, you can see Trieste, the nearest major Italian port city, in the distance from the rooftops of Piran. The residents even speak with an Italian accent here – and I can tell that though I don’t speak the language!
Tartini Square at the center of PiranTartini Square is named for the famous violinist, Giuseppe Tartini, who was born in PiranTartini Square is also the place where all the mothers bring their young children to play in the eveningsCindyLou Who riding her pink scooter at Tartini Square
On our day trip a few years ago, we spent a few hours in Piran and vowed to come back – so here we are. We’ve got a tiny apartment for the next two weeks in the middle of this tiny little ancient town. The streets are so narrow you can’t imagine anyone driving a car down them – until you see someone doing it. Yet another reason the European auto market is full of much smaller cars.
Narrow Piran streetsPiran streetsOld friends going to the square
One secret about Slovenija is that it has amazing calamari. Larry always told me this and I had a hard time believing him until we visited and I tried for myself. Seriously – it’s amazing. It bears no resemblance whatsoever to the rubbery, over-coated stuff you get in the states. And being a seacoast town, Larry and I immediately headed to one of the waterfront restaurants where we had some for lunch. I can’t get enough of this stuff!!!
Calamari!
Though it is late September, the air on the coast is still warm and the water temperature is still 73 degrees. There are still plenty of people swimming!
Walking along the ancient city walls which follow the coastlineThe harbor at sunsetLooking down on the peninsula from the medieval town fortifications
