Koper, Slovenia

“My Homeland, when God created thee, he blessed thee with both Hands and said, Merry People will live here.” –Ivan Cankar, Slovenian poet and writer

 We will be in Koper on Saturday, June 2nd & plan to wander around on our own to discover this charming town.  Wandering around Koper's Old Town, all narrow streets and Venetian-style houses, you could be forgiven that you had indeed crossed the border into Italy. You are as liable to hear Italian spoken as Slovenian, there are Italian signs everywhere, and it’s all a reminder that the border between one country and another has never really mattered all that much in these parts. Always something of a blur, it disappeared forever three years ago when Slovenia joined the Schengen block.

From what I've read, on Saturdays & Sundays during the cruise season a small tourist train will transport you for free every half an hour around the perimeter of old town right from the cruise dock. There is also a narrated hop on/off bus making a loop through Izola, Portoroz and Piran, all three beautiful seaside towns.  The fare is between 15 and 20 Euro.  Check at the port kiosks.  Departure times:  10 am, 11:30 am, 1 pm and 2:45 pm.  The earlier you go, the more time you can spend in each town (about 1.5 hours in each)

 Koper, like all of the Slovenian coast, is blessed with some wonderful fish and seafood restaurants. Look out for Koper style fast food too, Okrepčevalnica bars: small, Italian-style places which serve great food of the primo, secondo piatti variety at lunchtime. You can usually eat very well here for a fraction of the cost of a restaurant.  That being said, I think we may have lunch at Skipper overlooking the marina.  The  reviews are quite good and we will get to try some Slovenia seafood dishes!  Here's  YouTube video of Skipper.  Now that I know where to sample the local cuisine, I am happy!