Koper, Slovenia 6/22/24

 Koper, Slovenia

Koper with a population 25,000, on the Slovenia coast is the fifth largest in Slovenia. It is located in the horseshoe shaped bay in northern Adriatic. It is located only 3 miles from the Italian border and only 12 miles from the port we had just left, Trieste, Italy. That is probably the reason that Italian and Slovene languages are the two official languages of Koper. Not only does Koper border Italy, but it also borders Austria, Hungary and Croatia. Austria’s influence can be seen everywhere, from it’s housing designs, alpine ski resorts and lifestyle. Slovenians like to enjoy the coastal areas during the Summer, where they can do water sports, and then drive up to the surrounding Julian alps during the winter to enjoy snow sports. Slovenians are very fitness oriented and seem to brag a bit about how they are more focused on physical work and activities than drinking and eating like their neighboring countries.

Our tour took us to Lake Bled. Lake Bled is 4,530 ft wide and 6,960 ft long with a maximum depth of 97ft. The lake surrounds Bled Island where the pilgrimage church resides. The church has a 171 ft tower and there is a Baroque stairway dating from 1655 with 99 stone steps leading up to the building.

The traditional transportation to Bled Island is a flat-bottomed wooden boat known as apletna. It is powered by locals, and they do 6 to 7 roundtrips a day.

Lake Bled has clear blue-turquoise water that is similar to Lake Cuomo, much smaller in size but equally enchanting.

This church was on the main island of Lake Bled and you could see the church in the middles of the lake from here.

The two specialties that Slovenians will tell you that you must try are the Carniolan Sausage and the Lake Bled Cream Cake. The Lake Bled custard crème cakes are huge and we each had one. The custard has a wonderful vanilla flavor and whipped cream that tops it is definitely fresh and from a rich cream. The topping is a flaky crust with a dusting of powdered sugar. Absolutely delicious.

A lovely day in Slovenia, and what a pretty country it is. We would definitely come back here and explore,

Tomorrow, Zadar, Croatia, a new port for us.