The Viking Star docked in the port of Koper, Slovenia at about 7 am. Koper is the only seaport for the country of Slovenia, which gained its independence from Yugoslavia only in 1991. It is now a member of the European Union.
After breakfast, we joined a walking tour of the old city of Koper, led by a really excellent guide. Sonja had grown up working in the salt harvesting beds which was the principal industry for Koper from ancient times. It was the salt which attracted the attention of the Venetian merchants and led to a Venetian presence in Koper for 500 years. Several buildings in the town square bear Venetian architectural influences and are adorned with the Lion of St. Mark.
(Fun fact: when the representation of the Lion of St. Mark - representing Venice - is accompanied by an open book, it means peaceful occupation. If the representation is with a closed book, it represents conquest.)
Sonja's tales of helping to harvest the evaporated salt, living conditions under the autocratic rule of first the Germans, then Yugoslavia, changes brought about by the country's independence, and her grandmother's wisdom gave life to what could have been a boring walk-about. We loved it.
We returned to the ship for lunch, then ventured out again to see more of what we missed the first time, including some of the city's parks with citizens enjoying the beautiful Fall weather. It had an almost bucolic, peaceful feel.
After breakfast, we joined a walking tour of the old city of Koper, led by a really excellent guide. Sonja had grown up working in the salt harvesting beds which was the principal industry for Koper from ancient times. It was the salt which attracted the attention of the Venetian merchants and led to a Venetian presence in Koper for 500 years. Several buildings in the town square bear Venetian architectural influences and are adorned with the Lion of St. Mark.
(Fun fact: when the representation of the Lion of St. Mark - representing Venice - is accompanied by an open book, it means peaceful occupation. If the representation is with a closed book, it represents conquest.)
Sonja's tales of helping to harvest the evaporated salt, living conditions under the autocratic rule of first the Germans, then Yugoslavia, changes brought about by the country's independence, and her grandmother's wisdom gave life to what could have been a boring walk-about. We loved it.
We returned to the ship for lunch, then ventured out again to see more of what we missed the first time, including some of the city's parks with citizens enjoying the beautiful Fall weather. It had an almost bucolic, peaceful feel.
After another excellent meal - crab cakes, Beef Wellington and chocolate souffle shared with our friends Jeanne and Leo, we took in the Captain's welcome and returned to our room, grateful for a most enjoyable day.
Tomorrow we visit Zadar, Croatia - another city with strong ties to ancient Venice. More to come
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