Praetorian Palace of Koper, Slovenia

Praetorian Palace courtyard at Koper, Slovenia

I found the architecture and design of Koper, Slovenia to be amazing and unique. Above is a well that is in an inner court yard of the Praetorian Palace. More info on the Palace can be found on Wikipedia, follow the link above.

Another architectural detail of the Praetorian Palace

And another architectural detail 

The style is considered Venetian Gothic. It was once part of the Venetican Republic.

Sun motif prevalent thoughout Palace

The sun motif was something I saw throughout the Praetorian Palace at Koper, Slovenia. I took the inside tour, which was not really all that impressive, as only a few rooms were open to the general public. Getting out and about and seeing the town was way more exciting!

Koper, Slovenia: A Delight

Graffiti of Koper

The graffiti of Koper, Slovenia is really at a minimum. I took this shot as I loved the guy in the cap and what it says, "Graffiti is Forever." Actually that is true and graffiti has been around a lot longer than we realize. Roman times had graffiti. I couldn't imagine Italy without it. It is just the way Italians express themselves.

Mostly Koper is filled with narrow cobblestone streets, small wonderful shops, including great bakeries and a market with luscious fruit.

Bakery where I ate a cream puff of some sort

Fruit stands are Koper market

I took a very long walk through Koper. It felt safe and relaxed. I walked from the Praetorian Palace to the waterfront, where I saw the fruit stands and stopped to have a very good cappuccino. Not expensive at all, as well. The people mostly did not speak English, but I was able to get by just fine ... holding out coins like I normally do to pay for my purchase. 

Streets of Koper

Koper was a place that calls my name, and I would love to go back. I felt there was much more to see there. I actually took a tour later on that day to see the Lipica horses. The show was good and the horses were beautiful, but i preferred the town over the horse excursion. I could have lingered there all day, walking along and stopping in shops and just gazing at a way of life so different from my own.

me on the streets of Koper

St. Lawrence Cathedral of Trogir

Portal of St. Lawrence

Closeup of the Lion from the Portal of St. Lawrence

 The Portal of the St. Lawrence Cathedral at medieval Trogir in Croatia has to be one of the most impressive portals I have ever seen. The only one that comes close is the Portal left in Lisbon. I say left as the rest of the Church was destroyed by an earthquake, and the Portal is all that remains. The St. Lawrence Cathedral has a pleasant interior, although quite small. But what remains with me almost a year after I saw it, is the amazing entrance.

More detail of the Portal of St. Lawrence Cathedral

More information can be found on the St. Lawrence Cathedral by clicking this link ... Trogir Cathedral. This information is from Wikipedia. Remember to donate to Wikipedia, if possible, as it is operated solely on donations and I like that. No advertising!

Wonderful gargoyle-inspired creatures

Trogir is an amazing place. It is easy to feel as if you have entered a medieval world while here, and I liked it so much better than Split. 

Little girl from our cruise

One of my favorite shots is of a little girl I photographed throughout the day on our tour of Salona and Trogir. What a beauty! 

I highly recommend Trogir for a truly gargoyle-inspired day!

Palma de Mallorca: Here We Come

Palma de Mallorca Cathedral at night

I am so looking forward to finally visiting Palma de Mallorca. I have been contemplating going there for almost two years. As I mentioned before, I planned to see this wonderful island on my repositioning cruise from Barcelona to Dover in 2011, but now I will get to go there on a western Transatlantic this April. 

Cathedral interior Palma de Mallorca

One of the highlights of this cruise is visiting the La Seu Cathedral. It looks absolutely amazing both inside and out. More information on this wonderful Cathedral can be found here. Thank you, wikipedia! It is built on the site of a pre-existing Arab mosque. I believe gargoyles would be very happy here. It is a wonderful example of many types of architecture, mostly Gothic, and Cathedrals are so spiritual. I love to sit and contemplate a spell.