Saturday 3rd November 2007

Well, I spoke too early – at some time after 02:00 we were both wide awake and listening to rock music. Annoyingly, I didn't recognise any of the numbers but at 03:00 they finished the final encore and all was quiet.
Time to say goodbye to Croatia after more than three weeks. We would definitely like to return during the early or late summer season but not in July or August.
Just one last Croatian site to visit – Nesactium. It was better signposted than Asseria in that the signs took you to the site and there was no danger of land mines! The site was in very good condition and had a custodian who was based in a small building that also housed a small exhibition about the site and included a very small number of finds. Excavations are still being carried out and there was a pile of pillars, blocks and carved stone that had been unearthed this year. The site is huge and, despite the huge number of finds already unearthed, there must still be much left to be discovered. It was possible to see both both remains of the prehistoric hill fort (occupied throughout the Bronze Age and possibly before) and the Roman fortified town. The guide to the site that we had bought in Pula was invaluable – it would have been very difficult to understand the layout without it as there were no explanatory signs.
The Romans lay siege to the Histrian hill fort and conquered it in 117 BC. The Histrian king Epulon killed himself as the Romans entered the city in order not to be taken alive. The Romans then simply used the Histrian defensive walls as the basis of their own, following exactly the same line around the edge of the hill. The Romans chose a different place for their entrance and both entrances can still be seen. The remains of two Roman baths (a small one for women and a large one for men) can be seen together with two early Christian churches, three temple sites, the forum and a number of residential houses. The Romans left the Histrian necropolis (just inside the walls) virtually untouched and its mounds rise above the Roman remains. It was from here and the Roman necropolis just outside the entrance that many of the finest artifacts were found.
On then to Slovenia. We took the slow but beautiful coast road to the outskirts of Rijeka and then the minor road north into Slovenia at Rupa. The journey through Slovenia to Postojna was delightful with deep brown, red and golden colours of the autumnal trees. We could see that dusk was rapidly approaching by this time, so we chose the motorway for the last part of the journey to Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia.
Our campsite ('Ljubljana Resort') was on the northern side of Ljubljana and had easy access into the city centre by bus. We spent the evening reading our guidebook and the very helpful 'Ljubljana Tourist Guide' provided by the campsite. Tomorrow was to be the city visit.
Photos: Nesactium – Foundations of 3 Roman Temples with Histrian necropolis in the background; Jane leaving Nesactium church – she was the only member of the congregation and the priest didn't turn up; And for all of you Roman aficionados, a Roman stone drain cover!