TR Crew Unwinds with Liberty in Slovenia
Navy NewStand
Story Number: NNS030429-15
Release Date: 5/1/2003 8:26:00 AM
From USS Theodore Roosevelt Public Affairs
ABOARD USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT, At Sea (NNS) -- USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) Sailors took a break from supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom with a liberty port in the quaint port of Koper, Slovenia.
After more than a month of sending war planes screaming off the deck of America's "Big Stick" to complete strike missions and contribute to the downfall of Baghdad, the sound of "liberty call, liberty call" was a welcome sound in TR Sailors' ears.
The main port in a former-Yugoslavian republic, Koper is nestled between rolling mountains in the northern Adriatic, easy driving distance from dozens of favorite European vacation spots, and steeped in "old world" traditions. The small town is the major port in the republic's 40-mile coastline. Commercial ships moved in and out of the port throughout the five-day port call.
Many Sailors were happy just to take the ship's free liberty bus route to nearby Portoroz, perhaps the best-kept secret of the port call. The resort, along a two-mile stretch of Adriatic shoreline, had more than a dozen hotels with bargain-priced souvenir shops, as well as a casino.
Others were happy just to get off the ship and get a break from its recently completed support of Operation Iraqi Freedom by mingling with the locals in the cozy confines of Koper's downtown.
For the more adventurous TR Sailors, ship's Morale, Welfare and Recreation arranged 28 different tours to take Sailors on well-earned trips to destinations such as Vienna and Salzburg, Austria; Trieste, Vicenza, Aviano and Venice, Italy; and ski trips into the southern reaches of the nearby Alps.
Sailors who went to Venice were treated to a boat ride to historic San Marco's Square, and given a tour and glass blowing demonstration at a factory showroom for world-famous Murano Glass.
"Venice is a definite must," said Personnelman 1st Class Celeste McKinney. "Visiting the glass factory and watching them blow glass was amazing."
Once praised by Napoleon as the most beautiful place in Europe, San Marcos' Renaissance-era arches cover some of Venice's more elegant shops and historic cafes.
Since the city allows no cars, getting around is either on foot, or by water -- either by traditional gondola, modern water taxi or boat "buses."
Other Sailors elected to visit the china factories of Nove, Italy. Clay from the soil around the city is the secret to some of the finest china available anywhere.
Nearly 100 china factories around the city produce dishes, cups, serving dishes and decorative china for retailers in the best stores around the world. The same factories were offering huge discounts by buying direct from the manufacturer.
"If this isn't a shopper's paradise, I don't know what is," said Legalman 1st Class Shannon Minixpryor.
"I got a lot of colorful china to send back home," said Dental Technician 2nd Class Beatrice Osei, who sent four huge boxes of china back home to enjoy later.
Another one of the tours went to the Lippizanner Stallion farm in Lipica, Slovenia, and continued to a nearby castle on and in the granite mountain. Both attractions date to medieval days. The final stop on this tour was the caves near Lipica, one of which had a 60-foot ceiling.
"You could park the ship in here!" exclaimed Aviation Ordnanceman 2nd Class Robert Waldron.
If TR Sailors felt like "parking" a bit closer to the ship, nearby Trieste offered big town attractions about 30 minutes from the ship.
Sailors on this tour checked out a Hapsburg-era (early 19th century) castle, admiring the botanical gardens and the picturesque coastline of the northern Adriatic.
After lunch in the center of town, the tour group visited Roman ruins, checked out two churches and even went to the Trieste stock exchange. A shopping spree guaranteed that Sailors would have a chance to pick up a few souvenirs after sampling the local culture.
TR's Sailors will not soon forget the local flavor of Koper, nor this memorable break from an historic wartime cruise for America's Big Stick.
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