HAPPY HOLIDAYS - LET'S GET READY FOR SLOVENIA 2013!!

With the year slowly turning to 2013, I took a trip to Slovenia to look at the city of Koper - where Finland will be based for the Group Stages of EuroBasket 2013. To be honest, the trip itself was to cover some Adriatic League basketball in Ljubljana.. so this is just a little extra for the Finnish basketball fans (and maybe some others who are interested).

City of Koper is situated about an hours drive from Ljubljana, by the sea - the Arena itself (does NOT look like an Arena from the road-side!!) is perhaps a 5-10 minute walk from the beach promenade and we were lucky enough to get inside during the visit. So here is my little thoughts on the place.. after few hours spent there.

Hotels/Accommodation : From looking at the maps, it looks like the town only has about 3 or 4 hotels, which might already be booked out. But there is a wide selection of 'private accommodation' available as well, so it might be worth your time to look at that option as well. All the hotels in the town are well with-in walking distance from the Arena.

MEMORIES FROM LITHUANIA - AND LOOKING FORWARD TO SLOVENIA 2013 (with a laugh or two on the way ;-)

MUISTOJA LIETTUASTA - JA KATSE ETEENPAIN KOHTI SLOVENIAA 2013 (pari naurun-patkaa mukana :-)

Slovenia2013

With-in short driving distance from Koper, you have more choices of accommodation - with beach resorts dotted around the coast. And you might even consider staying on the Italian side in Trieste.. regular buses connect the two cities and it won't cost you too much (just check that the last bus leaves after the game is over!).

Looking at the Hotel situation, it looks similar to Alytus in Lithuania for the teams - which means that the team hotels will be out of town (but I can't say this for sure.. just a feeling).

Bars/Restaurants : It was mid-December during the visit, so a sea-side town is not at its most liveliest at that time of the year, few restaurants dotted around the sea front, serving Pizza's and fresh seafood and at least during my brief visit the prices were MUCH cheaper than in Ljubljana. For the basketball fans, beer might be something you want to drink, and I think it was about 60-80 cents cheaper in Koper than in Ljubljana.. so good for you :-)

There is also couple of walking streets from the sea side to the Tito Square in town, where you find the Tourist Information Office and few more cafes/restaurants.

Pizza 33 outside Koper has a bit of Slovenian basketball connection.. ;-)

Beaches : There is a small 'The City Beach of Koper' on the North side of the town, but from the looks of it - the main beaches are outside of the town.

Arena : the Bonifika Arena, part of a sports complex just outside the center of town, it looks 'cozy' enough to hold the Group Stages of EuroBasket - although for the 'big' games of Turkey vs Greece... they could possibly sell another 5000 tickets. On the video you will see footage from inside the venue to give you a better idea what it will be like. There will be a clear separation between the 'upper stands' and then the lower stands that will be pulled out.

From the brief visit, I HOPE that the organizers will place the 'fan park/zone' somewhere near the sea front - there is a spacious parking area and the promenade.. that looks like a perfect place for it.

All in all - from my point of view after the brief visit, fans will enjoy their time in Koper, it is small enough to be 'cozy' - but there are enough places to eat/drink/relax in between the games. In choices of places to eat.. more than Alytus in Lithuania! Traveling to Koper, flights might be cheaper to Trieste in Italy, and the transfer time will also be quicker than from Ljubljana in Slovenia - but either is a decent choice in my view. Unless you NEED to stay in Koper, why not hire a car and look at the Hotels outside of the town centre.. you might even get a beach at your hotel.

This post was possibly even more about the video, with few memories from Lithuania and EuroBasket 2011 - and looking forward to EuroBasket 2013, and maybe even learning few words in Slovenian!!