By the time we were actually on the road it was closer to nine. We made it into Slovenia in less than two hours. I was pretty excited because this is country #15 for me, the farthest east I've been in Europe, and the first Slavic country. We entered the country and first thing we had to buy a seven day pass (that was the lowest they had) to drive on the highway for about fifteen euro.
The countryside was really pretty and I could tell would be even prettier in the spring and summer. From the distance I could see some of the steeples rising up from churches or other buildings and they had a slightly rounded onion bulb type shape which is different than other places I've seen. It did have a similar feel overall to the Alpine villages I've been in though, which I loved.
We found the Postojnska Jama (cave) fairly easily since this cave is the largest in Slovenia and it is one of their main tourist attractions. I was a little nervous to go in the cave because it's deep and I don't like the idea of tunnels or being in places that I can't escape easily. Still, I know this is easier than heights for me, so I wanted to do it.
It was cold outside and there was some remnants of snow on the ground. A lazy river ran by the walkway and some ducks floated upstream. We bought our tickets but still had close to an hour so we went to get a snack in the restaurant. I chose a cheesy pastry that was this light flaky tube of dough with some kind of cheese mix - similar to ricotta and mozarella through the center of it, but it was curved like a zig zag. The flaky pastry dough is so good here!
We walked to the entrance of the cave and there were vendors set up all over. They were selling a lot of honey products, some beautifully decorated cookies that also had a strong honey flavor, lace products amongst some of the items. There were so many people that when the time came to show our tickets and board the mining type cart/train people crowded in tightly. There doesn't seem to be any sense of personal space.
We sat on these benches made of wooden slats and metal on a platform connected to each other like cars on a train and it road on tracks down into the cave. The seats were wet, which once we got in and saw the cave, it made sense. Shortly after the train began moving, we entered a cavern that had the hanging stalactites and growing stalagmites. It was a fairly surreal scene - we commented on how we felt like we could be in Disneyland or Knott's. The cool part was that this was real! It also felt like we were in Lord of the Rings walking in with the dwarves and we should expect Gollum at any moment.
The train went at a fairly good pace about 3 kilometers or so into the cave. They had lights placed just right to illuminate the formations so beautifully. In one room, which I later heard referred to as the Ball Room, was hanging a chandelier and other fancy light fixtures. I don't think the guide was joking when he said they have dances down there. The ride in was better than most theme park rides - maybe not as adrenaline rushing but visually stunning.
We disembarked from the train and gathered around the sign that read "English" since we would met our guide there (there were multiple language signs posted around the area and audio guides for those with languages that had not live guide). We waited for a few minutes as people gathered and then started down the man-made path through the cave.
Everything was wet, since we learned that what happens is the rain seeps through the mountain and then drips into the cave leaving calcium carbonate to create the formations. Everything looked slimy, but if you touched it, it wasn't. It felt like a wet rock but not a slimy one.
The colors were pretty in mostly oranges and browns but every now and then there would be a stalactite that sparkled like it had glitter all over it. This of course made me think of the Seven Dwarves mining diamonds. There were different "rooms" as well. One was called the spaghetti room which was because there were thousands of small string like stalactites hanging from the ceiling. There were also curtain stalactites that were thin sheets hanging from the ceiling - I liked those best.
A few times they turned the lights off for us, but they weren't completely off - there were low orange lights in a few places. It is amazing how dark areas became but how a few low lights dispersed throughout the cave kept it lit. The cave was so vast - they said it went about 20 kilometers back. Some of the areas areas were huge and the ceiling soared upward, others were much smaller and of course there were several tunnels we didn't go through.
There were some random fake sheep along the side of the walkway, but then we came upon a baby in a manger. The guide explained that they have a live nativity that happens a few times around Christmas and it would be set up for the next tour. That explained the random fake sheep.
At the end of the tour was a room they called the "concert hall". There was a large Christmas tree with lights set up and here we were allowed to take pictures (although that didn't stop Chris from taking pictures the whole way through). This brought us to the end of the tour and we climbed back on the train and rode out.
We then got back into the car and drove up a curvy road to the Predjamski grad (castle). The little town around the castle was so cute. The rolling hills around were green and barren trees covered the hillside. A large stream ran down in the valley. The castle was set up high among the cliffs built partly in a cave. This castle had the look of a fairy tale medieval castle and the first part of the structure was built in the 1200's (it was added to over the centuries). We walked up to it and started our self-guided tour.
This castle is the best one I've been to (although I haven't been to many) because of the way they used the cave. There were several rooms and five stories. The torture chamber was a cavern in the cave, there were walls created by the cliff and walkways created by the cave. There was a guardroom that had small squares cut out to shoot arrows or cannons out and slats to pour boiling oil. The fifth floor was just a staircase build into the cave to create this huge open space. There were secret passages that would provide an escape if needed. The castle was so well situated that they were able to hold out a siege for a year!
The castle was so cold, I couldn't imagine living there, especially 700 years ago. The lack of lights, the discomfort and lack of conveniences would be really rough! The thought of a castle is romantic, but the reality of a castle would not be so fun.
After the castle we walked down the hillside to the stream and then up through the village. We decided to have dinner at the local restaurant and sat outside (in 30 something degree weather - thank God for my down coat) so we could enjoy the castle and surroundings. I ordered more gnocchi with gorgonzola (the gnocchi here is so good). Chris ordered a steak with mushrooms that was also very tasty.
We loaded back into the car and headed out. After a few wrong turns down a curvy back road we found our way out. I fell asleep but woke up to see the town center which was just so cute! I think I'd love to come back to Slovenia. I didn't stay awake long, and napped much of the drive home until we were about twenty minutes away and we heard a telltale thumping of a flat tire. Andrew and Chris got out and changed it and we were back on our way home.
The boys are relaxing to a Lakers game off the sling box at my house (technology is crazy) and I am doing laundry and writing this. I think today has been my favorite so far!
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Location:Slovenia
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