Adriatic Sea

 Trieste, Italy
We checked into a beautiful hotel and took a short orientation walk around the hotel that is right on the Adriatic Sea. The restaurants don't open until 7pm!!! So we had to have some famous Italian gelato (better than our ice cream) to hold us over until dinner!!! And of course, it did the job!!!

Doug and Beverly (to be continued) 

Postojna Cave 4

 The caves have the typical stalagmites, stalactites, and formations called curtains or draperies that look like folded curtains. The pictures will show you what we saw without too much of an explanation.

The bus then took us on down the road, more south and west to Trieste, Italy; right across the border from Slovenia.

Doug and Beverly (to be continued) 

Postojna Cave 4

 The cave houses the world's only underground post office.

The caves are also home to the endemic olm or proteus, the largest troglodytic amphibian in the world. In English, it is an aquatic salamander; the only cave-dwelling species found in Europe. It eats, sleeps, and breeds under water. It is also called the "human fish" because of its fleshy skin color. It is 8 to 12 inches long.

Doug and Beverly (to be continued) 

Postojna Cave 3

During World War II, German occupying forces used the cave to store nearly 1000 barrels of aircraft fuel, which were destroyed in April 1944 by Slovene Partisans. The fire burned for seven days, destroying a large section of the cave and blackening the entrance.

After 1945, the gas locomotive was replaced by an electric one. About 3.3 miles of the cave system are open to the public.

Doug and Beverly (to be continued) 

Postojna Cave 2

In the 1850s, the Austrian-Czech geographer Adolf Schmidl published the first comprehensive scientific overview of the Postojna caves. In 1872, cave rails were laid for the first cave train for tourists. They first used a gas locomotive.

During World War I, Russian prisoners of war were forced to construct a bridge across a large chasm inside the cave.

Doug and Beverly (to be continued) 

Postojna Cave

We left Ljubljana this morning and took a bus ride to southwestern Slovenia to visit the Postojna Cave.

This cave is the second-longest cave system in the country. The caves were created by the Pivka River. It was first described in the 17th century. In 1818, when the cave was being prepared for a visit by Francis I, the first Emperor of the Austria-Hungary empire, a new area of the cave was discovered accidentally by a local man. 

Doug and Beverly (to be continued) 

Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia

 Visit charming Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, considered to be one of the most fascinating European cities. 

 Ljubljana, the capital and largest city in Slovenia, is the cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center of the country. It is renowned for its rich history, reflected in the unique architectural heritage. 

 Its old town center is embraced by Ljubljana Castle and the river Ljubljanica where the feeling of the city is the strongest. 

On your trip, you will encounter ancient and modern architecture. 

You will visit the old town center where you will admire the works of the famous Slovene architect Jože Plečnik, who took an important part in designing the Ljubljana’s most famous bridges, town squares and parks. In a little more than three decades, Jože Plečnik transformed Ljubljana from a provincial city to the capital of the Slovene nation and reshaped the urban part of the city. We will visit the Triple Bridge, the University library, the Covered Market buildings, Križanke theater, and the Cobblers' bridge. 

 You will take a walking tour of the historical city centre during which you will be immersed in the history and stories behind Ljubljana's major sights, you will visit some of the most interesting buildings and monuments, such as the Ljubljana Town Hall, the Triple Bridge, the Shoemakers’ Bridge, Ljubljana Cathedral, the Robba Fountain, Prešeren Square, Congress Square and other attractions.  

 The symbol of the city is the Ljubljana Dragon. It is depicted on the top of the tower of Ljubljana Castle and on the Ljubljanica-crossing Dragon Bridge. It symbolizes power, courage and greatness. You will hear many hilarious legends about the dragons. 

If you decide for a 3hr tour: 
 At the end of your tour, you will reach the Castle Hill on foot, or by using a funicular railway (6 EUR) and you will visit the medieval Ljubljana Castle where you will enjoy the magnificent view of the entire region. 
 Ljubljana is a modern capital, but at the same time it offers the friendly and relaxed atmosphere of a small town. It is truly a vibrant city full of surprises.

 

Ljubljana by Josh

 Many of the buildings of the old town were from centuries ago but the earthquake of 1895 destroyed most of them. So the current buildings are 19th century; some even have the date of 1903 on them; note the canopy of wrought iron and glass; first of its kind here.

 In the old town square is a statue of Preseren. He is the national poet. The muse that is with him is a real lady whom he loved; but he never told her. So most of his poetry is about unrequited love.

Dragon Bridge.

 Ljubljana is the capitol of Slovenia. Its patron saint is Saint George. The legend of Saint George and the Dragon describes the saint taming and slaying a dragon that demanded human sacrifices; the saint thereby rescues the princess chosen as the next offering. So he slew the dragon of Lujbljana (the "j's" are silent). You will see pictures of the dragons on the four corners of the Dragon Bridge. 

Josh

Ljubljana castle is free of charge

 I would just like to correct you about a few things 😀. The Ljubljana castle is free of charge, you can enter for free. But once you are inside you can pay extra if you want to climb the tower or see an exhibition.   You wrote "public transportation in Ljubljana is free". May I ask where you got this information? As a resident of Ljubljana I do wish it was free 😀. But the city bus costs 1.20€ for 90min.

Anyway happy to hear you had a good time 💚. Natasha

lake Bohinj is just as beautiful as Lake Bled

 We loved Slovenia. Its our favourite country in Europe. We are a travel family and found that it had so much to offer kids as well. There is an awesome Optical Illusion Museum in Ljubljana for kids and other than the stunning scenery; my daughter also loved visiting the Lipizan Horses in Lipica. I hear lake Bohinj is just as beautiful as Lake Bled, but not as touristy. We will definitely be going back. Thanks for the tips. Rosina Dimech

Arboretum 13

 

Arboretum 12

 

Arboretum 9

 

Arboretum 7

 

Predjama 665

 

Predjama 660

 

Predjama 659

 

Predjama

 

Before you book your trip: Europe Air Travel

 Another great thing about traveling in Europe is airfare is so much cheaper than in North America. Our favorite sites to book flight are: Kayak, Kiwi, eDreams, Skyscanner.

It’s so easy to use and we found some our cheapest flights using their “Show Whole Month” feature, where you can select your route and it tells you the cheapest days of the month to fly.

Before you book your trip: European Train Travel

 How are you traveling around Eastern Europe? One way to travel around Europe is by train and the best way to save money on trains is to buy InterRail/ Eurail Pass.

Now to be honest, we didn’t take any trains in Slovenia because the buses and ride-sharing were cheaper. However, if you are traveling to multiple countries fairly quickly or traveling to Western Europe, purchasing a train pass might be your cheapest bet. 

Before you book your trip, think about this:

 Travel Insurance

We never travel without travel insurance. It’s never fun to think about losing your stuff or the possibility of a delayed flight, missing a connection, or heaven forbid you get injured while traveling. It’s best to know that you’ll be covered if anything goes wrong.

(to be continued) 

Items to Pack for Traveling in Slovenia

 7.         eBook Reader  - Download all your travel guidebooks onto your Kindle. You no longer have to carry around heavy books that take up space in your bag, and the Paperwhite verison lights up in the dark.

8.         Collapsible Cups - If you’re like us, you will be drinking wine in Europe and these come in handy for picnic lunches.

9.         Solid Shampoo bar - No more worrying about liquid limits. One all-natural bar will last me up to 3 months and they smell great!