Slovenia

Hello everyone

The Skocjan Caves were fantastic. A short walk led us to an artificial entrance where we descended into the ‘Silent Cave’ where the temperature is a constant 12°C. Next was the ‘Murmuring Cave’ – so called because you can hear the River Reka running through it - said to be the world’s largest subterranean canyon at 300m long, 60m wide and 100m high.

We’d had constant rain for the previous few days so the river was thundering through – it usually flows at 6m³ per second, but on that day it was flowing at over 200m³ per second. Crossing the narrow 45m high Cerkvenic Bridge was truly magnificent, but unfortunately, no photos allowed in here.

 

A short drive away was Predjama Castle, amazingly built into the rocky cave half way up a 123m high vertical cliff in the 16^th century, although an earlier building dates back to the 12^th century. We took a tour of the castle – set over 6 floors the dungeons and stables are housed below, and on the top floor is a passage leading back deep into the cave system. There are miles more of cave systems below the castle, but closed over the winter so the hibernating bats are undisturbed.

 

 

 

Next, we visited Ljubljana. This is a lovely capital city, and with a population of 280,000, it is small but very welcoming. Its castle is perched on a hill with great views of the city, including the cathedral and triple bridge over the river. We spent a couple of days here living city life before heading for the Triglav National Park – sadly a brief visit due to the constant rain.

 

The small town of Bled near the Austrian border is incredibly picturesque, with its church on an island on the lake – an image often used by the Slovene tourist board. A walk around the lake took us 1 ^1/2 hours, and it was blissful to enjoy the sights without all the summer tourists!

 

After a drive through the beautiful Soca Valley, we headed north skipping across the Austrian and Italian borders and are now in the Dolomites. These mountain drives have offered spectacular scenery with the trees in their autumn colours, and there’s a sprinkling of snow high on the summits. We're currently on a camperstop in Covara - how’s that for a view!

 

Will post again soon - love to all