Ljubljana, 1

Just as Slovenia is a small country, its capital, Ljubljana, is a small city. We were there three days, well, two if you don't count the continuing Balkans monsoon, and really got attached to this place. There is ambiance, complexity, great architecture, history--a small Vienna some say--but not so much you can't get both arms around it all. I took an embarrassing number of pix and have found it difficult to edit them down. The place is lovely. So bear with me. Or skip ahead. Our Balkans campaign has been enlightening at every turn, and Ljubljana was one of the most pleasant of experiences. [Note on pronunciation: just think of the "j" as an "i" and you'll be just fjne.]. Lubliana.

Not that we're that influenced by such things, but the Ljubljana sosta was among
the best--about 2k from the centro storico, electricity, all the amenities, 1.20E
per day, including one free ride on the bus; it's on a very close-in park 'n ride;
more on that later

Big-time socialist realism: a government building in the Tito era, now the Slovenian
parliament

Tito-era office buildings...Isengard and Barad-Dur

More of such; but this isn't what you come to see nor enjoy

The parliament building

Interesting church a block away

Looking to the hill above, Ljubljana Castle; Ljubljana is sometimes compared
with Salzburg, having a river and a castle dominating it all; not so much here;
no Mozart; no Salzburg Festival

Old Main, Ljubljana U

The river, more like the Liffy than the Salzach

Alley scene

Main square church

Statue of Preseren, the national poet, presiding over Preseren
Square; note muse above

Main drag; in a following post, we'll see the amazing art nuvo all around

Preseren square, different view; rain falls incessantly in the center circle (it's
a trick fountain...stay tuned)

Slightly different view of Preseren and his Muse

Extremely helpful bronze model of city #14,439

Another church, Catholic, doors made special for the Pope's
recent visit

Pretty standard

So Austrian looking

Note curvature of street...

Gus Mahler, who did some time here before he was famous

More curvature

We were really into the curvature thing 

So is this Old World or what?

Predjama Castle

Not too far away from Skocjan is the other big cave, Postojna, and near it is yet another sight, Predjama, the castle in the cave. Well, sort of in front of the cave. And it looks more like a monastery than a castle. Be that as it may, it was built by a noted robber baron centuries ago and served as his headquarters until the authorities caught up with him. We arrived in another rainstorm, waited for our chance, saw the castle, and then spent the night in the car-park, in the company of some fellow savage-campeurs from Belgium.

Nice chainsaw sculpture at the nearby trinket shoppes

Interpretive signage about the little church and the tree planted by the robber
baron's lady friend; his name, interestingly, was Erasmus

Oops

Most interesting, however, was the nearby trail signage...

We're still wondering whether the Camino de Santiago really passes this way, and
why one would make the pilgrimage to Santiago when Rome and even Jerusalem
are much nearer; and whether you can really get stoned on the Camino, like in Spain...

As another storm approached

Skocjan Caves: Best Ever. Period.

With all the limestone around, there are indeed some caves in this part of the world. (Seems like our whole summer has been about limestone). Anyhow, from among the choices in Slovenia, we chose the Skocjan Caves. At Skocjan, you walk through with a guide (and in English too), it's mildly strenuous but well-lit and carefully paved. In Postojna, the main alterative, you mostly ride a train through the cave. But the big difference is in what you see. Postojna has more and more varied stalagmites and stalactites and friends, but Skocjan has the giant cavern--actually an underground canyon still being formed by the river Reka, which travels, underground, more than 30k from Skocjan to Italy and the Adriatic. We've seen some caves...Mammouth, Carlsbad, Wind, New Zealand, the Three River Gorge caves in China...but Skocjan is hands-down and far-away the best. Pix can only begin to convey the immensity, the sublimity...all with the raging Reka a couple hundred feet below. Best ever. Period.

Complicating the narrative a bit: the tour enters the cave from the back, upper side, the so-called "quiet" cave, and proceeds up-river into the "noisy" cave and its natural entrance. This saves the drama of the underground canyon for the last. Further, no fotos are permitted, and the lighting--huge darkness illuminated by spotlights--argues against all but the best photographers and cameras, among which, alas, I and my back-up camera do not figure. So I have merely snagged a few off the web.

Yes, another World Heritage Site

Our tour guide, very knowledgeable, very patient; the large group is divided
into one Slovenian and two English language groups: not that there are so many
Brits, Canucks, Kiwis, Ozzies, or Yanks; rather, no matter what your first language
is, your second language is English....in today's world

Perhaps the best of the interpretive stuff

And off we go...this is the only pic I took that came out...so we'll cut to the
snagged pix...

A wide-angle showing the abundance of stalactites, stalagmites, etc.

Thus

Enormous pans, the likes of which we last saw, with water in them, at Pamukkale,
Phrygia, Turkey

And now, into the canyon, the river roaring below; the pix can give just a hint...

The bridge at Khazad Dum, as Vicki says...

Lighted path through...

One of the more incredible sights we have beheld

Leaving the cave now, by its original "entrance"

We wandered about outside the cave for a bit; here, some
of the earlier touristic steps

Below, where the river disappears underground,
into the cave, for 34k

Other enormous caves

Disappearing river

The constant 12 degrees Celsius at the cave mouth means Mediterranean plants
like  this fern can survive through the winter

Funicular back to the top of the mountain

Looking across the gorge to the town of Skocjan

And now in the museum, mostly about the early explorations

Helpful model #356,946; interestingly, Skocjan is a World Heritage Site not
merely because it is so stupendous but because much of the international scientific
terminology of karst regions, and caves, originated here; anyhow, best ever. Period.