I suppose tourism had been badly affected because of covid, as I was originally booked in for Bled today and the caves tomorrow, but was told they didn't have enough people and they asked that I switch my schedule around.
The drive to Postojna Cave took slightly over an hour and the landscape on the way was super beautiful, with snow covering most parts of the area outside the city centre. Vladimir mentioned that winter started in Slovenia a few days ago.
The drive to Postojna Cave took slightly over an hour and the landscape on the way was super beautiful, with snow covering most parts of the area outside the city centre. Vladimir mentioned that winter started in Slovenia a few days ago.
The most picturesque drive was along a stretch of country road that had both sides lined with trees that were completely white and covered with snow - incredible!
I took so many pictures and videos on the way to the caves that the Polish guys must be finding it strange, especially since their own country is also now filled with lots of snow, so the view on Slovenian roads must feel completely normal for them.
I was rather impressed Vladimir could just talk non stop for the entire 1+hr journey, dishing out information about attractions along the way as well as information about random buildings and lifestyle in Slovenia and quite a fair bit of dry humour, that sometimes you don't quite know whether he was telling a joke or truth.
We arrived at the caves about 9.40am. Vladimir handed us our tickets, which covered the admission for both the Caves and Castle, as well as Musuem entry at the Castle.
The entrance to the Caves was at 10am, commencing with a 15 minutes train ride. It was an out of this world experience, with the train snaking its way through tunnels and different chambers, that at times I felt we were in an Indiana Jones movie.
And then we were asked to get off the train and commence a walk through the caves, while we listen to our audio guide that were prompted to us at different stops to cater for the different language needs of the group.
There were lots of information on the audio guide, that it's hard to remember everything. What I could remember was that the Postojna Caves comprises of 5 caves systems linked together, and that the 15 minute train ride we took, in the past would had taken someone a few hours to walk to the train drop off point.
We went into caves filled with stalagmites and stalagtites of different shapes and sizes, and chambers that were a few storeys high. The caves lighting and pathways were fabulously done, allowing us to better admire the art of mother nature.
Close to the tail end of the walking tour, the symbol of Postojnska Cave was highlighted to us - a five-meter-tall, crisp white stalagmite called "The Brilliant" with an ornament-rich column standing next to it.
We were also told there are 150 different species of life in the cave, one called the Proteus, or "baby dragons". It can only be found here and no where else and is an endangered species.
They are apparently pale, blind and fragile olms, with unusually formed bodies, and were discovered here in the 17th century and have been a nature's enigma since then. They can go without food for up to twelve years and have a lifespan of up to 100 years.
We ended the walking tour at the largest chamber in the cave, the Concert Hall, measuring 40m high and with a surface of 3,000 sqm. The size is comparable to the arena of Roman Colosseum and can hold 10,000 people at once. We were told La Scala, Milan's Opera House were one of the 1st to perform here.
There was even beautifully set up Christmas decor here. Apparently closer to Christmas day, they will hold choir performances in here.
We then hopped back onto the train for another 15 mins train ride to the exit.
Vladimir picked us up and drove us to our next stop - Predjama Castle, located 9km away.
Predjama Castle is the biggest castle in a cave in the world. The location is chosen for a castle because of how protected it is from external threats.
Interiors wise it is rather basic, though there were good views from the top of the castle.
One of the highlight was halfway through exploring the castle with the audio guide, a cat appeared out of no where, and started following us around for a while.
It then disappeared briefly and a few minutes later we found it on the best spot in the castle... On the royal bed! 😂
According to the audio guide, it's possible to connect from the castle to the caves via a network of underground tunnels, but that's not accessible for tourists.
It was also mentioned on the audio guide that Jackie Chan filmed a movie here titled "Armour of God" released in 1987.
We then popped quickly into the musuem, but I didn't stay too long - there were 2 rooms, one filled with different kinds of stuffed animals that were hunted at some point.
The other room was a weaponry room, filled with different kinds of artillery, for hunting and for war - the only thing I was impressed about was how they had hammered bullets into the wooden panel of the stair case.
We were done just before 2pm, and reached back into Ljubljana by 3.15pm. Still enough time to explore and enjoy Ljubljana, especially since yesterday was a wash out, when I arrived into Ljubljana.
Weather had been wonderful today, so was very thankful for that!
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