Slovenia Postojna Cave & Predjama Castle

I booked a day trip to visit Postojna Cave and Predjama Castle via Get Your Guide. I was picked up in a Hyundai car at the tourist information centre at 8.30am and it was a very small cosy group with just the tour guide Vladimir (also the driver), and 2 guys from Poland - Michał and Tadek. 

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 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! 

Day 26 : Travel to Ljubljana

When travel planning isn't done properly - I had originally looked at routes to get me into Ljubljana, and I noted there were direct buses that travel from Prague to Ljubljana in 9.5 hr.

What I didn't realise was that the bus route isn't offered every day - maybe because of covid, the route is only offered on some days, so when I had already made plans to be in Prague and tried to book a connection to get to Ljubljana, I realised the direct option is no longer available.

One of the only options available is to take a 14.5hr overnight bus ride, which includes a 2.5hr transit time in Zagreb, Croatia.

I am not a fan of overnight travel, as I usually struggle to get sleep, and this bus route was no exception. 

Furthermore, because I was travelling between EU and non-EU country (Croatia), I was required to go through customs first at Austria border into Croatia, getting off the bus twice at each side of the country to do immigration clearance, and then again from Croatia into Slovenia.

Thankfully each time round we do not need to lug our luggage with us, and the process was really quick and smooth, though it also meant that we had to stand in the cold for a while to complete the process. 

With 2.5hr to spare in Zagreb, and arriving just before 7am, the city of Zagreb is still just waking up. 

Prior to my bus trip, noting that I would need to be in Croatia again after Slovenia and Croatia not having yet to adopt the Euro currency, I made a point to look for a money changer to get some currency changed before hand. 

Found a café not too far from the bus station and just a couple mins away from the currency exchange (which only opens at 8am), I settled into the café. It was strange that it doesn't serve any food, as I was hoping to have some breakfast, but it was an interesting couple hours as I got to have a quick idea of life in Croatia. 

People can pop in and order a drink and then can sit for hours reading newspaper, use the café as a meeting point with friends and stay to chit chat, or just a respite for the day. I've had the best hot chocolate here, since day 1 when I started Big Trip 3!

I've also seen people bringing in their own food, such as bread or pastry that had been purchased from a nearby bakery, and thus I felt more comfortable taking out my own stash of food to eat in the café. 

Smoking also seemed to be highly encouraged, as many people were smoking indoors. 

Staff doesn't seem to really bother you, and I was even able to pop out for a few minutes to go to the currency exchange, while I had my luggage left in the café. 

Didn't get to see much of Zagreb other than what I saw on the bus and the route to the café, but that's OK as I got to do what I needed to do, and was tired from the bus ride and wasn't keen to lug my luggage around town to sight see. 

Arriving into Ljubljana, it was the first time I really experienced continuous rain that lasted the whole day! 

I tried to do some sight seeing, but gave up the idea after a short while as it was way too wet and no fun. 

Popped into a kebab shop to get a late lunch and got a shocked as the staff correctly guess on the 1st try that I was from Singapore. No one would usually guess that on the 1st attempt! But it also gave me the impression that people here seemed to hold Singapore in high regard. 

Tried popping out again in the evening, but weather was still wet and it looked like it was starting to rain ice too! So just made a quick stop to the supermarket which thankfully was just across the road, and picked up a Korean spicy pork rice bowl (it was soooo AMAZING!) for dinner. 

Gonna take an early night and hope for better weather the next few days to explore. One thing for sure, Ljubljana looks really small and should be able to cover key sights very quickly! 

Day 24 - 25 : Prague

The bus ride from Dresden to Prague is a quick 2 hour ride, but the landscape changed really quickly. Barely an hour into the trip, first signs of snow across the ground was spotted. 

The snow scape lasted for quite a while, and then went back to normal non-snow view. 

Although no snow was seen on the grounds in Prague, just a few moments after I got off the bus, I saw snow flakes! The wind was also really strong, and made the cold even more unbearable - not much fun when you are trying to drag your luggage along and navigate your path on the smartphone, so wearing gloves were also tricky! 

Prague is the only city on this planned trip that I had been to before, and as such, Prague was meant to be a transit city to get into Slovenia, and I didn't have plans for doing any sight seeing here. 

My first order of business was to get a massage since I have been on my feet quite a fair bit from when I started my trip about 3 weeks ago. Massage was fantastic, and very decently priced at about Euro 33.for 1.5hr of traditional Thai massage. 

The rest of the time I was randomly walking the streets - of course a visit to the Old Town Square where the Astronomy Clock and the Gothic Church is a key feature, but also this massively huge decorated Christmas tree. 

It also appeared that a Christmas market was expected here, but due to covid restrictions, it wasn't allowed to operate. 

While randomly walking around the old town, I came across a church which I thought to check out. I was glad I did, as the interiors were stunning with beautifully painted ceilings. Basilica of St James didn't look much on the outside and could easily had been ignored. 

Also went off the beaten path to Vítkov Hill - Google maps indicated a monument at the top. Views are apparently supposed to be good here, and it sure was. 

There was one thing however I had wanted to see, just because of the timing I happened to be in Prague - Every day in December until December 23rd, a lamplighter dressed in period clothing arrives on Charles Bridge at 4pm to manually light up the gas lamps. 

This tradition is meant to bring back the romance of the 19th century, when most of Prague’s public lighting had to be turned on manually every single day.

As my last day in Prague happened to be the 1st of December, I reached Charles Bridge at about 5 mins before 4pm. I waited for about 15 mins, but there doesn't seem to be any sign of a lamplighter. By 4.15, I decided to leave and as I was about to get walk off the bridge, there he was! 

A whole crowd had gathered around him to witness the lighting, it was hilarious!

I stayed and watched him light maybe about 3, before deciding to leave and get my last massage (yes, my 2nd!) before I leave for Slovenia tonight. 

It's a very long travel, totalling almost 14.5 hours with a 2.5hr wait in Zagreb, so the 2nd massage is very much needed!