13th September 2023 – Slovenia

The scenery was wonderful while driving out of Austria on our way to Slovenia with views of the mountains, huge forests and lots of open space in a patchwork of different greens including farmland and vineyards. The route eventually lead us to a winding road around one edge of Lake Bled and down to the campsite set back out of sight from the lake itself. Returning on foot to the shore of the lake, the view of the island and church with it’s reflection on the surface of the water was spectacular.

The lake itself is unique and is the only natural island in Slovenia, it was formed by glaciers and is 6,955 feet long x 4,527 feet wide with 3¾ miles of footpath around it. We added a quite a lot to this distance by walking up hill into the trees following pathways, climbing to a good viewing place looking down over the island. The walking was strenuous but rewarding with many flowers including wild cyclamen, some kind of yellow salvia and autumn crocus, there we also some autumn fungi, including turkey tail and something weird that I hadn’t seen before.

Eventually we had walked down the length of the lake and up to Bled Castle situated at 1,965 feet above sea level, it is perched on an enormous white rock above the lake. The original castle dates from 1011, it had Romanesque towers followed by more towers in the Middle Ages. We crossed a drawbridge over a moat and looked around the interior buildings, some set out with artifacts and information panels. Outside had been set up for a wedding which was taking place as we left, and we paused to taste two wines from the onsite wine cellar, very nice too.

We visited Vintgar Gorge a few miles away having walked part of it and had a minibus the rest of the way. The River Radovna runs 1.6km through the gorge of turquoise pools, waterfalls and rapids with steep, nearly vertical sides and trees clinging to the edges. The wooden walkways and bridges are sturdy and safe, embedded into the rocks and they provide wonderful views of the water cascading down between the rocks.

There is an impressive rail bridge crossing  nearly 110 feet above the gorge that is 174 feet wide at that point. It was built in 1905 and it makes you wonder just how it was achieved with the limited tools of the era, and even with the machinery available now, it would still be a feat of engineering today.

Having come out at the end of the gorge, we walked back going uphill through a beautiful beech wood and finally looking down over the countryside to Zasip and the pretty church. The mountains provided a wonderful backdrop to the fields, most just grass and a few cows, but there was one really beautiful field of sunflowers which was buzzing with bees.

We had now circumnavigated the lake over two days, so we decided to walk up the woods almost behind the campsite. The route was longer going up a rough stone pathways with steep inclines which made it tough going, it was hot work and exhausting but we finally made it to the top and the spectacular views. The route going down was indicated a sharp zigzags on the map, but the reality was much worse for me, smalls stones rolling underfoot, very limited handholds and a horrible, extremely steep set of steps, there was at least a handrail but it took me 15 minutes to pluck up courage. It was either that, or go back up that hill and all the way round where we had come up earlier. I felt better after a bottle of beer with lunch!

That was the morning done and dusted, then we had a nice gentle boat ride to the island and an ice cream while we admired the church exterior, it was a pleasant way to finish off our visit to Lake Bled.

We moved location to Postojna and parked in a dedicated motorhome area with electricity and water available, we were ready to visit the caves. Waiting outside for our allotted time was hot but thankfully time passed quickly and we were soon herded onto the open carriage mini train to take everyone underground to begin our tour. Immediately we were seeing amazing formations, huge in size and with colours from white through beige to deeper russet and terracotta colours. Eventually after 10 minutes, and already deep within the cave system, we arrived at the starting point for the guided tour. The scale of these caves was unbelievably large and we found out that five caves had been joined together by pathways, formations were subtly lit and it all looked so beautifully natural.

The following day we visited Predjama Castle, a fortification built into the rock face and enlarged many times over the centuries. Apparently it was damp, cold and would have been very unpleasant to live in, but exceedingly safe. The rooms were simply furnished with bits of furniture and artifacts to illustrate the era and although the day was dull and grey, the views were really great. Chris went to the uppermost section of the building which had a draw bridge leading into the cave behind the castle. It enabled the people in times of seige to access food from the forest and was also an escape route should it be required.

Moving on again, we visited the Lipicia Stud Farm, named after the Lime tree, and it is where the famous white Lipizzan horses are bred and trained. Years ago when Sovenia was part of the Austrian Empire, the horses were known as Lipizzanas, but these are now only from Austria. From the breeding in Lipicia, the Lipizzan horse has been refined with six bloodlines, resulting in a horse of 14.2 to 15.2 hands high,  exceptional conformation, well muscled, a good temperament and lots of elegance. The training period starts at 3 years old, only with stallions, and soon separates them into dressage potential or carriage driving, the horses do not do both. At 6-7 years training progresses to a higher level, and at 10 years + a few select horses are trained in aerial jumps. Each horse perfects one jump and only ever performs this move during his life. It’s a very special stallion that makes it to be a breeding horse. The mares take 18 months to have and rear a foal to weaning age, mares are never used for dressage or carriage pulling. The stud keeps around 350 horses, breeds to further the quality, and sells animals they are not going to train. It was a fascinating day.

Next stop Croatia!