(8/31 – 9/14/2014: Part 2)
This is the second part of our Croatia and Slovenia trip. We entered Slovenia and drove through the Julian Alps to stop by Venice before returning to Zagreb to fly home.
(See Part 1 Croatia here.)
Day 9: Postojna Cave and Predjama Castle in Slovenia
We crossed the border to enter Slovenia this morning. The toll system was different in Slovenia. We had to purchase a sticker to put on the windshield to drive on the freeways here. They didn’t tell us where to put the sticker, so we decided to put it in the lower left corner of the windshield. When we had a stop later, we checked around to find out that people put the stickers at various places on the windshields — left, right, upper, lower and even middle! We also suspected that there were no automatic detectors on the freeways. We got the sticker to be law-abiding, and just in case. (Note that the trip was in 2014; it may be very different nowadays.)
The first destination of the day was the famous Postojna Cave. We parked the car in the parking lot, purchased the tickets and waited for our tour. Tourists entered the cave riding a small locomotive. After entering deep inside the cave, we got off the train to walk around.
The cave was rather large with many colorful formations. We could see stalactites hanging from the ceiling, stalagmites rising from the floor, and various columns formed when the two joined. They were surely amazing! We forgot to bring extra jackets, and it was quite cold inside the cave!
After the interesting cave visit, we continued driving to the second destination of the day — Predjama Castle, which was only a short drive away. The castle was built within a cave mouth, and part of the castle was inside the cave. It looked very impressive from outside.
The castle used to belong to a robber baron Lord Erasmus. Due to its strategic location, Erasmus was able to hold off attacks and sieges sheltered inside the castle. They also said that there were some hidden passages which allowed the residents to sneak outside to get supplies. Rumor had it that Erasmus was betrayed by an insider and was killed when visiting the outhouse!
Afterwards, we drove to Lake Bled, where we stayed for two nights. This would allow us to have an entire day touring Lake Bled and the surroundings. It was drizzling and cold when we arrived in Bled.
Day 10: Lake Bled and Vintgar Gorge
It was still drizzling when we woke up this morning. We’ve decided to tour the Bled Castle first after breakfast. The Bled Castle itself was only okay; it was not too impressive in my opinion. However, the lake view from the castle was spectacular! It was like a fairyland!
The top attraction of Bled was of course Bled Lake. However, we found that the nearby Vintgar Gorge was equally impressive, but it was usually overlooked by the tourists. Cutie saw a post about Vingar Gorge and was very impressed by its beauty. He was overjoyed when he realized that we were going there this morning.
We truly enjoyed our visit to the gorge. There were wooden walkways built around the gorge, so that visitors could take in the amazing view of the gorge, the river, and several waterfalls there. The hike was invigorating. We took many pictures.
Vintgar Gorge reminded me of the Partnach Gorge we have visited during our Bavaria trip. However, Vintgar Gorge was a lot longer and wider, and had more visitors.
The rest of the day was dedicated to Lake Bled. We took a boat ride to the island in the middle of the lake. The wooden boat was called pletna and was rowed by an oarsman. There was a church on the island, which can be reached after climbing a long stone staircase. The island was very small, but with extraordinary views everywhere.
In the late afternoon, we walked around the lake to take in views from different angles. The total distance was about 6km, and it was a pretty easy walk. We also went into Vila Bled to take a quick look. Vila Bled used to be a summer resident of the then Yugoslav President Tito, and it later became a luxury hotel.
We didn’t forget to enjoy the famous Bled cream cake (but I forgot to take a photo!), and it was delicious!
Day 11: Through Julian Alps to Venice
The Julian Alps were not only beautiful but also full of histories. We were driving through the mountains today to reach Venice.
It was still drizzling this morning. The mountain road was twisty with many switchbacks, so it was not an easy drive, but the view was fabulous. (Daddy complained about the driving again.) There were many great hiking trails in the Julian Alps. However, the weather was not good, and we did not have enough time to explore.
Julian Alps was a site of fierce fighting in World War I, described in the famous Ernest Hemingway novel “A Farewell to Arms.” We stopped by the Kobarid Museum to watch some films and displays of War World I.
After a quick lunch in the small town, we drove to the nearby Italian ossuary, which was a monument to the Italian soldiers killed during the war. The sky was overcast, and the monument looked lugubrious.
After leaving the Julian Alps, we drove all the way to Venice. We had been to Venice once when we cruised in the Mediterranean many years ago. We were very impressed by the beauty and the uniqueness of Venice. Since it was very close to Slovenia, we decided to stop by the city one more time.
Cars were not allowed in Venice, not to mention that it was impossible to drive inside the city! So, we parked the car in a giant parking structure and walked to our hotel for the night. We left most of our luggage locked in the car truck and only took a small bag each. The roads in Venice were narrow and not well-signed. Some roads would even dead-end. It took us a while to find our hotel.
We dined alfresco in a seafood restaurant located in a small plaza. The food was good, and the atmosphere was even better!
Day 12: Venice
We would spend the entire day in Venice visiting the places we have been previously and the places we missed last time.
Campo San Giovanni e Paolo (a new place) was right by our hotel, so that’s our first stop of the day. Then we strolled to the famous San Marco Plaza and visited the Doge’s Palace and the San Marco Basilica (places we have been).
My favorite way to see Venice was from a vaporetto. It’s a cheap and easy way to enjoy Venice. We also went to Murano in the afternoon, where I purchased some pretty Murano glass jewelry as souvenirs. Even though Venice was considered too touristy by many, it’s still one of my favorite cities in Europe.
The crowd had thinned, and nighttime in Venice was very peaceful. We had dinner in another local Italian restaurant. The food was equally delicious. Cutie ordered a lobster pasta dish, and he was very pleased with his choice.
Day 13: Ljubljana
It’s almost the end of this vacation. We checked out of the hotel in the morning, went picking up our car from the garage, and drove to Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia.
We had our lunch stop in Ljubljana. Since it was still raining, we didn’t spend too much time touring downtown. But we did manage to take a few photos in front of the famous dragon sculptures, the symbol of the city.
Afterwards, we drove back to Zagreb to return the rental car. Our hotel was right by the airport. We were all very tired by the time. We would fly home tomorrow. This was a very memorable trip!
Amy 'n Rei 