Slovenia
Slovenia is a small country that ranges from the Alps to the Adriatic Sea. It is part of the European Union and uses the euro for currency. It’s capital is Ljubljana. It was settled by Slavic people from current day Poland in the 6th century. It was part of Austria for many years and eventually became part of the former Yugoslavia. A beautiful lake, Lake Bled, and a large beautiful cave, Postojna Cave are must see sights. The cave has some of the finest karst limestone formations in the world. Triglav National Park is one of Europe’s oldest parks, named after its highest mountain, is Slovenia’s only national park. The people here love outdoor activities. It is said you are not a true Slovenian if you haven’t hiked Triglav Mountain.
How to get to Slovenia
Slovenia can be reached by air flying into Joze Pucnik Airport outside Ljubljana. This airport can be reached from many major European airports. We flew through Munich on the way back to the US. It is accessible by railroad and by driving from the surrounding countries of Austria, Croatia, Hungary and Italy.
Trip Information
This trip is part of an Overseas Adventure trip, “Crossroads of the Adriatic”. We drove to Slovenia from Zagreb, Croatia. We toured by bus throughout the region, visiting Croatia, Montenegro and Bosnia, and as well as Slovenia.
Ljubljana, Slovenia
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia. The Ljubljanica river divides the Old Town from the more modern new town. We enjoyed a sunset boat cruise along the river replete with champagne. There are many bridges that cross the river including the Dragon Bridge that has a statue of a dragon in it. The story of St. George slaying the Dragon is popular in this area. The dragon is also found on it’s coat of arms. Ljubljana has a lot of green space and a large amount of pedestrian only areas.
Ljubljana’s Old Town has narrow streets and many cafes. Cafes also line the river. There is a food market Friday evening on the Old Town side of the river from mid-March to October. It is called Open Kitchen and has food prepared by different chefs with their own stalls. The Ljubljana Central Market also has a fresh vegetable market in the mornings. The town is a pleasant place to visit.
Postojna Cave in Slovenia
Postojna Cave is twelve miles long. It has a train to take visitors into the depths to walkways. The walkway wanders through many stalactites and stalagmites, with both large and small chambers. The formations pictured above are next to each other, but the darker one contains impurities and the white one is pure limestone. There are unique life forms in the cave, including the olm, a sightless amphibian. It is snake like and has pale skin that looks human skin. The cave can be reached by car and by bus from Ljubljana.
Lake Bled in Slovenia
Lake Bled, surrounded by mountains, is a beautiful lake. Lake Bled Island in in the lake. Boats take you to the island landing at the foot of the steps up to the top where there is a church. There is a castle on the cliff overlooking the lake as well. It has beautiful views of the lake and the mountains behind. It also has Lake Bled Cake. The castle is worth going to just for this dessert. The lake can be reached by car, bus and train.
This trip information:
Overseas Adventure Travel
Look for Europe tours, Crossroads of the Adriatic.
References
Overseas Adventure Travel Handbook
Wikipedia
Related Sites:
Lake Bled
The Legend of St. George. This is an English site, but the legend is the same.
