Day 15 Overland to Ljubljana, Slovenia • Visit Postojna Cave
• Destination: Ljubljana
• Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
• Accommodations: Hotel Ljubljanaor similar
Breakfast: Included at the hotel.
Morning: Today, we’ll check out of our hotel and transfer to Ljubljana. We’ll observe a sharp contrast in the scenery as we journey inland into Slovenia, a forest-clad country of meadows, alpine villages, and soaring mountain peaks. This Slavic nation was the first to claim independence and break away from the Yugoslav federation, and it largely escaped involvement in the Balkan wars of the 1990s.
Along the way, we’ll stop at Postojna Cave, a 12-mile-long underground labyrinth in eastern Slovenia that is considered one of the finest karst limestone formations in the world. You’ll enter the cave on a brief but informative train ride, and then enjoy an audio tour as you walk on your own through the cave to view a diverse collection of tunnels, sculpted galleries, stalactites and stalagmites, chambers, and cave-dwelling olms—sightless, snake-like amphibians that can only be seen here.
Lunch: Included at a restaurant near Postojna Cave.
Afternoon: We’ll continue our drive to Ljubljana and check in to our hotel in the mid-afternoon.
Later in the afternoon, a local guide will lead us through this thriving university town on a walking tour. Our guide will highlight the bridges spanning the river Ljubljanica and the narrow streets of its café-lined Old Town. We’ll also see buildings, parks, monuments, and bridges, many of which were designed by innovative local architect Joze Plecnik.
Dinner: On your own. Keep in mind that Slovene cuisine is incredibly diverse, so your Trip Experience Leader can make a recommendation for whatever you’re craving.
Evening: Continue to explore Ljubljana on your own. You may wish to settle into your room, or grab a drink at the hotel’s bar. Or, you can stroll the streets of Ljubljana, listening to its popular street musicians.
• Destination: Ljubljana
• Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
• Accommodations: Hotel Ljubljanaor similar
Breakfast: Included at the hotel.
Morning: Today, we’ll check out of our hotel and transfer to Ljubljana. We’ll observe a sharp contrast in the scenery as we journey inland into Slovenia, a forest-clad country of meadows, alpine villages, and soaring mountain peaks. This Slavic nation was the first to claim independence and break away from the Yugoslav federation, and it largely escaped involvement in the Balkan wars of the 1990s.
Along the way, we’ll stop at Postojna Cave, a 12-mile-long underground labyrinth in eastern Slovenia that is considered one of the finest karst limestone formations in the world. You’ll enter the cave on a brief but informative train ride, and then enjoy an audio tour as you walk on your own through the cave to view a diverse collection of tunnels, sculpted galleries, stalactites and stalagmites, chambers, and cave-dwelling olms—sightless, snake-like amphibians that can only be seen here.
Lunch: Included at a restaurant near Postojna Cave.
Afternoon: We’ll continue our drive to Ljubljana and check in to our hotel in the mid-afternoon.
Later in the afternoon, a local guide will lead us through this thriving university town on a walking tour. Our guide will highlight the bridges spanning the river Ljubljanica and the narrow streets of its café-lined Old Town. We’ll also see buildings, parks, monuments, and bridges, many of which were designed by innovative local architect Joze Plecnik.
Dinner: On your own. Keep in mind that Slovene cuisine is incredibly diverse, so your Trip Experience Leader can make a recommendation for whatever you’re craving.
Evening: Continue to explore Ljubljana on your own. You may wish to settle into your room, or grab a drink at the hotel’s bar. Or, you can stroll the streets of Ljubljana, listening to its popular street musicians.
Up at 6 am, we put the bags out in the hall at 7:45 am. After a buffet breakfast at the hotel, we were on the bus before 8:30 am.
We were at the Postojna Caves about 10:00 am. Lining up before 10:45 am, we had a 11:00 am entry.
We were given an audio guide and then loaded in a train. It took about fifteen minutes to get the train loaded and then travel to the start of the walking tour.
The walking tour was about 75 minutes long. It is fantastical! I really enjoyed it. Like lots of experiences, the pictures don't do it justice. I found the audio guide a little distracting. It was nice just to walk and soak in the surroundings.
Towards the end, there was an aquirium containing Olms. Olms are completely blind, having lost their eyes over millions of years of evolution in the dark cave environment. Their skin is pale due to the lack of sunlight. They have a long, slender body that resembles a salamander, with four tiny legs and external gills.
After the walking tour, we caught the train back out of the caves. As we are exiting, there is an amazing view of the underground river that runs through the caves.
We had lunch in the restaurant at the caves. It was a very Austrian meal: schnitzel and mashed potatoes.
Back in the bus, we headed to Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. We are staying three nights at the Hotel Lev.
After getting settled in the room, the group met in the lobby. We did a long walking tour with a local guide. Fighting a sore throat, Sharon decided to take a nap. Although the guide was very verbose and shared more detail than you could absorb, I really enjoyed the city. It is very European. It seems more vibrant than anywhere we have been on this trip. I am looking forward to exploring it more over the next couple of days.
I walked back to the hotel to get Sharon. She and I wandered back to the old city for dinner. Holly, Sharon and I ended up having a hamburger at Fetiche. Van had decided to go to a local concert. Although the weather was threatening rain, we sat on a high table outside along the river. There were a lot of people out and about.
The three of us wandered back to the hotel. Sharon crashed about 9:00 pm. I worked on the blog for another hour. I have typically been finishing the entry for the previous day before I go to bed each night. [Note to self], I really need to figure how some kind fo template to use to speed the process. I feel like keeping the blog up to date has a little too much overhead.
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