Even though I slept mostly on-top of the sheet, I still woke sticky and hardly rested, but for once we weren’t in a hurry to get out. Today, we were due to laze the morning on the beach before heading inland to the Škocjan Caves and finally into Ljubljana for evening drinks.
The breakfast was simple but nice; a selection of breads and meats with nice coffee and orange juice. We packed our stuff, paid our dues (about 25 euros each), and loaded the car before walking down to town. Arriving in the morning, we found some shade at the base of the lighthouse and made camp. I had to climb over the rocks to get into the water, but the swim was so refreshing.
Just before midday, I showered, got changed in the toilets and had yet another ice-cream as I waited for the others to be ready. Before slogging up the hill, we stopped at the market for supplies, and I bought a huge piece of watermelon for a few euros. The central square had even more stalls, with everything from antiques to home-made soap. Back at the car, we whacked on the cool air, and drove for about an hour to the caves.
The Škocjan Caves are one of the larger cave systems in Slovenia, and a UNESCO world heritage site. We arrived about 45 minutes before the next tour (which run on the hour), so used the time to munch our delights. The watermelon proved messy without a spoon!
When our guides called us over, Anja stayed behind as she’d seen the caves before, but JP, Pirjo and I followed a surge of 50 odd guests out the main gate, over the road, and down a gravel track with steep steps, which someone behind us tripped over .Eventually, we reached an outer gate, where our guides divided us into two groups; one for native Slovenes and the other for English and Italian speakers.
The Slovenian group went first, giving us about 20 minutes of further information from our guide. There was a lot to take in, but I was very excited, especially as I’d read in my Lonely Planet that the caves might have influenced Dante’s interpretation of the journey into hell.
Once allowed inside, we all had to file through a narrow door and down a sloping passage to an inner-door. Already we could feel the temperature dropping, and got our jumpers to hand, though none of us ended up putting them on as it was too nice to finally feel cool!
As we descended deeper and deeper, the twisted bodies of demons sprung out the ground, although our tour guide insisted on calling them all stalagmites. Stalactites (their toothy cousins) jutted out the roof of the cave like knives. It was slippery and I almost lost my balance, after which I clung to the handrail for dear life. I couldn’t believe it when our guide lit up a section of the original path for the first explorers and tourists; a groove in the side of the rock for your feet and a metal rail to hold onto.
The caves could easily be out of a fantasy film, like the Lord of the Rings, especially as at one point we crossed what could be the bridge of Khazad-dûm; a bridge between two sections of cave over a 45m drop. It was here that we heard a squawking sound, then a man with the torch lit up the celling, and suddenly I was out of Middle Earth and into the Bat Cave. A swarm of bats bustled into each other and for a minute I thought they were going to come and smother us in a cloud of black.
The tour ended in a tall cavern, where we could finally take pictures. Once outside, we made our way across a path and up some steps, stopping to look at the waterfall, feeling the temperature go up as we ascended (thankfully there was a lift to take us up the last section).
We hadn’t eaten much, so the first stop in Ljubljana was to a traditional restaurant on the outskirts of town. I had soup to start with bread (although bread is apparently for the main meal) followed by a plate of meat with a really rich sauce. Anja laughed as a group of men across from us said something along the lines of, “I love you, man. You’re the best.” I replied that would be us tomorrow.
We had a brief stop at the supermarket to buy Slovenian goodies (dark lager, coffee, and Cockta, the Slovenian own-brand of coke) went back to the apartment to get changed, and then finally hit the centre, which was worth having waited the whole trip to see...
The castle looked down from its hilltop plateau and the river cut through a central area of bustling restaurants and bars. A tourist boat sailed past as I crossed one of the many bridges, each of which seemed to be held together by the many padlocks left by passing friends and lovers. I saw the dragon statues on the dragon bridge, and the Welsh part of me was excited to discover the dragon is the national symbol of Ljubljana.
Anja took us to a bar by the river for human fish beer. The Human Fish, discovered in the cave at Postojna, is a blind, four-legged fish the colour of human skin, and is one of Slovenia’s local fascinations. Thankfully, the beer has nothing to do with the fish other than marketing, and tasted quite nice.
When the bar started to close, Anja took us to one of her favourite clubs, Metelkova. I was expecting a single building and was totally thrown by the collection of social venues and outside seating areas on walls and playground equipment. It turns out that the 'club' is set on an old army garrison where several companies host music and events. I got a can of Union from a Reggae playing hut and watched as businessmen and dread-locked dudes drank together. There was even an old punk who looked like a pirate.
We stayed until about 1.30am before making our way back home. I could’ve stayed out all night, but we had our final day ahead of us, and I wanted to make the most of it. Besides, once you’ve peed in a bathroom straight out the Rocky Horror Picture show, what more is there to see?
This was part four of a five part post. Click here for parts one, two and three. Join us next time for the final instalment; a day trip to the coursing Vintgar Gourge, lake Bohinji, and our final night in Ljubljana, involving the castle, a bottle of wine, a stick, and city stargazing.
As tourists aren't allowed to take pictures in the caves, here's a link to a photo gallery from the Škocjan Caves website.
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