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We set off towards Ljubljana today to visit Skocjanska cave. This cave is massive and we walked over 5km through it. The cave is made up of limestone & has a few stalagmites & stalactites but its real magnificence is the depth of the valleys & the height of the walls & roof spaces created by the Reka River. We walked along paths, steps & over bridges - all man made in order to take in the rugged beauty that nature created in this cave. The whole time we could hear the sound of water & waterfalls beneath us.
We were so amazed that we decided to continue on to visit another cave - in Postojna. This one is about 45km long and the first & last part of the cave system involved a train ride through tunnels & beside the on mass stalagmites & stalactites with a short 1km walk through what is seen to be the most beautiful part of the cave. We were told that altogether there are 178 limestone caves created by various rivers throughout Slovenia - these are the ones that are documented.
The 2 caves we saw were discovered in the early 1800s and opened to the public in the late 1800s.
The most outstanding part of touring today was the pre-Medieval castle near Postojna that was built into a cave. A self-guided audio tour allowed us to take in its well fortified location and clever defence mechanisms & constant water source by tapping into the water that slowly dripped into the cave. The castle had a well hidden back entry/exit point through the cave system that allowed for easy access to supplies without the knowledge of any possible attackers.
A great day - particularly as inside the caves the temps were between 10-12 degrees & on the way 'home' the temp had dropped to 22 degrees. When we reached the coast at 8:30pm we were welcomed to 33 degrees. It was great to experience goose-bumps for the first time since leaving Melbourne.
Today's picture shows a bridge propped 150m above the valley inside Skocjanska cave.
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