Slovenija~Castles, Caves, Portoroz, & Piran

I got up at 7:30 and got cleaned up and went and had breakfast.  Then I went to the Lekarna to see if they had something for my blister b/c I knew we would be walking a lot today and I am tired of hobbling around b/c it hurts so bad.  The guy there gave me some clear padded band aid type things and they were $5 Euros!  They better work super well for that much money.  I had to laugh, b/c he also told me I needed to take these certain tablets and drink a lot of caj (tea).  The answer to most ailments in Slovenija is to drink more caj.  I told him I didn’t want the tablets, just the band aids.  Anyways, I put on the band aids and then walked to the train station and they helped just a little bit.  I waited inside the train station b/c it was too cold outside.  This is a cool mural on the floor of the train station.

They got there at 9:45 (luckily no old guys asked me to go for a drink today) and we dropped off her Dad’s car at his apartment and then hit the road.  We drove to Predjamski Grad (which means castle in front of the caves), and there were this gorgeous flowers growing in someone’s front yard and I was instantly drawn to them.  They look tropical but were thriving in the cold weather.  Does anyone know what type of flower this is?  I would love to buy some and try to grow them in Texas.

Predjamski grad was just as majestic & breathtaking as I remember it being.  I got to see it when Mom & Dad came to pick me up from my mission 7 years ago, but it was closed when we got there so we didn’t get to see the inside.  In the springtime, they have jousting tournaments on the grassy green hill below the castle.  Even further down the valley behind that little hut is a river that runs through the caves in the castle.

We were so happy to be here, and how can you blame us?  This is by far my favorite castle in Slovenija.

They have the rooms set up in the castle the way they might have been way back when.  The mannequins they had in there were creepy, but I thought this baby one was kind of neat b/c of the old fashioned walker.  How smart, huh?

I think the people that lived back in the day were really short, b/c I would definitely would not have fit through this door unless I crouched way down.

The story behind this castle is cool, and you can read about it HERE.  Basically, the owner of the castle, who was kind of like a Robin Hood in his day, would taunt the people trying to attack the castle by throwing down cooked meat and fresh cherries to them.  They couldn’t figure out how they were getting fresh food, but little did they know Erazem was able to get out via the cave system behind the castle.  He was betrayed by a servant when he was using the toilet (the little white house w/ a window on the far left side of the picture) and was killed that way.

After Predjamski Grad, we hurried and rushed over to Skocjanske jame so we could make the 1:00 tour.  I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do this when I saw that we would be walking 3 km for 2 hours and that there are over 500 stairs.  But, Tina & I decided we had to go at least once in our lifetime.

This field w/ sheep, goats and donkeys was right next to the road we walked across to get to the cave entrance.  Cute, huh?

You aren’t allowed to take pictures in the caves, but they were really cool.  The first part of the caves are called the quiet caves and look like most caves that have stalactites and stalagmites.  Then, we walked into what is called the Murmuring Cave where the river River (yes, River is the name of the river) flows through the caves.  There is a really high bridge over the water and I usually don’t have a fear of heights, but I was not to keen about standing on that bridge and walked across as fast as I could.  We were able to take pictures once we got to the end of the caves.

I am glad I did it, but wouldn’t do it again.  It was a once in a lifetime thing.  We head some bats in the caves, which was kind of cool.

This is the river that runs through the caves.  They had some heavy rain a few months ago and the lowest part of the cave flooded and they had to close it for a little bit!  It’s crazy how fast water can rise, and I’m glad the caves were back open so we could experience walking through them.

After the caves, we headed down to the coast to the city of Portoroz.  It’s a cute little sea side town and this is a beautiful hotel that was recently renovated.

This picture just makes me happy b/c of the old rock building on the left, the bright fall leaves, and the pier going off into that Adriatic Sea in the background.

Tina & I went down to the end of the pier while Erik changed into his swimsuit.  I am not a fan of big dogs, but this dog was adorable and was so friendly and kept coming over to say hi.  I could have taken him home w/ me b/c he was so cute.

Erik was CRAZY and did a flip off the pier and into the water.  A few Slovene guys at the end of the pier probably thought he was crazy b/c it was windy and they were all wearing long pants and long sleeved shirts with jackets.  But, Erik did an awesome flip and said it was cold at first but felt good after a little bit.

It was funny, b/c the dog was so concerned about Erik being in the water and followed him along the pier as he swam.

We were all starving by this point, and we found this little restaurant right near the water and the prices were really good, so we stopped and had dinner.  I just HAD to get Cockta for my drink and was super happy to see that they had a picantna (spicy) pizza, b/c it was on my list of things to eat.  But, the restaurant I always used to get one at in Ljub closed down in 2007.  This pizza was huge, but I was able to eat all of it b/c I was so hungry plus it has a really thin crust.

This adorable little grandma was sitting a few tables over from us and was by herself.  She kept feeding the birds little pieces of bread and at one point had 6 birds sitting on the tabletop.  She kept getting a cute little grin on her face when a bird would take the food from her.  She was so happy and content and that in turn made me feel complete joy and contentment.

Tina got some shrimp w/ squid, and I’ve never seen shrimp all in tact like this with claws and eyes.  Erik got some pasta that had “fruits of the sea” in it, which would have scared me to try it, but he said it was really good.  I’m not a fan of seafood, so I enjoyed my pizza.

I kept saying how spoiled and lucky and blessed we are to be sitting right near the sea enjoying a great view, great company and great food.

Another thing on my list was sladoled (ice cream).  Tina said there was a place a few doors down that had the best ice cream on the coast.  So, we went there.  It was so uppity and posh and chic b/c it was outside and they had these deep white couches so you could lounge and enjoy your ice cream.

I liked how they named the different ice cream options after countries.  Y’all know I just HAD to get the Samoan one.  Too bad they didn’t have a Tongan one, b/c I would have gotten that.

While we waited for our ice cream, Erik noticed this sign on a post and started laughing saying it’s a good thing it’s cold otherwise we might see some naked people since they ask you not to wear swimsuits.  Tina said it’s kind of like the American version of “no shirts, no shoes, no service” and meant people needed to be dressed in clothes not just swimsuits.  We still got a good laugh out of it.

Look at the ice cream that came!  I thought it was just going to be a few scoops of ice cream.  This looks like something that belongs on the Food Network!  Tina’s (in the middle) was the best b/c she had coconut cream on hers.  I’m glad none of us are germ-a-phobes and that we all were ok with trying each other’s ice cream.

I liked mine b/c of the yummy lime green kiwi sauce that was on top.  I was so stuffed that I couldn’t finish my ice cream and had to ask Erik & Tina to help me finish it off.

This was our view as we finished our ice cream and walked back to the car.  I was so thrilled to see that they had palm trees, b/c it reminded me a little bit of Hawaii.

I thought this was a neat way to arrange the flowers.  It looks like a pinwheel.

We left Portoroz and drove up the hill to Piran, which is another seaside city.  The point of land behind Erik & Tina is the most southern point in Slovenija.

I love this town b/c it feels very Italian (Italy is just across the sea on the other side of Piran) and has so much charm and appeal.

Look at this little port where they dock all the boats.

I think this might be my favorite picture from today.  The lighting was perfect b/c the sun was just going down, yet there were lights on all over the town.  I know I say this too often, but this really is picturesque.

It was wonderful to hear the sound of the waves lapping up against the rocks as we walked along and enjoyed watching the sunset.

We walked past this little hotel that says, “Hotel for young and young in heart.”  We thought that was cute.

Another cool old door to add to my photo collection.

I was OBSESSED w/ walking up and down these alleyways and this one was my favorite.  I probably took about 20 pictures of different alleyways b/c there were so many good ones.  A lot of them had clothes hanging out on clotheslines to dry.

Erik was feeling lonely and tried stealing a kiss from this mermaid.  LOL!  It was dark by the time we finally walked back up the hill to our parked car.  Tina was tired so she had Erik drive us back to Ljub and he did a great job.

It was only 9:00 at night, but I felt like it was much later.  As I walked back to my hotel room, I stopped to take a picture of center at night.  I really like the lighting and it was a perfect ending to a jam packed and fun filled day.