We arrived at Škocjanske jame, the Škocjan caves, in time for the 3:00 tour. Even though the Škocjanske jame tour takes about an hour, we saw only a few of the cave's chambers. The size of the cave system, its excellent examples of karst topography resulting from dissolved limestone, and the cave's beauty have earned Škocjanske jame distinction as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We enjoyed our visit underground in the cool, moist, otherworldly surroundings (where no pictures were allowed). We descended a couple hundred meters and then had to climb our way back up many steps. The tour ends at the opening of the cave where the Reka-Velka river begins its underground path. The river valley and surrounding mountains are breathtaking.
Friday night as we went to dinner, the courtyard was full of people, and a brass band was unpacking its instruments. We learned that Skerlj was hosting a 70th birthday. The party was taking place inside, but as we dined in the courtyard we were able to enjoy the festive music.
Unfortunately I fell ill during the night, and spent all of Saturday in our room. Bill made a few forays out--to bring me chamomile tea and bread, to drive to the next town to find some lunch and buy me bananas, to walk through the village, and to eat another amazing dinner at Skerlj.
By Sunday I was thankfully upright again, and we left mid-morning for our drive to Marco Polo
Our flight wasn't until 9PM, so we still had several hours to fill. After crossing into Italy we picked a random exit and drove into the walled town of Palmanova. 16th century Palmanova was an innovative fortress town, built in the shape of a nine-pointed star. We wandered around the
Then it was back on the road to Marco Polo. Hopefully the airport is not as close to Venice as we'll ever get.
1 comment:
I loved this!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry you lost a day due to being sick though.
I would have loved to have seen the hawk.
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