Slovenia - Day 3 Postojna

This day started very similarly to the day before. Woke up early and took forever to get the Little One ready and out the door. It was relatively difficult putting her in the stroller, since she wants to walk everywhere now, but we were in kind of a hurry. We were heading out for our first day trip, to Postojna, and wanted to catch the train.

At the trainstation, we bought our tickets but they lady had said that the trains weren’t running and instead there was a bus we would take. After checking, we found that the bus leaves 20 minutes later than we had thought. No worries, we grab a quick meal at McDonalds (shameful, I know) and waited for the bus to arrive. We cued up to get in but once we did, the driver told us the tickets we had were for the train. Turns out, the lady was talking about a replacement bus for the train, and not the normal bus. Thankfully we had enough time to refund them and buy new ones. We got one, the Little One squirming on my lap the whole way.

But the people were incredibly nice. The woman sitting next to me took out her iPad and starting showing the Little One some sort of app with animals. She was geniunely trying to entertain her and keep her happy. I guess no one wants a screaming baby on any ride.

At Postojna, we followed the signs from the bus stop to the caves and got our tickets. Because the baby was with us, we opted for the more touristy caves in Postojna versus Skocjan because we couldn’t possibly make it up and down all those stairs and bridges there. Even though Postojna is “touristy”, the caves definitely didn’t disappoint. The tour starts off with a small train ride for 2 km into the heart of the caves. It was going pretty fast actually, but we still got to see all the amazing drip stones. After the train ride, we went on a guided tour on foot for a further 2 km. It’s really very difficult to describe what we saw. The tour itself went pretty fast and Hussein and Ikept falling behind (story of every tour!), but it was really awe-inspiring. The sheer size of the caves, complete with underground river, is incredible. The first thought that came to mind was, how are people not living here. I know, I know, humans need sunlight and fresh air, and all the rest, but it really felt like one of those caves out of a fantasy novel like Lord of Rings. I kept expecting the mountain dwarves to come out, or to see some sort of carving that indicates people once lived there. There no dwarves and no such carvings, but nature had its own way of leaving its mark. The size and shapes of the drip stones are proof that water will always find a way through the elements, but the sheer nature of its patience and malleable existence.

The Little One had enjoyed the train ride and while we were walking continued to say “wow” at regular intervels until she fell asleep. To get out of the caves, we got on the train once more and sped past the same 2 km. Once above land, we went looking for a place to eat. We found a little Italian place close to the bus stop and had a pretty good meal. After that, a bus ride back to Ljubljana, where we spent time walking around in the city centre with no other purpose than to let the Little One out to play. We were determined to get a good dinner, so we exhausted her as much as we could then took her home and got her ready for bed. Luckily our plan worked. She fell asleep on the way to restaurant and we had a much deserved peaceful dinner. Steaks and brisket were on the menu and they were just awesome. Again, excellent service and super-friendly waiter. All in all, it was a great day.