Bled, Bohinj, and Postojnska Jama

Monday morning we took the train from Salzburg to Bled, Slovenia. The train ride was a bit painful - we were in the 'non-smoking' wagon of the train, but that doesn't mean much because only the cabin itself is non-smoking. One can stand just outside the cabin door and smoke, which the young'uns that were busy socializing and playing loud techno music were doing.

Spent Monday visiting Bled Castle and took a 1.5 hr walk around Lake Bled. Tuesday morning we met A. after a bit of trouble. We ended up at different tourist centers (the tiny town of Bled has 3), and R. and I had some difficulty reaching him. We had his mobile number, but public phones in Slovenia don't take coins. So we had to go to the post office to buy a calling card. Calling him from the phone booth was comical. Both of us inside the phone booth, wearing our backpacks and daypacks. R. and I are both relatively slim, but we had difficulty getting out after wedging ourselves in there.

So after meeting A., he drove us to Lake Bohinj. It is only a few kilometers from Bled, but much less touristy. We hiked a bit up a trail, and stopped at a spot uphill from the lake where rapids were flowing fast. By this point, it was pouring rain and I was soaked. So we enjoyed the spot and snapped a few pics, and then headed back. A quick change of clothes and we were off to lunch.

We ate at an organic restaurant - the best meal I have had so far. Small dishes, exquisitely prepared foods, combinations of seafood and vegetables (which I treasure a great deal in this part of the planet). After lunch we drove to Postojna to visit the Postojna Caves. R. and I had both wanted to see the Škocjan Caves, but according to A. they are difficult to navigate in the rain.

Postojnska Jama was quite impressive, though the entry was a bit strange. We took an open-air tram down into the caves. It felt like a really cold roller coaster ride. The initial ride down was nearly 10 minutes, so at one point I thought that the entire tour would be via roller coaster tram. But the walking tour itself was a bit under an hour, and well worth the visit.