Many people, including us, use Bled as a base for other day trips in western Slovenia. Usually when we travel, we rent a car and drive ourselves around as we like the freedom and independence that brings, and we can plan the itinerary as we wish. But on our first trip to Bled we decided that we wouldn’t, as we didn’t know this part of the world at all and we figured having a local drive us would teach us/show us much more than we could learn on our own. Also, if you don’t have to concentrate on driving, you can give all your attention to the countryside, and this was so true here. It turns out the map is rather deceptive, as we’d never have realized just how narrow, twisty and steep some of these roads are, and just how slow-going it is in the mountains. So, we’re very glad we did these trips this way.
Yes, it is more expensive but it cuts out a lot of hassle, and you can taste wine and drink wine at lunch!
The first time we visited Bled, Rod and I took two day trips with Gorazd Hiti, the father of Tina Hiti, who, along with her husband Saso Golub, is listed in Rick Steves Eastern Europe guidebook as great local guides. What a wonderful find that was. Gorazd is a former Yugoslav Olympian in ice hockey, and speaks enough English to make the day trips very interesting. He pointed out many things not in the guidebook, and we learned a lot about his country, both major events and little snippets of information, such as that the linden tree is
Slovenia’s national tree and tea from the flowers is used for calming.
More general information from Gorazd: They don’t really have a problem with immigrants because there’s no work for them here: unemployment was around 12% at that time. He talked a lot about regional differences and seemed proud of that. For example, most Slovenians like potatoes but near the Italian border they prefer pasta. On the highway we saw many trucks with big logs—some for building, some for heating, and one special type of wood for pizza ovens. They don’t use pine as it pops with the resin in the heat. There were many trucks on the roads, especially the Monday morning we had the first day trip, because trucks are not allowed on the highways from Saturday midday to Monday morning. This country is an easy crossroads from Hungary and Slovakia to a sea port. We can see why Napoleon made this area the capital of his Illyrian province, with the actual capital in Ljubljana.
Rivers have many dams for hydro-electric power. In Gorazd’s opinion, Tito had a soft form of Communism, but his legacy is good.
The next time we visited Bled, Nath, Sonya and I took one day trip, again with Gorazd (Rod was at a conference in Potoroz, Slovenian). Each time, I contacted Tina and told her what we would like to see and visit and she made a plan and itinerary. Thanks Tina and especially Gorazd.
The First Day Trip
The cost for the first day was 200 euros, which included lunch.
On the first day trip that Rod and I had with Gorazd, we’d asked to do some wine tasting in one of the wine regions of Slovenia as part of the day. We went first to Postojnska Caves, which the Hitis think is important. We drove there on the highway, past Ljubljana. Then we looked at the outside of Castle Predjama, which is close to the caves—only about 6 miles away. After that we went to the Boris Lisak Winery, driving a little on the highway and then in the karst region.
I seem to have a lot of information on the caves and the wine region, so I will cover them in the next couple of posts. But, here is the castle, swathed in mystery and magic.
Predjama Castle is in an amazing location, which we could easily see and admire from a good look-out point. Gorazd told us about the Communists destroying many castles and their contents, so a lot of history was destroyed. But supposedly this castle escaped that fate: the Communists confiscated it from the owners just after the end of World War 2 and turned it into a museum.
The medieval castle was first mentioned in 1274 with the German name Luegg and over the centuries had different owners. The castle was built under a natural rocky arch high in the stone wall, thus making access to it difficult. This fairy-tale castle perched in the middle of a 403-feet-high cliff is said to be the largest cave-castle in the world (as listed by the Guinness World Records) and behind and below it is a huge system of caves and tunnels. It’s part of the same karst system in the south-central limestone plateau that formed the Postojnska Caves. A karst region is made up of limestone (or calcium carbonate or dolomite), which is soft rock that dissolves easily in water. Over the years, rainwater seeps into the rock, slowly eroding it. Underground spaces and tunnels form, making the caves we know today.
This castle has a couple of spooky and romantic folk stories and myths attached to it. Apparently, there was a robber knight, called the Knight Erazem (Erasmus) of Predjama who, in the 15thcentury, set out from the castle on his plundering exploits. Erazem had killed the commander of the Imperial Hapsburg army in another town, after the commander had offended the honor of one of Erazem’s relatives. Erazem fled to the family fortress in Predjama, where he started to attack and plunder nearby Hapsburg estates and towns. The Hapsburg emperor commissioned the governor of Trieste with capturing or killing Erazem. But Erazem withstood the Imperial Hapsburg Army’s siege of the castle for over a year. He was aided by a secret tunnel to the top of the cliff that allowed him to secretly get supplies for the castle during the siege. Gorazd told us that when you tour the castle you are regaled with this romantic tale.
The myth around this castle is that it’s the place where all witches come to meet. Who knows?
Although we didn’t tour inside, we got a pretty good idea about the castle and could imagine some of the caves and tunnels, having been for the tour in the Postojnska Caves. If we ever get back with one of the young people in our lives I think they would love it.
Our Eastern Europe Dream Trip 