Predjama Castle

Predjama means in front of the cave. This is one of the few surviving castle caves in the Alpine foothills from the Middle Ages. Dating to 13th c and before, the castle is set against the moist rock just inside the mouth of a cave over 400 ft high. Security features added over the centuries included drawbridges, sentry towers where boiling oil could be poured on intruders, and a dungeon with a small viewing room from the living quarters.

Ljubljana from castle tower

The view from the castle, a central part of Ljubljana since the days of hunter-gatherer, Romans, Celts and eventually tribes from Germany and Austria, and the Slavs, shows the city's development along the river. Modernized for walking but retaining its history the city's famous architects created a charming atmosphere along the tree-lined banks of the river. Slovenia gained its independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991 and joined the EU in 2004.

Piran

Venetian architecture and red-tiled roofs cascade toward the Adriatic Sea at this quaint medieval village on the Istrian Peninsula. The view from the campanile also shows the main square (or oval), originally part of the marina, which has become the center point of the town. Giuseppe Tartini, a local violinist from the area, is honored with a large bronze statue.

Reka River flows into Skokjan Caves

The caves are now a UNESCO World Heritage site with a huge and long cavern several hundred feet from the river bottom to the top of the cavern. 40,000 year old dripstones, stalagmites and stalactites, form throughout. Could not take pictures inside the cave but only at the natural opening. A 3 km walk on steps and bridges throughout the dimly lit caves was like walking through a movie set of Lord of the Rings or Indiana Jones. One of the only animals present in the cave besides bats is a white salamander with alabaster human-like skin.

Lake Bohinj to Mount Vogel, Triglav NP

Lake Bohinj, Julian Alps

Set far below Triglav, the highest peak in Slovenia, Lake Bohinj is fed by crystal clear streams from the Julian Alps which form the Sava River flowing to the Danube and eventually the Black Sea.

Castle over Lake Bled

Dignitaries and tourists alike touring the castle grounds some 600 feet above the lake.

Skofja Loka

This medieval village in central Slovenia began as a market town in 1248. It's surrounded by stone walls and five gates named after the individuals who built the gates.

Lake Bled

Lake Bled located in the Julian Alps in northwestern Slovenia has a storybook 17th c church and tower on a small island in the middle of the lake. The medieval Bled Castle overlooks the entire glacially formed lake.