Postonja Caves

This morning was Father’s Day, and Savik and Aanya were excited to present their hard work from the night before. They had made lovely cards and given a thoughtful Father’s Day gift.

Our plan for today was to visit the famous Postojna Cave and then head to Zagreb. Many people we met in Ljubljana had told us not to miss this cave, but we were feeling a bit jaded. However, we are so glad we went because the cave’s beauty is indescribable and far beyond what pictures can capture.

The adventure began with a 15-minute train ride into the cave. Along the way, we passed various stunning formations—stalactites, stalagmites, curtains, spaghettis, and pillars. The train even took us through a large chamber adorned with chandeliers, used as a concert hall.

After the train ride, we embarked on a guided walk along manmade paths. The cave is enormous, stretching about 25 kilometers, though only a 5-kilometer section is open to tourists. One highlight was crossing the Russian Bridge, intriguingly named for its construction by Russian POWs during World War I. It was nice to see some respect given to them through this naming. We also explored the red and white parts of the cave and the Spaghetti Hall.

Fortunately, we were prepared for the chilly cave environment with our puffer jackets, as temperatures can drop to 10 degrees Celsius. At the end of the walk, we reached an area with a tank housing the famous Olm, also known as the human fish or baby dragon.These carnivorous amphibians, found only in caves in this region, can live up to 100 years and survive 6 to 10 years without eating. In the past, people believed they were baby dragons due to their appearance and habitat.

After our tour, we took the train back to the entrance, where we noticed the walls and ceiling of the cave were blackened. This was caused by fuel canisters set alight by the Slovenian resistance army during World War II to thwart the Nazis.

We then headed to Zagreb, driving through Slovenia’s beautiful fields. At Zagreb airport, we returned our car, having covered around 1,800 kilometers in total. It has been a fantastic road trip and a wonderful way to explore this part of the world.

In Zagreb, we are staying near the famous cathedral, which has been under construction for many years. We have three more nights here before we bid farewell to the Mediterranean part of our holiday.