Slovenia: Postojna Cave & Predjama Castle

It's impossible to miss the giant billboards advertising 
two of Slovenia's biggest attractions: Postojna Cave and Predjama Castle.

Of course we had to "cave" and visit both of them on our drive back to Italy!

Predjama Castle

Predjama Castle was up first for a quick photo stop.

Unfortunately we couldn't visit the inside,
due to our furry adventurers...

Seeing the castle in person, 
I realized the photographs are deceiving. 

I was expecting some grand castle, 
but in reality it looked like a large home built into the side of a mountain 
and much smaller in real life.

The castle was home to various noble families in the area before being turned into a museum. 

A tour of the castle might have made it more interesting, 
but I'd hesitate driving all that way again for a photograph. 

Postojna Cave

Slovenia's most visited tourist attraction was first opened to the public back in 1819. 
In almost two hundred years, a lot of things have changed!

Today Postojna Cave has its own on site hotel, paid parking lots, sit down restaurants, and souvenir stores selling stuffed cave animals. 

If I didn't know better, I'd say we were in SeaWorld!

I had debated a visit to the less touristy Skocjan Caves nearby; however, 
Postojna Cave offered on site dog kennel services FREE of charge.

We simply purchased our tickets, got our tour time assigned to us, and dropped off the dogs near the old mill.

Our dogs were well cared for, given water, and locked securely in one of four kennels. 
Upon our return, they were each given a treat.

We arrived at the cave entrance 10 minutes before our assigned tour time. 

Once we scanned our tickets, we had a chance to rent a coat for the cold  temperatures ahead, then we took a seat on the train.

It remains a constant 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit) inside the cave year round. 

It's a good idea to bring a fleece jacket!

Guided tours are given in many different languages throughout the day. 
Self-guided tours are not an option, because the cave is too large.

Seeing the cave formations during the train ride alone was enough to warrant my 23 euro entry fee. My only gripe was that the train was WAY too fast to take any clear photographs!

Once the train stops, you will embark on a one hour walking tour of the cave, so wear comfortable shoes!

Our tour guide was very informative, stopping a handful of times to explain 
different parts of the cave and how they were formed.

Stalactite vs. Stalagmite
The first thing you will need to know is the difference between a stalactite and a stalagmite.

Stalactites with a "C" grow from the cave's ceiling, while a stalagmite with a "G" grows from the ground.

Each is formed by minerals in the water dripping from the cave's ceiling.

They grow at an extremely slow rate of about 1 centimeter every 100 years! 

Eventually after thousands of years, a stalactite and a stalagmite will finally meet to become a column.

After crossing the Russian bridge, built by Russian POW's, 
we were led to several of the most unique rooms in the cave.

The first room was called Spaghetti Hall, known for its hollow soda straw formations that hang from the ceiling.

Next was White Hall covered in sparkling white from the pure calcite minerals in the water.

Then we came upon Red Hall 
named for its red iron deposits.

Some formations had a mixture of colors 
cascading through the rock.

One last formation to behold was "The Brilliant", a pure white formation 
that resembles a giant double scoop of melting ice cream.
This formation is the symbol of Postojna Cave.

At the end of the tour, we had a chance to view the "human fish" that live in the cave. 

Postojna is home to the olm, an amphibious salamander that lives its entire life under water. 
This endangered creature is transparent and completely blind.

While the admission price was expensive, the cave proved to be so much more 
than an overdeveloped tourist attraction.
After spending 90 minutes in complete awe, I can say it was money well spent!