Very tedious writing my post on the iPad with the index figure but yesterday was such an amazing day that I have to!!
We set off to go to some small villages in Slovenia where there are examples of Kaste Houses. These houses are made totally from stone including extraordinary roofs of stone. We started off at the Castle where there was an exhibition by a wonderful Trieste/Slovenian artist Lojze Spacal. Then we went to the cathedral and then were taken to see a Kaste House by the girl in the Tourist Office who was looking after the Castle. She then happened to mention that there was a festival in a nearby town where all the villages were presenting their wines and their prosciutto.
So our plans for the rest of the day were aborted and we went to Dutovlje to join in the festivities. And yes each small town had the wine they produced and were carving slices of their prosciutto on bread. You bought a book of tickets for 10 Eu and for each ticket you got wine or prosciutto. There were lots of other local dishes as well, a massive cow on a spit, cheeses made locally etc etc. I nearly bumped straight into the President of Slovenia who the people seem to love. Then there was a parade with people in traditional dress, lots of accordions, the horses from Lipica where the horses are breed and trained for the Viennese Lipizzaner School, ‘wolf..ish’ dogs, tractor floats. Fabulous, fabulous. All this time we were working our way through the coupons very nicely. I must say though that I drank some of the roughest reds I’ve ever tried. We also tried yummy traditional dishes with meat cooked on a spit with radish etc.
We were nicely ensconced there. It was raining a bit, not that that dampened the spirits. We might never have left there except that disaster struck….we lost our coupons between us somehow. Shit!! But it probably saved us from getting completely sloshed. When we left it looked as if that was the way a lot of people were headed!
So…we had time to have a quick explore of the cave we had included in the day’s activities originally. The Skocjan Caves. We were tired after being on our feet all day and thought we may have missed them as it was getting on for 5 and they closed at 5. But no, last tour at 5. So we raced in and got tickets without thinking. THEN the woman told us it was an hour and a half walk. It was 3 kms underground and a km to get the the entrance AND there were 500 steps. My jaw hit the ground. Remember we had already been on our feet all day. I actually panicked that I just wouldn’t be able to do it….then what the fuck??
Well long story short….I did it. There is this bridge you have to walk across too that is 50mt above the river at the base of the cave system. So there was another challenge given that heights aren’t my forte either. It was spectacular and I’m glad I did it but imagine my relief when I saw daylight. The cave comes out at the base of a massive canyon with vertical rock walls. So I panic again!!!!! Relief…..the guide mentions an elevator. Then complete despair when I realise you have to get up many more stairs to get to the funicular thingo. That was really the last straw for me, another 100 or so steps. But again I did it although very slowly and awkwardly.
Then we went into Trieste to San Marco cafe which is famous for all the writers that sat (and sit) there. The most famous of course being James Joyce. I hobbled in!! I then used the wifi to reassure myself that Ang and Kirst were safely in my half of the world in London.
Then we went to the restaurant near home for a quick bite of seafood. Unfortunately that is another 80 steps down and then up. Then the precarious walk back down to the shack in the dark (another 80 steps + unmade very rough road). Imagine when we got home how exhausted we both were. Even the mozzies couldn’t keep me awake!!
Rainy again this morning and even a bit …dare I say….chilly. A step free day I’m hoping…that is once we get up out of here!!!