While I was on the bus from Koper to Postojna, the drizzle changed to downpour. I congratulated myself on a wise decision to book a room in Postojna the night before. I’d not need to look for a place to stay in such rain. The hotel had excellent reviews, it was close to the station and reasonably priced. Even if the rain did not stop I should be able to get to the hotel mostly dry.
In Postojna, I opened Google Maps on my phone. It said that I was 2.5 km (1.5 mi) from my hotel. How was it possible? Perhaps, the reviewer had a car and it was close to drive. Walking takes half an hour, no big deal if it had not rained so heavily.
I ate lunch and rested at the bus station. The rain did not stop. There were no taxis around. Well, there was nothing to do but walk. About halfway to the hotel, I hid under someone’s garage roof. The door was open and I could see a man inside the garage. Remembering my bad experience in Izola on the previous day when I was viewed suspiciously, I apologized to the man for using his garage as a cover from the rain. In response, he took an umbrella from a hook and gave it to me. I thanked the man and promised to return the umbrella later. ‘No, no, take it. It’s for you,’ he said. The umbrella saved me from soaking to the bones.
The B&B Garni Hotel Lotos was beautiful inside and outside. My room looked luxurious and had 3 beds although I asked for a single room. Branco, the B&B owner, said he would pick me up if I had called him. I did not think about that. I dried my clothes and, most importantly, my shoes. Wearing wet shoes would guarantee me a sore throat and I cannot afford to fall ill while traveling.
I wanted to see two sites in Postojna – the caves and Predjama castle. On the following morning, Branco drove me to the caves entrance that is located next to the bus station. He also arranged with a taxi driver to take me later to the castle which is ina different village 9 km (5.6 mi) from the caves. I bought one combo ticket for both sites which is cheaper than two separate tickets.
These caves are a series of caverns that are 24 km (15 mi) long and 2 million years old. The guided tour covers about 6 km (3.7 mi). Most of this distance is riding an electric train and only 1 km (0.6 mi) is walking. The temperature inside the caves was 10°C (50°F), the same as outside. It also rained in the caves like outside. I was glad to have that borrowed umbrella with me.
After three weeks of rain, the limestone got so saturated with water that it penetrated the rock and dripped in the caves. The floor was flooded in some places. Our guide said that the caves are rarely dry because Slovenia does not have long spells of hot weather with no precipitation.
Nature is the best artist in the world. We walked past formations that looked like lace, curtains, spaghetti, and exotic animals, not to mention the usual stalactites and stalagmites.
People also did their part. The caves were used during both World Wars. We crossed the Russian Bridge built by Russian prisoners of war in 1916 to span a deep chasm.
In 1944, the German army stored its fuel in the caves. The Slovenian Partisans set fire to the German fuel supply causing an enormous explosion. The fire burned for a week, the Germans were left without much needed fuel.
After lunch, a taxi driver took me and two other people to Predjama castle. Apparently, he drove the only taxi in Postojna. That’s why I did not see any taxis. The castle was so interesting that it deserves its own post.