Although the tour is called Country Roads of Croatia, we jumped our neighbours fence into Slovenia today. The main border crossing from Croatia to Slovenia was closed due to the refugee status so we took a detour and crossed at a place called Metlika - a much lesser used border crossing. With a bus load of passports checked, we made it across the border without any issues. Let's just hope we can make it back again!
A bonus of using the alternate border crossing was the requirement to travel through back-road Slovenia rather than the main highway to reach our first destination. Slovenian countryside is green rolling hills dotted with villages of shingle-roof cottages, geraniums on every windowsill, corn crops used for fodder and apple trees ready for harvest. These are broken with the darkest of thick woods. We also noticed police checking the fields and backs of trucks along the way, presumably for refugees. Thank heavens for the droll highway escape as it was a long 4 hours to Postojna. (Although I have to admit the hum of the motor and movement of the bus rocked me to sleep a few times.)
The main destination for the day was the Postojna Caves. Limestone caves of stalactites, stalagmites, columns and curtains. The caves are over 24 km long and the 'concert hall' section can house an audience of 10,000.
5 metre stalagmite known as the 'brilliant' because it's so white & shiny.
Postojna Caves
From the caves it was another 2 hour bus trip, safely back through the border into Croatia, to our final destination of Opatija. It was very late afternoon by the time we got to the seaside resort but I squeezed in a quick seaside beer and stroll along the Lungomare (Italian for esplanade) before dinner. There were only a couple of late swimmers by this time and the sun was all but gone but I could imagine the holiday makers in peak summer vying for poll position on the sun lounges. I can't wait to walk the Lungomare in the sunshine tomorrow.
Opatija