The Skocjan Caves of Slovenia

Sat, 27 Apr 2019 21:16:21 +0100

The Skocjan Caves

The entrance to the caves is by far one of the most surreal experiences one may have, as each step down leads to a darker and darker place, all acompanied by a hiss of the underground river. The caves are a heritage site, and during the tour I was told that the caves all fill with water every season, when the siphon is flooded. The water level rises up to 100 meters, and the caves are closed for visitors.

The light trail you see on the photo depicts the very end of the tour. The trail, covered with artificial light, was more than a kilometer long, in the middle of which there is a marvelous bridge, rising 48 meters above the river. The bridge is a part of the tour, however due to the darkness it was impossible to take a picture. Take a look at one of the high-exposure photos posted online on wikimedia.

We toured the cave and then proceeded to the exit through a wide tunnel.

The Nearby Cliffs

Afterwards the cave opens up to a huge cliff, with trees growing at the bottom and at the top. It was again another strange and surreal view, having just left the kilometer long darkness of the cave.

Our tour guide, she was great and her English was almost perfect. She told us that the waterfall you see on the photo is one of the entry points to the main cave, and during huge rains it actually has the potential to flood the cave entirely.

Ljubljana

A whole day of walking around and inside the caves rewarded me with a visit to the tiniest capital of Europe - Ljubljana. Having a little over 200.000 inhabitants, the city population temporarily rises by a quarter with each academic year. I was astounded by how natural the city felt, with the canals and the bridges, the parks and the squares. There’s a castle on the hill, and a triple bridge in the city centre, which acts as a great meeting point. I recommend this city to anybody who is tired of a big city life and wants to relax in a cozy, quiet and intimate place.

The song about Ljubljana

I felt in love with the city so much, and later happened to write a song about it. The song is called “Ljubljana, my love” and I haven’t ever published it online, but I managed to record a RAW VERSION. If you think that you have the guts to try with yourself and sing your own version, here are the guitar chords and the lyrics for the song:

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(capo on the 2nd fret)

Verse
E7 a The streets from Vienna, Oh Ljubljana my love
E7 a The place so calm, I'd never been to before
C E7 Now that I'm coming back
E7 a We gonna have much to talk about

Chorus
F E7 a Now I can breathe, let me feel the small river bank
a G C By the castle, near the congress square
E7 a I've been crying all night and all day
E7 a Just to ask you, if I can see you again

Verse 2
E7 a I haven't seen you for a while hope we can be friends
E7 a There is no place in the world I remember that well
C F Hope you'll recall the one last night
E7 a The triple bridge and my smooth hand

Verse 3
E7 a The place so calm, Oh Ljubljana my love
E7 a The sense of vibrance, I had felt for so long
C E7 Now that I'm coming back
E7 a We gonna have much to talk about

Interlude
E7 a Ljubljana, what you gave to me
F E7 a Oh Ljubljana, what you gave to me
F E7 a Ooooo, what you gave to me

Pardon my songwriting skills, I wrote this song in 2017, almost 8 years ago.

Thank you for reading.

🇸🇮 Slovenia on Travel Blog by Rafał Włodarczyk

The Skocjan Caves of Slovenia