Postonja Caves : Beware of the Dragon

The Entrance to Postonja Caves, Slovenia
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It was a hot, sticky night but at least we don’t seem to have suffered any insect bites. We make it down to breakfast by eight o’clock and find it very pleasant indeed. The same cannot be said about the waitress, who reminds me of the vicious Russian women who guard their nation’s treasures with rabid ferocity. She demands to know whether Y has had the temerity to move some dirty dishes off our table and onto another.

By 9am we are all ready for our trip and are greeted in the foyer by our guide. Then it’s onto the coach and off to our first stop, the Postojna Caves. The journey is a long one, made slightly worse by our guide’s never ending commentary about the countryside we pass through. Along the way he seems to insult numerous countries but in particular the US President. Still since much of the traffic was recently stopped around Ljubljana for several hours when the First Lady came to town, perhaps it explains the hostility.

It’s the best ride I’ve ever been on, reminding me of the mine scenes in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

The Mill, Postonja, Slovenia
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One point he makes well is the diversity of the landscape we pass through. Our journey begins in a Sub-Alpine climate and ends in a Mediterranean one. Unusually for such a tiny country, they actually have five different climates one short of Russia who can claim a desert – one they would prefer to avoid in Slovenia. We can see the change happening around us too. Gone are the Alpine houses with their steep snow proof roofs. Now we have Italian style buildings with shallow terracotta tiles.

Inside the Postonja Caves
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The heat hits us as soon as we reach Postojna. But after a brief climb up some stone steps and the all important loo break, we meet our guide to collect our tickets. He has already given us the secret password “human fish”. Apparently he once gave a ticket away to someone who wasn’t in his group – whoops!

Our password refers to the secretive inhabitants of those caves, the white, blind, amphibians or Proteus. Not the rather childish red dragon of local legend. Apparently there are rather a lot of things living down in these caves – luckily I didn’t know this until after my visit!

The River Privka, Postonja, Slovenia
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We had been warned to bring warm clothes and we certainly needed them. Even in the main entrance you could feel the temperature falling. For those who had forgotten there was a last minute opportunity to hire something as we took our seats on a miniature railway. And then we were off!

The train journey alone is an amazing experience. We speed along, pulled by an electric engine, through tight tunnels weaving deeper into the bowels of the earth. It’s the best ride I’ve ever been on, reminding me of the mine scenes in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Although I feel sure there is enough headroom, I can’t help but duck as we pass within millimetres of the ceiling. I don’t think we would be able to do the same in the UK.

Topiary Animals, Postonja, Slovenia
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The train also previews some of the sights in store for us as we pass stalactites and stalagmites and a vast chamber complete with chandelier. Apparently it has been used in the past as a ball room.

When we finally step off the train we are deep underground in a vast cavern. There are illuminated signs with the name of the language that the tour will be given in. We join a small English speaking group that grows … and grows … and grows. Just when we think someone is taking the Mick and we are now trapped for all eternity – perhaps we are to be dragon food – our guide appears through the throng and leads us on a two kilometre walk through the amazing rock formations all around us.

We are in the Karst region of Slovenia, a landscape dominated by Limestone. The action of water on this stone causes all the amazing natural magic around us. We have driven through a landscape where rivers suddenly appear or disappear and even a lake that can be the largest in Slovenia one day and disappear the next. Where water runs into the limestone it carves out amazing caves like these at Postojna (pronounced Post-on-ya). However where the river moves on to the level below and is replaced by air, the calcite or calcium carbonate formations can grow at a rate of 1mm a year! These caves must have been growing for 100s of 1000s of years!

It takes us about an hour to explore the caves, tunnels and caverns, marvelling at all the strange other worldly shapes. Then about halfway round they suddenly turn out the lights and we are plunged into total darkness. Your eyes cannot adjust, there isn’t anything unless you walk into one of the now invisible walls. Luckily it is only for a few seconds; however two children I pass have obviously been scarred for life by the experience.

Eventually we make it to the final cavern called the Concert Hall. They do have a few concerts a year but if you have rain a few hours before hand it can ruin the show. Finally it’s back on the train, hold onto your head, and off again speeding along tunnels. One final treat is the sight of the river Piuka. We look down into the dark water through a thick mist of water vapour. Now I can’t help thinking about The Hobbit and Bilbo’s trip into Gollum’s world.

Outside is even hotter than before. We buy some filled rolls and slowly wander back down towards the coach, anxious not to be doing the threatened two legged dance on the coach if we are late for the first time. Apparently the second time you are late you have to do a one legged dance on the coach and the third time you can dance any way you like on the empty parking place. Shame we only have two stops today.