Dear Travellers,
on a warm summer Saturday morning, we first
visited the Notranjska Museum, which can pride itself on its rich cultural and historical
heritage of the unique karst area we live in. Worth admiring is a diverse
collection of skeletons of the cave bear and other Ice Age animals, as well as
cave fauna that can be observed under a microscope. The permanent exhibition of
the Karst Museum takes us down the timeline of the evolution of the karst
phenomena all the way from the Ice Age to this day.
Guided visits are also
available, and for the youngest visitors eager to learn, the museum offers
pedagogical programmes and workshops where children can discover the wonderful
world of karst.
Notranjska Museum Postojna
Having visited the museum, we continued our trip
down the road towards Predjama and after a five-minute drive, we turned left at
the
Pivka Cave Campsite, hidden in the heart of the intact nature away from the
hustle and bustle of the town.
You can park your camper on marked spaces or
spend the night in wooden bungalows or in a tent. During the summer months, the
campsite offers an outdoor swimming pool which provides an excellent way to
cool down on hot summer days. To spoil your taste buds, Restaurant Pivka at the
campsite offers an exquisite local cuisine and game meat specialties.
If you
decide for a short walk after lunch, there are two karst caves located in the
vicinity,
the Pivka Cave and the Black Cave, although the visit of the caves is
only possible by prior arrangement and is accompanied by an experienced tour
guide.
Did you know? The Black Cave was
named after its black coloured stalagmites and stalactites, which is no natural occurrence. The reason for
such coloration is the soot that was coming from torches used by cave visitors
for centuries.
In the late afternoon hours, we returned to the
road leading towards Predjama, and after just a few minutes, we stopped at the
side to see the Betal Rock Shelter, an archaeological site of worldwide
reputation, where remains form the Palaeolithic and the Mesolithic were found.
The cave was discovered in 1932 by Franco Anelli, a young researcher of the
Italian Institute for Speleology who excavated karst caves.
In this cave with
an overhanging entrance, archaeologists discovered the manifold types of stone tools
and fireboxes as well as the skeletal remains of the cave bear, which we saw
earlier at Notranjska Museum.
Betal Rock Shelter. Photo: Tomaž Penko
To end our day, we set out to climb the hill loved
by many above Studeno, where the church of Saint Lawrence is located. After a
10-minute drive towards Predjama, we arrived in Studeno, turned left in the
middle of the village and followed the road between the houses.
We left our car
in a small parking lot at the foot of the hill and started our hike through the
meadows and the woods, which thin out and allow a better view of the valley beneath
us. The path is adequately marked; therefore the chances of getting lost are
minimal. Right beneath the top of the hill, we were surprised by horses that
were grazing without a care in the world despite the numerous hikers.
A
50-minute hike to the church of Saint Lawrence was followed by another 5-minute
climb to the vicinity point, where we sat down on a wooden bench with a heart-shaped
cutout, admired the sunset and observed the hilltops of Slivnica, Snežnik,
Javorniki, Vremščica and Mount Nanos. The hike is also pleasant in the summer
days, as the pine trees provide protection against the summer heat, although
some sunscreen, some tick repellent and appropriate footwear are still recommended.
The path is perfect for a family trip.
The Church of Saint Lawrence. Photo: Ivan Majc
We hope our one day trip sparked some
ideas for you to spend some time discovering our destination.
Read you later!