Beautiful, untouched place. If you're interested in the area, go now. I'd say it has a few years before parking becomes impossible at any of these places and you have to buy reserved tickets, etc. Two of the three places already have entrance fees.
C&C welcome.
1. I was delayed getting here by a traffic jam caused by a large flock of sheep lazily crossing the steep, one-lane mountain road. The mountain I am on is somewhere between the second and fourth highest peak in the country, depending on what source you ask. Parts of the trail cross the Italian border and meander along thousand-foot dropoffs with no silly litigious American concepts like guardrails to slow you down. The Slovenian trail option is even more exposed. There was a point after ~2000 feet of vertical climbing where I decided I wasn't going any further at sunset in shorts and tennis shoes while carrying a tripod. Two minutes after I turned around, I got passed by a girl in a bodycon minidress and even stupider footwear. I suppose we all have our risk tolerances.
2. I drank directly from this river while swimming in it. Air temperature about 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Water temp felt like the low 50s. The water color is this mesmerizing shade of electric blue. 15 minutes up river is an exquisite waterfall inside a cave; that picture is next on my list to process.
3. Before hitting the scene in picture 2, the same river winds through a series of limestone gorges. This is the spot that will be hit the hardest by increased tourism; parking is already impacted, on whatever side of the road pullout you can find, and there's little room to put more in.
Thanks for reminding me of the things I'm hearing about Slovenia. (We're in the early phases of planning a several-months wander around Europe and perhaps this should be included.)
gdanmitchell wrote:
Thanks for reminding me of the things I'm hearing about Slovenia. (We're in the early phases of planning a several-months wander around Europe and perhaps this should be included.)
Thank you. The area around photo 1 is known for having spectacular sunsets as the light filters through the adjacent Italian peaks. Even the drive up there is phenomenal, although perhaps a little white-knuckled if you're used to ample American roadways.
