Slideshow of Jeanie & David in Slovenia

bl01.jpg##Happy Birthday, David! How about some bubbly after a very hard ride? bl02.jpg##Cheers from the patio at our accommodation- Apartment Muznik bl03.jpg##Lake Bled from the balcony at David's birthday dinner bl04.jpg##View of the Castle with the lake and the mountains bl06.jpg##The church on the island in the middle of Lake Bled. You can hire the boats to take you to the island. Or you can swim if you don't mind freezing cold water! bl07.jpg##A perfect frame for the church on the island bl08.jpg##The church on the island bl09.jpg##In case you didn't know you were in Bled… bl10.jpg##We needed a bit of a break- Bill, David, Emily, and Don bl11.jpg##David and Don and the area map ce01.jpg##View from the castle in Celje ce02.jpg##Parts of the castle in Celje ce04.jpg##Mountains and valley from the castle in Celje ce05.jpg##View of Celje from the castle ce06.jpg##Lovely restaurant. Too bad they weren't open for lunch! ce07.jpg##View from the Celje castle; mountains and valley ce08.jpg##Jeanie as the Princess bride of Frederick ce09.jpg##Princess Barbara was doomed by her father-in-law. ce10.jpg##Mixing of the waters. A clear line of the rivers ce12.jpg##Big flower bushes ka01.jpg##Cool place on the square, and there was a vending machine that dispensed all manner of things; sausages, cheeses- things you wouldn't expect to find in a vending machine. What? No Fritos????? ka02.jpg##David is excited about staying in an HI-hostel ka03.jpg##See. There's even an HI sign!!!! ka05.jpg##Fun fountain on the main square in Kamnik ka06.jpg##Fun fountain on the main square in Kamnik ka07.jpg##Church at the top of the hill in Kamnik ka09.jpg##Castle church in Kamnik ka10.jpg##View from the hill above Kamnik ka12.jpg##Kamnik is a lovely town ka13.jpg##Lovely town nestled in the mountains ka14.jpg##Rooftop view of Kamnik ka15.jpg##Part of the castle at Kamnik ka16.jpg##Is this the coolest bike rack you've ever seen?!???? ko01.jpg##Crossing the beautiful river on the way into Kobarid ko02.jpg##Jeanie takes a selfie from the bridge ko03.jpg##The water is so blue and clear. The blue is from glacial salts, and the river is deep enough to dive from the bridge. We later saw a professional diver dive from the bridge into the river. We were a bit freaked out at the moment, because we didn't know he was a professional diver. ko04.jpg##Beautiful blue river ko09.jpg##This bike was festively decorated for the Giro d'Italia that went through Kobarid a couple of years earlier ko10.jpg##Mussolini's monument to the Italian soldiers who died in battles at or near Kobarid in WWI. The monument is at the highest elevation in Kobarid. ko11.jpg##View of Kobarid from the WWI monument ko12.jpg##Selfie from the monument with a view of the mountains in which Kobarid is nestled ko13.jpg##Inside of the church at the top of the monument. One can't go in, due to past vandalism. That was pretty much the case everywhere. One could look in but not enter. ko14.jpg##Rope bridge over the river. This is in the same place as the original one from WWI. boh01+G64.jpg##View from our farm stay. The mountain is Trglev, the highest peak in Slovenia. The best breakfast! Eggs freshly harvested from her chickens and scrambled for us. Lots of food boh02.jpg##Another view of Trglev boh07.jpg##Another view of the train station at Bohinjsk Bistrica boh09.jpg##Another shot of this tiny village on our route to Most na Soce boh11.jpg##Howard taking 3-D photos from the train boh13.jpg##Little village nestled in the mountains lj03.jpg##Explanation of ventilation corridors lj02.jpg##David in a ventilation corridor lj06.jpg##Fountain in Ljubljana lj07.jpg##Architecture in Ljubljana lj01.jpg##Architecture in Ljubljana lj08.jpg##Fountain in Ljubljana lj09.jpg##Lubljaniska River left bank lj11.jpg##David at the Dragon Bridge lj13.jpg##This is in the puppet museum at the castle in Ljubljana. Such cool things in this museum. Highly recommended lj14.jpg##David being the puppeteer lj16.jpg##Very political displays. Slovenia was hard hit in both World Wars. These are Nazis terrorizing the locals lj17.jpg##And don't forget the Commandant's needs…. lj19.jpg##The pink church. We tried to get in a couple of times, but either closed or an event happening. lj21.jpg##Old town Ljubljana as seen from the castle tower lj22.jpg##Rooftops from the castle tower in Ljubljana lj25.jpg##Adam and Eve Sculpture by Brdar lj26.jpg##Butcher's Bridge lj27.jpg##Another Brdar sculpture in Ljubljana lj28.jpg##Spider web on the sculpture lj29.jpg##Brdar's oysters, Jeanie's chest, and David's feet lj30.jpg##Not really the entrance to St. Nicholas Cathedral in Ljubljana. But the shiny brass knob shows that many have tried. lj31.jpg##Close up of the (non-entrance) door to St. Nicholas Cathedral in Ljubljana lj32.jpg##Flowers from the light fixtures lj34.jpg##Nice old bike. General Legnano lj35.jpg##David inspecting the General lj38.jpg##Why don't we hang flowers from our lights? lj39.jpg##Castle vineyard in Ljubljana lj40.jpg##Roses at the end of the rows of grapes lj41.jpg##Old vines from Celje to Ljubljana lj44.jpg##Side door of St. Nicolas Cathedral. The heads are native sons who became bishops and in one case, pope. lj46.jpg##Sunlight on the Bishops of Ljubljana lj47.jpg##Lajbah pub. Great recommendation for good beer from our guide. The beer tasted so good after a long day of walking around. lj48.jpg##Festively painted building just down the street from our hotel. lj50.jpg##A close-up of the mail bike. lj52.jpg##View of the castle from the street lj54.jpg##View of the castle from the street lj55.jpg##Fun "scarecrow" seen on a walk in Tivoli Garden lj56.jpg##Fountain in Tivoli Garden lj61.jpg##Ornate pulpet in St. Nicolas Cathedral lj63.jpg##Fountain fashioned after one in Vienna ng01.jpg##From Tolmin we rode to Nova Gorica, and immediately found this restaurant on the square. Squid 3 ways; grilled, stuffed and grilled, and calamari. OMG! So good, but too much food. We couldn't eat it all. ng02.jpg##But we did try to eat it all. ng03.jpg##Fountain on the square where we had lunch. Kids loved playing on the sculpture/fountain ng05.jpg##On the road to Vipava, which is a big wine area, I thought I should at least take a picture of some of the vineyards we were riding by. ng08.jpg##On the way to Vipava, we went by the turnoff to Vipavski Kris, which is a medeval town at the top of a hill overlooking the valley. I took photos of everyone as they got to the top. This is Emily ng09.jpg##Bill on the way up to Vipavski Kris ng10.jpg##Howard on the way up to Vipavski Kris ng11.jpg##Wendy on the way up to Vipavski Kris. And unlike Emily, Bill, and Howard, Wendy didn't have an e-bike. Nope. She's riding her Bike Friday. You go Girl! ng12.jpg##View of the mountains and the valley from Vipavski Kris churchyard ng14.jpg##Ruin in Vipavski Kris ng16.jpg##This is the old town wall ng17.jpg##Ruins on the right; apartments on the left. Bill checking it out ng19.jpg##The old tower and solar panels pi01.jpg##Dinner for the gang in Piran at Neptune pi02.jpg##We devoured our seafood feast and were all quite full pi03.jpg##The ubiquitous St. George in Piran pi04.jpg##A harpist plays outside the church in Piran. She's there daily, and we saw her later at the ice cream shop pi05.jpg##The Piran point viewed from the castle pi06.jpg##That's supposed to be "smile" not "squint". Selfie with the point of Piran from the castle. pi07.jpg##No nude sunbathing for these folks pi12.jpg##The square, the port, the lighthouse, and the bay at Piran. Lovely little town. pi13.jpg##Sunshines on the Piran Point pi15.jpg##Sunny view of Piran pi16.jpg##Having a cappucchino before leaving Piran pi17.jpg##Our transport from Piran to Postojna. None of us had ever seen a trailer like this before. pi19.jpg##Closer look at the bike trailer pi20.jpg##Very interesting bike trailer. Tandems and Bike Friday's don't fit on this, and the e-bikes in the group were heavy and hard to load. po01.jpg##The castle built into the mountain po02.jpg##This castle at Postojna is a "must see" po03.jpg##David with the castle at Postojna po04.jpg##Jeanie with the castle at Postojna po05.jpg##Getting closer you can see better how the castle is really incorporated into the mountain po06.jpg##The castle at Postojna is quite a medieval fortress. Impenetrable from behind, and suicidal if assaulted from the front. po07.jpg##This is a karst region and caves abound. Behind and below the castle you can see caves po08.jpg##Don't you just love the flowers in the windows. That's a modern touch. I'm sure they weren't there in the 12th century po10.jpg##Inside the castle you can see exactly how this fortress was integrated into the mountain. This is a shot of an interior roof and a wall abutting the mountain. po11.jpg##View from a window inside the castle. You can see that an enemy would be at a severe disadvantage. po12.jpg##View from a window inside the castle. See the white umbrella? That was where we ate lunch. po13.jpg##Interior view. Mountain meets castle po15.jpg##Mountain meets castle po16.jpg##A crapper, not THE crapper po18.jpg##Moldy mountain wall and smooth interior castle wall blended almost seamlessly po20.jpg##Castle wall and mountain blend po21.jpg##Another little cave above the castle po22.jpg##I see you! The castle at Postojna is immense. po23.jpg##A bridge connecting parts of the castle. Another means of defense. pt01.jpg##We took the route on the east side of the river and saw many vineyards. Also, it was paved the entire way. pt02.jpg##Ptuj Town Hall- lovely building and flowers in the windows pt03.jpg##View of Ptuj rooftops from the castle pt04.jpg##View of Ptuj rooftops and bridges from the castle. The nearer bridge is the pedestrian bridge. pt06.jpg##St. George's church tower and Town Hall from the castle in Ptuj pt08.jpg##Korants. They're the demons who chase away the cold winter and usher in spring. There are many parallels to Mardi Gras with great costumes, though one difference is there ar traditional costumes- the kromant, the ploughman, the cow, etc. The similarity is that it's a huge party in which everyone has a great time. pt10.jpg##The bear and other traditional costumes pt11.jpg##More Korant costumes sl01.jpg##Our Hotel, Hotel Garni, in Skofja Loka sl02.jpg##Pedestrian bridge in Skofja Loka sl03.jpg##Friends Robert and Anne at the square in Skofja Loka talking to the Chef of Bar Pilarna. Great Mushroom soup! sl04.jpg##Pretty building; pretty flowers sl05.jpg##Small street in Skofja Loka with lovely flowers sl06.jpg##Flowers everywhere! sl08.jpg##Church on the hill in Skofja Loka sl10.jpg##Lovely murals on the building with David as a length scale sl11.jpg##At the monastery door sl14.jpg##View of the mountains from the monastery observation deck sl15.jpg##View of the Church from the monastery observation deck sl16.jpg##Sort of run down, but still a lovely building sl17.jpg##Restored building including the outside murals. It's now a hotel sl18.jpg##Medeval bridge from our hotel into town sl19.jpg##Breather. This may not look like much of a hill, but it was steep to01.jpg##Karst region around Tolmin. This is a cave probably used by soldiers seeking refuge/respite from the action in WWI. to02.jpg##Slovenia was part of the Austrian Empire and were getting their butts kicked till they enlisted assistance from Germans. The Austrian/German built caves had many purposes. to03.jpg##Our guide, Michael in front of one of the caves. Some were built to get men to the action on the other side of the mountain, some were built for cannons, some were built to have spotlights shine on the action to see what was going on. Still others were built to collect water. Over 4K men on that mountain, and no real source of food or fresh water, and in the winter, it was brutal. No wonder men found or dug out caves in the mountainside to take cover. to04.jpg##In the churchyard on the WWI tour outside Tolmin. A view of a village from the churchyard. to06.jpg##David and Paul listen as Michael explains the cave was used for fresh water collection. to08.jpg##This is a description of the Austro-Hungarian regiment and the cemetery where we were standing. There were so many men dying, they had to be buried, otherwise the stench would be overwhelming. After the war, the bodies were exhumed, identified, and where possible given to the family for proper burial with other family. tr01.jpg##Just past the Lipizaner stallion farm we cycled by the sign welcoming us into Italy. tr02.jpg##A view of Trieste from the hill above tr03.jpg##Another view of Trieste from the hill above. A quite icky gravel road, but better than Trieste traffic. tr04.jpg##David sitting on our bed in our apartment in Trieste. This was a really big apartment. tr05.jpg##David in the living room of our apartment in Trieste tr06.jpg##Kitchen in our apartment in Trieste tr07.jpg##It even has a bidet! tr08.jpg##Lunch in Trieste after cleaning up tr09.jpg##The main square in Trieste, where the buildings are City, State, and National tr10.jpg##State building on the square in Trieste tr11.jpg##City building on the square in Trieste tr12.jpg##National building on the square in Trieste tr13.jpg##Closeup of the façade of the National building on the square in Trieste tr14.jpg##Oh what fabulous porcini! We got some, but not enough. David sauteed them later as an appetizer tr15.jpg##More fresh porcini. Oh why can't we have green grocers like this?!?!?! tr16.jpg##And chanterelles tr17.jpg##In our tour of Trieste, our guide pointed out this Roman arch which used to be an entrance. Clearly not destroyed, but not functioning as it had. tr18.jpg##Marble inlay floor in the cathedral in Trieste. tr19.jpg##The altar in the cathedral in Trieste tr21.jpg##Mosaic floor in the cathedral in Trieste tr22.jpg##Roman ruins beside the cathedral in Trieste tr23.jpg##Roman ruins beside the cathedral in Trieste tr24.jpg##Exterior wall and ruins beside the cathedral in Trieste tr25.jpg##Can't resist the female form, can you, David? tr26.jpg##Mideval tower for surveillance tr27.jpg##Explanation of the mideval tower tr28.jpg##Roman amphitheater in Trieste tr29.jpg##Fountain on the square in Trieste tr30.jpg##Interesting building. Some in Trieste prefer to be under the management of UK/US as was the case post WWII. They had no taxes to pay to Italy that way. tr31.jpg##This odd-looking cross actually tells the official sea level for Italy. tr32.jpg##Don and the bikes on the back of the ferry to Muggia tr34.jpg##This is the swimming hole. Koper was on the way from Muggia to Piran, and we stopped for a coffee and pastry. Wendy had a swim in the pool tr35.jpg##Another big lunch. This time in Koper tr36.jpg##We got off route, and ended up on this ridge with a stunning view, and a 19% downhill coming up. vi01.jpg##We huffed and we puffed, we rested, we swore, and sometimes we thought we couldn't make it up to Farm Stay Ferjancic. But we did, and this is the view into the valley from the farm vi02.jpg##Another view from above Ma's garden vi03.jpg##A well-deserved beer amidst the grapevines vi04.jpg##See how good? vi05.jpg##A cluster of grapes at Farm Stay Ferjancic. Right next to us drinking beer vi07.jpg##Farm Ferjancic. Small vineyard, so they can't make all their living from wine (only 3000 liters/year), so they have this farm stay, and it was fabulous vi08.jpg##Make way for the grapes! vi09.jpg##Natez, one of the workers, playing his grandpa's accordian. Celebrating the harvest vi10.jpg##Gramps had a nice accordian vi11.jpg##Natez enjoying playing for the harvest vi12.jpg##The crew at work. Dumping grapes into the "stemmer", which goes into the centrifuge inside the barn. vi13.jpg##Natez playing with Ma in the background vi14.jpg##Close-up view of dumping the grapes into the stemmer vi15.jpg##Cleaning the stemmer vi16.jpg##Ma's son. We're happy with the harvest vi17.jpg##The centrifuge where the grapes go and the juice is extracted into the pan below. vi18.jpg##And from the pan below the centrifuge, the juice is pumped to vats for fermentation vi19.jpg##Fermentation vessels vi21.jpg##Small vineyard. This is it for their fermentation room. vi23.jpg##Dinner at Ferjancic vi24.jpg##Of course there's wine! Work crew chillaxing vi25.jpg##Work crew with other guests. All having a great time. vi26.jpg##View of the valley below vi27.jpg##Ma's garden. We had the BEST salad there. She picked tomatoes, onions and cucumbers from this garden for our salad for dinner. Outstanding. Freshest I've ever had. vi28.jpg##Natez plays accordian while the rest of the crew process the days pick. vi29.jpg##Natez plays accordian after dinner while others sing along, and we tourists enjoy the show.