My parents kept asking me and my brother to go for this Balkan trip. And we finally agreed to go in March, when the period is already heaten up a bit. Well, if you try to google, the best time to visit Balkan countries (southeast of Europe) is during the Spring time, which is in April/May. But since we have to go for a tour, there’s not much options on the travelling dates.
Ok, maybe some of you are asking, why Balkan? Apparently my parents are quite an avid traveller, even though most of their trips are on tour. So, not much options for us the kids to choose for. We just need to follow their lead. Haha
Anyway, the very first day of the Tour is super interesting for me. We went to Postojna (read: postonyah) cave , the billion years old cave that was just discovered 200 years ago by a cave lamplighter assistent, Luca čeč. The cave itself is super huge, it is stated that it’s the only cave in the world that have a double track railway line!
Yes, it’s the very first time for me as well to enter this kind of cave with a train (you can see my IG for reference🙈) , and it’s quite an interesting experience too to travel the first 3,7km with it. It feels like you’re in some kind of rides in universal studio. Haha. *Thanks to the imperial couple Franz Joseph and Elizabeth, who came to visit for the first time, and the people got it set up for them to enjoy the cave. Since then, the train tide has always been revamped for the visitors to enjoy the ‘show’.
i’ve been to this kind of cave in Hanoi (Thien Chung Cave) and China (Guilin, Reed Flute Cave – this one is pretty amazing too) but nothing like this before. Maybe it’s size captivates me. I think the size of the cave is 70 metres high, with more than 24km long.
But yesterday, we only walked about 2,5km. Which is the normal package of the attractions. Maybe the other 19km is not explorable for the visitors.
You have to enter this cave guided by the provided tour guide, and in designated time. So if you’re late, you have to wait for the next timing. They have many languages too. But mostly are still in english and european language.
The stalactites and stalagmites are so amazing. I can’t stop staring at some of them. Moreover when i know that it takes 10,000 freaking years to only grow a metre of it. It’s just Mindblowing!
Btw it’s cold and quite damp inside, so make sure you bring a jacket and wear comfortable shoes to walk that 2,5km of awesomeness. And dong forget to see blind Salamander aquarium right at the end of the walk. They said that Postojna blind salamander lives in total darkness in the Postojna cavern complex. They can grow to up to a foot in length, making them the world’s largest cave-dwelling animals and they can live up to a century.
There’s another funfact too why we cannot use flashlights inside the cave. Scientists said somehow our flash lights have some chemical reactions that somehow will stimulate algae to grow on the Karst. Surprise surprise!
*amazing 5 metre Karst that is very iconic. The white one (right side) is made from pure limestone, whereby the red-brick one (left side) is made from limestone with a mixture of red soil. Interesting to see how a side by side thing can grow differently.
And can you see the sparkly-like-diamond Karst? So lovely 😍
*For you who’s a bit claustrophobic like me, there will be some small tunnel inside the cave, but it’s still manageable since it’s not that tiny and there’s still room to breathe. So you can still chillax and enjoy :))
JENITA DARMENTO 