Part 8: Deep Down in Slovenia

Aiming high was our motto on our first tours in Slovenia. But we are all about variety. So in the second part, we hike deep down, into caves, grottos and mountain passages. But see for yourself!

Kozjak – Who loves ya, Slovenia? We do.

We are often glad that we have our thick motorcycle clothing. On the one hand, there’s the safety aspect. With the speed of our BMW bikes, we make no compromises. And then there’s the weather – without the extra layers, we would have looked pretty old (and shaky) on the Mangart Pass.

But, on the hike to the famous Kozjak waterfall, in full biker gear – we would have loved to jump into the water there to cool off at the end. Half an hour’s strenuous hike at 20 degrees Celsius is enough to make you sweat.

But it was worth it: we reached the waterfall via a suspension bridge, which offered a breathtaking view. The Kozjak waterfall itself and the small lake at its foot, however, took our breath away: Surrounded by karstic, black stone walls, the water shot through a small gap, creating an almost magical natural spectacle.

But here the pictures tell more than we ever could:

Predjama Castle

The Kozjak waterfall shows that it is impressive what nature can produce if you give it time. However, with enough time (and resources and manpower), man can also create impressions that take our shoes off – as our next stop proved.

A few exciting, winding roads – plus a coffee break in the lovely Bar 10 Damijana Kodelja in Col – later we parked our BMWs in front of Predjama Castle. The fortification extends deep into the expansive Erasmus Cave and has numerous nooks, secret passages and supply tunnels. The cave is named in honor of Erasmus von Lueg. However, he did not pursue a very honorable day’s work: He was a feared robber baron, all up to mischief in the 14th century. Erasmus also lived in the original castle that stood there and was only rebuilt in its present form in 1570 after a devastating siege. Incidentally, the same siege cost Erasmus von Lueg his life: Death by catapult, while relieving himself in the privy in his chambers. At least that’s what they tell the tourists.

Apart from the sheer splendor of the castle, we particularly enjoyed the company there: we met two friendly motorcyclists from the Leipzig area who were there on their magnificent choppers. For us bikers, the world is a village.

Moving Underground in the Škocjanske Jame

We didn’t take the time to explore the Predjama cave castle extensively. Instead, we ventured a little deeper elsewhere: at our last stop in Slovenia, we went underground. We ventured into the interior of Škocjanske Jame, a system of stalactite caves that was inscribed on the World Cultural and Natural Heritage List in 1986. An enormous, awe-inspiring network of caves. The thundering underwater river, the towering rock needles, the high, eroded domes – we couldn’t stop being amazed. Even when we saw daylight again two hours later, we kept turning the impressions back and forth in our heads for a long time.

After our trip to Škocjanske Jame, we said goodbye to Slovenia. We left the border of Croatia behind us and found great accommodation in the port city of Rijeka. We got some sleep, because the next morning we continued our charity tour for the Aktionsgruppe Kinder in Not e.V.

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Help us to make Rhine-2-Ganges a complete success!

Berthold and I want to collect at least 1 euro in donations for every kilometer ridden – a total of 50,000 Euros. We will donate the money to children from poor population groups in India so that they can receive better care and education. We are happy about any amount!

Donation account: DE40 5745 0120 0030 5199 46
BIC: MALADE51NWD
Purpose: Rhein2Ganges

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