Couldn't help noticing the lack of leaves on trees in some places.

Winter must be catching up with us soon.

It defined driving conditions for the next couple of days.

We followed the signs, didn't have to stop, didn't see anyone in uniform.

This is the entry to Slovenia.

It was part of Jugoslavia last time I passed this way. Then I really only saw the coast of what is now Croatia.

We really haven't done any research and don't know what to expect.

We failed. Rarely do people use the name of the town they are standing in, and there weren't many people around.

Its the river Drava (we think). The building on the hill is the castle, a non-fortified monastic looking building.

The tower to the left has been hijacked by the local radio ham and has a large aerial on top. 

If the ham radio aerial was acceptable we suspect that having a building with a roof other than red would have caused the visitation of some medieval torture.

A bout of beubonic plague went through Europe in the 17th century.

Passing Ljubiana we began to see the distinctive outline of limestone hills.

And finally a bit more sunshine.

Its perched on the edge of a rather large collapsed sink hole.

Above the cave the river Reka has carved through the limestone.

We went for a walk round (as one does).

Concsecrated in 1606.

This western most part of Slovenia, almost down to the Adriatic Sea, is named Kras.

With a bit of imagination, and armed with some prior knowledge, we can work out that this area of Karst is the origin of the name and most of the geological terms associated with Karst landscapes.

Its as if we've embarked on some strange form of geological pilgrimage.

Its also a very impressive deep and large cave.

We went for a guided 3km walk through the cave - no photos allowed, but don't know why.

There are stalactites and so on in the cave but they are relatively young and not particularly dense.

The attraction is the size of the cave. Its almost the world's deepest cave canyon.

Lower, to the left, is the current river entrance.

The horses were occupying the campground (which was really closed) so we parked next to the house and apartments.