Predjama Castle and Postojnska Cave

Our first stop today was the police station.  We had to register as visitors to Slovenia.  This happens all the time when traveling internationally but generally your hotel takes care of it, but since we are staying with a friend, we all went to the station today to register.  It was really easy and we were in and out in about 30 minutes.  We handed over ids and passports, the officer recorded it in his book and off we went.

We were going to spend the day in Ljubljana but we decided to change our plans and out of city since the registration process hadn't taken too long.  Ben woke me up at 5:30 so I ended up sleeping through the drive, but we ended up at Predjama Castle.  It is a castle built into a cave.  It had several levels and was built right into the side of the mountain and into the cave behind it.  We felt first hand how miserable it would have been to live there.  It was cold while we were there and most of the kids were not impressed.  It was really a neat building though.  A nice Robin Hood-style story always makes things more interesting too.

Cave and Castle as one!

After the castle we went to Postojnska Cave.  I like caves but wasn't expecting much above and beyond what we've seen in the states.  There is a train ride involved so I have been talking this up to the kids to get them excited.  Well, this was quite the experience.  To start us off, we ate our squished pb & j sandwiches in the cafeteria.  It was nice to be warm.  Then we walked up to the cave entrance and found a little bit of Christmas still hanging about.  There were market stalls selling handcrafted wares, various musical groups sharing their talents and best of all, a large fire in the middle of it all.

The fire is in front of the kids.  So toasty warm!

We had wait a bit before our tickets were called and the kids admired some sheep penned just outside the cave entrance.  We boarded our train and started our journey into the bowels of the cave.  5 kilometers are open for touring.  3.5 kilometers are viewed by train and the remaining 1.5 are walked.  The train isn't the kid train at the amusement park.  It's basically benches secured to a moving flatbed and moving at about 12 mph through the cave.  The cave was well lit so we were able to see a lot.  Hyrum was able to get some awesome cave pictures.

This week there is also a Live Nativity going on for a couple hours everyday.  We decided to do that tour and I am so glad we did.  They did an excellent job, demonstrating scenes like Zacharias being told of John's birth, the Angel visiting Joseph and telling him to marry Mary.   There was music and light throughout the cave.  The last scene was of the birth of Christ.  It was beautiful.  There was a women dressed as an angel who sang Silent Night in Slovenian as well as English.  It was a special event and I am glad we were able to make it work.  All of our kids really enjoyed it as well, even the ones who aren't into caves.  

We decided to head to Italy for some dinner.  I asked the kids what kind of dinner we should have and it was unanimous "Pizza".  So off we went.  Thankfully Italy was only about 45 minutes away.  That brings our country count up to 10.  We also started playing the license plate game with European countries.  We're up to 23.  It's been a couple of good days.  The kids were almost begging for bed tonight.  Tomorrow we are going to check out Ljubljana.

Munich--Slovenia Road Trip

We left Munich today and headed to Slovenia.  We rented a car to maximize our mobility on this leg of our journey.  As we rolled down to the train station this morning to pick up the car and shoved everything in to our car, we were really glad that on this road trip we are only unpacking once.

We drove through Austria and into Slovenia which took us through the Alps.  After a little bit of drama getting our rental set up back at least an hour, we opted for the scenic but faster route through the tunnels in the Alps.  We still had plenty of beauty to take in but it was an hour shorter drive.  The mountains were gorgeous.  Some of them looked freshly snowed on.

Hohenwerfen Castle or Schloss Adler from "Where Eagles Dare"

The trunk on the first car didn't close securely so the kids and I waited
in the parking garage while Hyurm went back to sign the forms
 for the new car.  We were a bit cold but it was the perfect time to eat lunch.

I'm looking forward to seeing Ljubljana tomorrow in the light as it dusk and dark when we crossed the border and arrived at our destination.  We're staying with the 80 year old mother of one of Hyrum's professional colleagues.  We are up for the adventure and so is she.  Tomorrow, we'll go register at the local police station.

This is just a picture of our bedroom as I got everything packed.
 I'm glad it was much larger than our other rooms so I could spread things out a bit.

Giant's Causeway and the Carrack-a-Rede

Our morning started a bit earlier than I wanted but all's well that ends well as they say and we were up and out the door by 9:20 this morning armed with jackets, snacks, lunch and water.  Our first stop for the day's adventure was the Giant's Causeway.  This is a basalt rock formation in Northern Ireland from a volcanic eruption many tens of millions of years ago.  Through the millennia erosion has caused these rocks to weather in a geometric pattern of 3-9 sided figures, always forming Y connections where rocks meet.  We all had a ball scampering around on the rocks.  first down to the sea then up on a larger formation then back down again.  One of the highlights of the day was watching a pod of dolphins swimming out at the mouth of the bay.  We watched them for probably a good 15 minutes.  It was fun to hear the stories of the giant, Finn MacCool and his feud Scottish giant that required him to build the causeway and the other stories about different parts of the area.  The kids were enthralled.  It was, yet again, rugged and wild but awesome!!

After Giant's Causeway, we drove up the road two trips and a stagger as they say here to the Carrak-a-Rede Rope Bridge.  It is a rope bridge to an island used by salmon fishermen not so long ago.  I wasn't sure I was going to make it across but thankfully, I had to be strong to get Spencer across.  He only thought I was talking to him as I encouraged us both just to keep watching Hyrum's head in front of us.  It was gorgeous though.  The views were great and it was well worth the time.

The water was so clear and blue.
It was like being in the tropics but we knew the water was freezing.

We had a good day on our last adventure here in Ireland and the United Kingdom.  Monday we move on to Germany and our adventures on the Continent.  Stay tuned for our Germany adventures!!

Away to the North

Today our road trip took us north to Northern Ireland.  That makes our country count 4 for those keeping track at home.

We wound around through the mountains, past lakes and fjords, through pasture land, forests and barren deserted brush land.  Time after time we could see the sea to our left.  Mostly we just enjoyed the drive an talked about what we saw.  Every bend in the road brought another beautiful and interesting site.  We made brief stops for lunch at a playground and Donegal Castle.  The kids did a pretty good job looking out their windows, talking, singing and playing together.

Donegal Castle

A seat made out of a tree trunk at the castle.

The cross commemorates the hardship the people of Louisburgh during the Potato Famine.  600 people walked 12 miles from Louisburgh to Delphi Lodge to find relief from their starvation.  They were turned away and 200 of them died on the way back. 

Conemarra National Park and the Farm

We woke up Thursday morning to a brisk wind with just a bit of a chill to it.  We were staying at a farm and so as soon as they were dressed the kids went out in search of fresh egg for breakfast.  To their chagrin, they didn't find any so it was cold cereal and toast for them.

After a bit of an emotional breakdown, we loaded the car and drove to Conemarra National Park.  We were ready to do some walking and Hannah, Hyrum and I all secretly wanted to climb Diamond Hill, maybe Jonathan too, but it was too windy with the little kids.  We did a walk just shy of two miles.  We hiked through bog land and loved the views into the mountains and out to the sea.  The kids enjoyed it as well though Spencer was afraid of being "winded over" because of the wind and Ben spent  about a third of it crying.  He really hates the wind.  I turned him frontwards in the Ergo though and he calmed down and even fell asleep.  Jonathan kept a look out for wildlife so he could pass off cub scout requirements.

Diamond Hill 

After our hike, we stopped at the playground for some running around and lunch.  The kids love teeter-totters and we all had fun with the ones at the playground.  They also had these tilted-spinning-bucket seats that the kids love playing in.  Even Ben got in on it this time.  He loves being able to navigate the playground on his own.

We made our way back to the cottage we were renting via the Sky Road Drive, again, gorgeous.

When we got back the kids wandered around the farm outside.  They played in the tree house, fed pigs, chased chickens, pedaled the go karts, fed/terrorized the cats and dogs and just thoroughly enjoyed themselves.  Our hosts have six kids so our kids and their youngest two kids quickly bonded and spent at least a couple of hours playing together.  Their older kids spent some time practicing their horse jumping and riding.  We spent a few minutes mesmerized by that.  It was nice to lay low and just enjoy the quiet and peaceful atmosphere.  We enjoyed talking to our host and swapping stories about our lives.
The day stayed cool and windy but the kids loved it.  We put them to bed and they were sound asleep within minutes.  It's amazing what a hard day of playing can do for the mind and body.

The Cliffs of Moher and the End of the Earth

Wednesday we moved on again and headed northwest.  This drive took us into the Irish moor land and a whole lot of "nothing".  I must say though, it sure was beautiful and interesting nothingness!

Cliffs of Moher, looking south

Our first stop of the day was the Cliffs of Moher.  These cliffs hold a special spot in our hearts as the setting for the "Cliffs of Insanity" in the Princess Bride.  From where we were standing, on top of them, they didn't seem quite as ominous but they are really tall and beautiful.  It was interesting because about 5 minutes before we arrived at the cliffs, we were at sea level looking at the sea just to the left of our car, about 5 minutes after leaving the cliffs again we were at sea level.  The cliffs rise up from the land for just a short distance but they rise up quickly.

Cliffs of Moher, looking north.

We parked the car and hurriedly put on our jackets and Hannah wrapped her scarf around her head.  The wind was blowing fiercely at about 20 mph.  We stopped at the Visitor Center first.  It was a well done exhibit with lots of hands on things for the kids.  We enjoyed a brief, bird's eye view video that showcased the land and sea dwelling creatures around this area of Ireland.  We learned this is a Puffin nesting ground but were disappointed when we found out we'd missed the season and the Puffins has all gone out to sea for the winter.

Looking inland from the Cliffs, this is ranch land for cattle and sheep.
There are lots of rocks underneath that grass.

After the Visitor Center we walked out to the cliffs.  The wind rushed around us and Spencer was a bit afraid of being blown off the cliff.  We walked along them to the north until the path becomes less maintained.  Jonathan was a bit turned off by the signage about landslides making the trail dangerous.  Then we headed in the other direction.  Again the sun was in our eyes but when we turned around we had better views.

Those bald hills are the Burren.  This picture doesn't do this view justice.

We were all a bit chilled when we finished but the kids, minus Ben, all agreed it was a good stop.   We continued on up the coast into an area called the Burren.  It is a barren part of southwestern Ireland where once a Cromwellian Army Officer said, "it is said that it is a country where there is not water enough to drown a man, wood enough to hang one, nor earth enough to bury them."  After the Burren, we headed in the Connemara region.  This area goes from the sea inland and has some historic designation as a Gaeltacht or Irish speaking region of Ireland.  The area is still rugged but blanket bogs cover much of the region.  Charlotte and I had an adventure of the trail at one point and sure enough, what we though was solid land was water saturated vegetation.  We were quick to find our way back to the car.

Driving into Connemara.

Connemara

With the sea right there, we truly felt like we were at the end of the earth.  It was interesting to reflect that  several hundred years ago this was the end of the Earth for many Europeans.  The whole area was so rugged and wild but beautiful all at the same time.  I think that is the beauty of Ireland, ancient and wild but beautiful beyond measure.

Rock of Cashel

View on our drive through the mountains.

Hore Abbey ruins below the Rock of Cashel

We began our Irish road trip today.  We drove a total of about 3 hours today from our cottage in Enniskerry to just outside a town called Sixmilebridge.  We pulled into Cashel about noon so we went to the old Abbey ruins and enjoyed our lunch there.  For a bit we were only people there and the kids loved running around the ruins.  It was fun to explore on our own and see what observations we could make.  The kids are getting pretty good at noticing things like where the facade has broken away from the rough rock or different parts of churches now that they have been to a few.  Today we were looking at an arch and noticed some iron fittings on one side of it.  Jonathan asked what those were for and we had no answers, I guess it's time for some research.

The Rock of Cashel

The wind was really blowing especially at the Rock of Cashel.  After lunch, we drove up the hill from the Abbey and, after parking, made our way to the walled fortress there.  It has been a castle, chapel, and cathedral.  Today you can wander through a gothic cathedral, medieval chapel, look at the round tower and see the restored Hall of Vicars Choral where the choristers who sang in the cathedral choir lived.

Woodwork in the Hall of Vicars Choral--I love these roofs and the carvings.

The views from the hill were amazing. I have no idea how far we could see but it was beautiful.  The countryside spread out before us.  We watched a short video about the Rock of Cashel and some of the Irish history that contributed to it's existence.  Apparently, at one point in time, things were so bad in Ireland that any lord who had enough money built tower house to protect their assets.  They were basically just a large tower with different things on each level.  There were very few windows and one contemporary of these structures said they were little better than a prison.  The video mentioned thousands scattered around Ireland and sure enough on our drive we saw at least 4 or five through the day.  There were several places to where we would see ruins of a building in the middle of a pasture.  It's really neat to learn more about these people and the Irish culture.

Window at the Dominican Friary in the town of Cashel.
There were three different orders of monks living in this area through the centuries.

View from the Rock of Cashel