For a little change of pace today, we traveled about 40 miles north to the mountainous and sleepy little country of Slovenia, also a former member of the Republic of Yugoslavia. Slovenia is about half the size of Switzerland and a member of the EU.
Our destination was the spectacular Predjama Castle built into the face of a mountain, dating back to at least the 12th century.
In the 15th century a nobleman named Erasmus used the castle as a base to conduct raids on surrounding nobility. When troops from nearby Trieste, Italy arrived, they decided to wait out Erasmus, laying siege to the fortress for more than a year. They weren't aware the cave behind the fortress led to another way out, which was used to supply Erasmus and his men. They would throw food scraps to the soldiers below to show the siege was useless. Eventually, a well placed cannonball to the latrine, with Erasmus inside, literally knocked him from his throne.
After exploring the castle we stopped in Postojna, where we had a delicious meal. We all enjoyed the various pasta, risotto, beef, and calamari dishes we ordered. After some tiramisu and chocolate mousse for dessert, we were ready to say goodbye to charming Slovenia, except for a little incident in Ilirska Bistrica near the Croatian border.
No comments:
Post a Comment