Day 46

Dobro jutro,

We finally got to see Slovenia in the daylight. Well, sort of. It was overcast and raining just about all day. It was also a public holiday, so most of the shops were closed. Nevertheless it was a good day,

Our hotel is excellent. Grandma is also impressed with the handsome, friendly and very helpful young men that work at the reception counter. There seems to be an endless supply, as we’ve come across three different men working at reception, and Grandma is impressed with all of them.

This morning we drove along the motorway to the village of Lipica, which is just over the border from the city of Trieste in Italia. So back the way we came last night, but it was only an hour away.

What was in the village of Lipica that was so interesting? Horses. Not just any horses; Lippizaner horses, the same horses they use at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna.

The Lipica Stud Farm is the original and oldest stud farm for Lippizaner horses. Lipica uses the stallions for dressage, and they use the mares for competitive carriage driving events.

We had a guided tour of the stud farm, and Grandma was in raptures. Not only did we get taken through the stables, but we were allowed

to pat the horses. This made Grandma very happy. She patted every single horse and told him he was beautiful. Meanwhile, our guide told us a little about each horse, about the history of the stud farm, and about the Lippizaner breed, which is linked to the military history of Europe.

The Lipica Stud farm has had to be evacuated and moved several times over the centuries as various wars have washed over Slovenia. Napoleon, two world wars, the rise and fall of the Hapsburgs. But through it all the farm has managed to keep intact their stud book, which has the genealogy of every horse they have bred back to 1586.

After the tour, we were able to just wander freely around the stud farm. Grandma couldn’t believe that we were free to roam. Koro was a bit worried that Grandma would try to sneak one of the stallions into her suitcase. Luckily she couldn’t decide which one, because they were all such nice horses.

The museum on the stud farm was also excellent. It sounds boring, a museum about horses. But some of the displays were really interesting, showing the mechanics of a horses legs and the reason they can run so fast.

In the gift shop, Koro came across a couple of little piggies that reminded him of his grand children, he just couldn’t think which grand children. Were they Abigail and Charlotte? Or Miya and Ty?

We had a very quick sandwich in Lipica, then drove back to Ljubljana and headed for Ljubljana Castle. This sits high on a hill overlooking the city. Unfortunately, it was dark and foggy by this stage, so we didn’t get to enjoy the view.

The castle was once a proper, medieval fighting fortress, with a gate, towers, and buildings arranged around a central keep. Of course, there was also a dungeon.

Over the years the castle was reduced to an unsafe pile of rubble. So it has been restored, or perhaps a better word is refurbished. It still retains the original shape and stone walls, but some of the spaces use modern materials (concrete, glass and steel) to compliment the original stone walls and create galleries, exhibition areas, restaurants, even a jazz club. The rooms were well lit and heated. You still got the feel for the old castle with modern comforts.

We had an excellent meal in one of the restaurants. It was Slovenian dishes (similar to German or Czech, meat, potatoes, cabbage).

So far we are really enjoying Slovenia. We are looking forward to exploring the city of Ljubljana tomorrow morning in the daylight.

Love to you all from Grandma and Koro and Buzzy Bee. XXX OOO.