Hope this post isn't unacceptably long...!
I'm recently back from 2 1/2 weeks in Slovenia....my wife was supervising students on an archaeological dig so my daughter decided to come along for the ride: we got to travel around the Western half of the country while she was working. Lots of photography
opportunities....I took many snaps and family shots but am just posting some of the more general interest pix here. More in my portfolio.
For those that aren't sure (including me before I checked!) Slovenia is situated East of Italy and South of Austria....go here for more
information. Slovenia was the first of the member states to declare its independence from the former Yugoslavia...relatively peacefully too.
The region we were staying in, Karst, is geologically famous for being a limestone plateau. This shapes the whole region because underground rivers have carved extensive cavern systems (e.g. Postojna and Skocjan) containing incredible stalactites/stalagmites over the millennia. Occasionally these collapse giving rise to sinkholes ranging from swimming pool
size to Deep Impact-like craters. Over this pock-marked terrain of rolling hills, most of the region is forested or strip-farmed.
  
The forests are full of insects and pastures of wild orchids.
Villages are scattered throughout, each building with typical terracotta roof tiles and, usually at the highest point, a church with a spire. Many buildings are painted strong colours (ochres, reds, browns) although they can often be attractively faded or chipped.
 
The hot, humid weather meant that any high point gave spectacular views of lighter hills stretching off into the distance.
We visited two coastal towns with strong Venetian appearance:
Koper...
...and Piran
as well as a spa-town, Bled.
We also spent some time in the capital, Ljubljana, before leaving Slovenia.
 
I checked the stats...there are several Slovenian DPCers, lucky them.
Fortunately, we were also able to bookend our trip with visits to Venice....wow, am I glad I bought a new memory card! It's the closest thing to heaven on Earth: So much to take in, so much ice cream to eat. Again, more in portfolio.
  
Thanks for getting to the end of this. Any comments appreciated!
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