Does anyone run tour from the UK and how safe is it travel through the region on your own-always wanted to go but not sure if Im organised enough-I imagine it scould get a bit swampy. Is Venice a good base camp from which to visit the area.
Thanks Seanio

Venice is probably the best place to start if you are flying but there is service to Slovenia. Slovenia seemed to me to be quite safe and absolutely beautiful. You need to be really fit to reach the high battlefields but Isonzo ( Soca ) Valley has lots to see. For a great preview get The Front On Soca by Svoljsak ISBN 961 231 288 5 great modern and old photos. You want to stay in Kobarid ( Caporetto ). Venice is way too far away to stay there.

Thanks a lot bud I shall make further inquiries along these lines
Cheers
Seanio

Seanio;

Earlier I wrote a long response to your query, but I just opened this thread up and the damn thing did not post! ????

I may not be able to re-write it right now, but I will summarize. I have been to Slovenija about 20 times, working, studying, having an apartment in the capital, and simply visiting. I have had friends there for almost 40 years.

The last time I was there, Nov.-Dec. 2003, I visited Kobarid and the fairly new museum there, which is about 98-100% on the war and the battles there. It is good, and has won awards.

Slovenija and its alpine regions are great places to visit, generally. It is lovely, very varied in a small area, exceptionally safe, and many people, especially the younger ones, will speak English and probably four other languages as well. Even 40 years ago I was told that 90% of the students took 8 years of English. My first Slovene friend spoke seven when she was 16 years old.

I drove thru Kobarid (Caparetto) about ten times before I realized it was Caparetto, which I assumed was further west in Italy. That was especially wierd as at that time I thought that my father had fought in the big battle; part of his unit was sent there from France, but he was in hospital at the time as an old wound from Verdun had flared up again. He told me stories about it that made me think that he was there, but he must have been told them by his comrades.

I have an old Slovene friend, a mountain guide that I went to Switzerland with for five summers of mountain climbing. He is an old fart now, like me, but very vigorous (unlike me), and was the best-known Slovene climber for 20 years or more.

Venice would be a bad way to get there, in my opinion, unless you want to combine two trips; Slovenija, and Venice. Only spent one day there, it cost as much as a week in Slovenija or in Croatia, and was the low point of the trip, even for my then-wife, who liked Venice. It is quite a way from where you are going. Kobarid is probably six hours from Venice (I got there by hydrofoil from Istrija in Croatia) and staying there is quite expensive. (It is a lovely place, but very different and distant for where you want to go.) There are also problems renting cars in Italy, or at least there were, according to the AAA. I would fly into Slovenija (the international airport, nominally at Ljubljana, the capital, is actually a long way up toward the Julian Alps, which is where you are going. I would even fly into Salzburg, Austria, rather than Venice. I used to like to go to Slovenija by driving south from Salzburg over the low Austrian Alps, keeping to the lovely old Roman road over the Alps, not the super-highway, which has high tolls and lesser views, if a bit faster. On this route off-season some ski hotels are open and rent for dirt cheap at off-season. (Others just close.)

Happy to give you more advice.

Bob Lembke

Seanio;

I guess that you guys are over in UK or somewhere and are snoring away; I will make a few more comments. As I said, I have been over there about 20 times (last September I spent 19 days in Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Serbija, Bulgaria, and Istanbul, where I and a friend took an apartment. But not Slovenija on that trip. When I was in Slovenija the first time I was working, at the same time, for: Cornell University; the US Department of State; The Urbanistic Institute of the Republic of Slovenija; and the Federal (Jugoslav) Committee on Scientific Cooperation. So I was working for, at the same time, aside from the University; the Department of State and two different communist governments. Strange times.

Safety: I can hardly imagine a safer place on earth than Slovenija. (I have to say that I was in London recently, and sensed that people were really scared. I live smack in the middle of Philadelphia, and 100 meters from a poor neighborhood, and the athmosphere is very different. But enough of that stuff.) When I was there one of my best friends was a young woman (still in touch a bit) who got about by sticking out her thumb and hitchhiking; her father was the President of Slovenija, and her uncle was Tito's Secretary. (No, he did not do typing; his next job was Jugo. Ambassador to Japan, and then the USSR.) I have not seen Bush's kids hitchhiking about here lately.

In 18-20 months total in ex-Jugoslavija I have seen one or two bar fights, and have spent a lot of time in bars. Not bad ones. Serbija is rather violent, but that is hundreds of miles away. The Slovenes are a very distinct people, with an unusual and hard Slavic language. They were under German rule for possibly 1200 years, and a lot of industry and order rubbed off, although some Slovenes might not want to hear that. They probably have the most intense Alpine culture as anywhere; i.e., Slavs wearing Lederhosen and yodeling.

Honesty: In 18-20 months, not only in Slovenija, I have had one person try to overcharge me $0.05, about 30 years ago. (Traveling in France, not Alsace, once a day, and I speak fair French.) I was speaking German, driving a VW with German plates, and he had one leg; probably the other was shot off by my countrymen. He tried to overcharge me $0.05 for a postcard; I asked him, not in Slovene, but in Serbo-Croatian (the language of 90% of Jugoslavs) "Exactly how much was that?"; he was so embarrassed, he not only appologized to me; he stopped pedestrians, strangers, walking past, and appologized to them. He was mortified.

I have been the victim or attempted victim of non-violent crime twice in Jugoslav areas hundreds of miles south of Slovenija, but not for 34 years.

Accomodations: I would guess that you could get a room or small apartment in Kobarid for say $35 a night; an apartment with a kitchen might only be $3 more than a room. My guess is that it is more likely to be less than more. It is not a hot tourist destination.Two years ago a was astonished that a hotel room for two in the capitol Ljubljana was $100.

Years ago I was on the mountain road near Kobarid with a girlfriend; we had nowhere to stay; I followed my night-time emergency procedure, which is to go to a bar and chat up the locals till I got a place. I got the rent of an empty house (with furniture) for $1; but the door lock jammed and we had to climb out the window to leave. The female bartender took $1 (in local money) and gave me the key, for me to leave in the morning. This was probably 10 miles north of Kobarid, but a long time ago.

Last September I spent 19 days in touristy places in "ex-Jugoslavija", mostly on the coast, and Turkey, and stayed privately, and usually paid about $35 or $40 for a room for two. (In Turkey a two BR apt. for 30 Euros a night.) In Dubrovnik we had a room., but the run of a house, kitchen, balcony, right over the sea, marble, free homemade booze in the fridge, land-lord picking us up at the ship, etc., for about $60 a nite for two. But that is a very posh area and a wonderful house.

Just go to the local bus station, have a coffee or beer, and a woman will come by with a sign saying "Rooms" in five languages; she will probably speak three, but possibly not English. But her kids will.

Bob Lembke

Seanio,

When I toured the Italian Front I stayed in a hotel outside of Udine.

Venice couldn't be less convenient--expensive and a bottleneck for transportation.

If you want to see Venice you could travel there from your base, but I sure wouldn't make it your base to see other things.

Paul

Seanio;

Paul is dead right. The option of staying in Italy right across the border from Slovenija is also a good one. That area is interesting and I think it tends to be reasonable. I think that the principal battlefields are on the Slovene side, but typically are only a few miles from present-day Italy.

The first time I went to Switzerland with Tony, my Slovene guide, we drove down to Gorica and started across Italy headed west. He insisted that we visit an Italian WW I war cemetary in the area. He was incensed at how the Slovenes were made to fight against each other for the Austro-Hungarians and Italians alike. The cemetary was very dramatic. His father had been a Russian POW that had been a forced laborer in Slovenija in WW I; they built a remarkable road from the NW corner of Slovenija up to a high (6000') alpine pass and then down south, decending with the Ionzo and the Italian border just to the right (west). Kobarid is about half way down to the Adriatic. As you climb up to the pass you pass a wooden Orthodox chapel dedicated to the Russian POWs who died building the road.

In this area are some alpine huts (many are multi-storied, with a staff, sleeping a hundred or more) that offer simple but interesting accomodations. Many can be driven to. You can have a room or sleep in a dorm. I have many happy memories of friendly stays in alpine huts in the Swiss and Slovene Alps, while memories of stays in multi-starred urban hotels rapidly fade in the waste-basket of boring travel lodging.

Private lodgings can be arrainged through the local travel agency offices to be found in any town, and they could speak to you in English and steer you to a place that also might be known to function in that tongue. If you are more adventurous just veer off when you see a sign stating "Room" in a few languages, usually Slovene, German, and Italian. (Soba, Zimmer, Cameria - Italian may be incorrect.)

Bob Lembke

Just to emphasise what Bob has so eloquently stated already. Forget about WW1, Slovenia is a fantastic country that I would recommend to anyone. The people are the nicest I have met anywhere, extremely friendly and generally speak English to a very good standard.

The country itself is beautiful and if you are based in the capital, Ljubljana, you can get to all parts relatively easily by train.

Go there - you will not be disappointed!

Neil

Just to emphasise what Bob has so eloquently stated already. Forget about WW1, Slovenia is a fantastic country that I would recommend to anyone. The people are the nicest I have met anywhere, extremely friendly and generally speak English to a very good standard.

The country itself is beautiful and if you are based in the capital, Ljubljana, you can get to all parts relatively easily by train.

Go there - you will not be disappointed!

Neil

Allow me to outline my last trip to Slovenija, November/December 2003, as it opened my eyes to some realities, even after about 20 prior visits, and having worked there 3-4 times. I have a fairly new-issue wife (A keeper!) who, despite reading 11 languages, all European, well, had only spent one day on the Continent, despite about 7 visits to the UK and Ireland. Wanted to see how she liked Slovenija and my Slovene friends.

Flew into Vienna, had three wonderful days, and then drove south to the eastern end of Slovenija, which I do not know very well at all. My wife, whose family has been farmers in New England for 371 years, now dairy farmers, was very interested in what the agriculture would be. There by the roadside was the first herd of domestic (or any) animals. A flock of ostriches!

Drove to the largest city in the eastern section of Slovenija, Marijabor, ate and hit a computer cafe at the university, and then headed west toward Ljubljana, where a friend in the travel industry had gotten us a room on favorable terms. Slovenija is probably 80-90% either hilly or mountainous; the Karawankan (sp?) Alps in the east are lower and rounded, the Julian Alps (modestly named after himself by Julius Caesar) higher, sharper, and mostly in the Triglav National Park. The southern part is mostly lower hills and forests. The country is shaped like a flat triangle pointed down.

The eastern end is the larger wine area, and also has a village that supposedly is the only European village that still practices the old pre-christian beliefs; fertility goddesses, (previously) human sacrifice of a husband to the fertility goddess in the spring for a good harvest (all the good old stuff!), etc.

Drove to Ljubljana, about 2/3 of the way across the country, and spent 2-3 days, mostly seeing old friends mostly of 30 or more years. Hotel was about $90 a night for a double; a shock to me as I was use to paying say $10 for the best places (many years ago). Left for the Julian Alps in convoy with my old mountain guide, and, amazingly, we didn't immediately find a private room, even after he made a cell call or two. (We did not want to go to one of the many ski hotels.) So we parted after taking a hike in the "fog", really clouds, below Slovenija's highest mountain, Triglav. Megan and I had a nice game dinner, asked about, and finally I drove to a tourism village that I knew from before and poked about until we found a tourist room that was available. Was about $30-35.

Lesson # 1: Do not go in the extreme off-season (Nov./Dec. is about the most off season, not summer high season, not fall shoulder season (a favorite of mine), nor not yet the skiing season. 95% of the private rooms are closed, the landlords are probably in the Bahamas, and the tourist companies have even dismantled their efficient referral services. I got by since I know the place well, speak German (very useful, we were 10 miles from Austria), speak Serbo-Croatian, and speak a bad blend of Slovene/Serb/Croatian that also works and endears one. I was really blind-sided by this, it was a problem on the whole trip, and I was stubborn and did not simply go to one of the many hotels.

Fool that I am have forgot an appointment. Will continue this narrative later.

Bob Lembke

Where is Toofatfortake off? Slovenia?

I am sure that "toofatfortakeoff" is in a mild coma induced by learning more about Slovenija than he ever anticipated, even after spending a few weeks there.

We arose and speeded west again, passing thru the ski center town Kranjska Gora and turned south and went up the remarkable road up to the app. 6000' pass of Versic by the Russian POWs, passing on the right the wooden Orthodox chapel in memory of those who died building this amazing road, with hundreds of switch-backs, great views, etc. The climate changes from European (about 1000' altitude) to alpine wooded to above the tree-line up to the wind-swept, bare pass. Just under the top we stopped at one of the alpine huts and had a hearty breakfast/lunch with the mostly hikers, families, not technical climbers gathered in the chummy dining room. (I have done a fair amount of real climbing, Switzerland, France, and Slovenija, and the companionship and good spirits is great. The "lounge lizards" are in some crummy bar some thousands of feet below you.)

Leave, inspect a magnificent mountain rescue dog in his Red Cross uniform vest sitting in the back of a vehicle in the lot, drive over the pass summit and head down the road snaking down toward Kobarid and eventually the coast of the north tip of the Adriatic. Stopped at Kobarid and went thru the excellent museum which is 98% on WW I. Room after room of weapons, uniforms, dug ammo, photos, maps, etc. Don't remember the signage, (I read four, my wife 11 well, so I really did not pay attention), and eventually left. (I bet they have a web-site.)

As the road goes lower, largely following the Ionzo, we go thru the same climate changes, but then go further into the coastal semi-tropical, including palm trees, etc. Also, the architecture changes and seems to become more Italian. We drove toward Trieste (Italian) and checked out the Lipica stud-farm (closed, late), ate there, and rather than stay in the expensive hotel/nightclub on the grounds of the stud-farm we drove to the nearest town and stayed at a non-descript older hotel, probably paying $30 rather than $100. Didn't see any private rooms. Off season people take their signs down so as not to be bothered.

In the morning we toured the stud, which is the original stud for the Lippizaners of Vienna fame, hundreds of years old. This is where the Austro-Hungarian royalty had their stud; this was part of the A-H Empire till 1918. Very interesting, meet horses (one, of an especially wonderful lineage (the records go back hundreds of years) bit my wife quite hard, but she treasured the damage.) I generally consider horses dog-food on the hoof, but these are smart, friendly animals. No other tourists about, but they scratched up an excellent English-speaking guide for us.

Then we sprinted for Rovinj, Istrija, Croatia, a sea-side middle-ages town that was the primary naval base for Venice, as the Istrian Penninsula was still covered in forests for ship-building. Crazy time to visit, cold, short days, and the tourist offices, which were open, had shut down their private room network for the winter. So we had a nice seafood dinner and drove about looking for a room, and finally did the old trick; went to a bar, and chatted up the bar-tender, whose aunt had a room open. Stayed a couple of days, but really a crazy time for the visit. About 8 miles north up the coast is (or was - now?) the world's largest nudist trailer camp, 15,000 people, mostly northern Europeans who stay for weeks or months every summer. Slovene friends, teachers, worked there for at least 9 years; visited them once; nice to see old friends (and their daughters) butt-naked. But the lady I was traveling with was a bit flustered. (Rovinj has, closer at hand, "Red Island", one of the most fameous nudist beaches/island in the world.)

Left Rovinj for Slovenija, different route, more southerly, on a high-speed motorway, and went right past Ljubljana and headed for the eastern (lower) Slovene mountains. Drove up a mountain and didn't find the place where I was headed for open (doing annual maintenance), so we splurged and stayed at a new luxury complex (condos, apartments, rental?) on the mountain-top and had a luxurious suite with a balcony for a high price, possibly $70 or so. They asked when we wanted to eat, we answered, they called the room later, there were no other guests, and they had been keeping the Kitchen and dining room and the staff open waiting for us to come. Very friendly, not servile at all, but really nice. We were a bit embarrassed. Again ate game, I think. (For example, I probably have had roast wild boar 20-30 times in Slovenija.) Took photos of the amazing suite of rooms.

Next morning mounted our auto and roared off to Vienna, and stayed another three excellent nites. While there I went to the national library, while my wife visited a museum next door, and got a look at some rare WW I material. One small publication; a kind librarian copied the whole thing for me, and seemed to insist to pay for the copying himself. Also, in Ljubljana found an interesting book on the Isonzo front (It might be the book that someone cited, but in German; I think it has been translated into at least four languages. Also visited a Viennese used book shop, but I already owned the WW I books that they had that I was interested in.) I think that Vienna has an excellent military museum, but never got there.

As for off-season reservations; I bet that you can find private rooms and apartments off-season on the Internet, with pictures, etc. Again, it seems that an apartment is only about $3 more than a room, well worth it, for the kitchen, especially. But it is clear that in extreme off-season you have to take special care for accomodations if you don't want to pay top dollar (say $100) for a room at the nearest hotel.

There! You are an expert on Slovenija.

Bob Lembke

Hello I'm awake again now and I'm sure glad of all the information. I t really is excellent and what is better is that I have a friend in Lubljana who I can possibly shack up with. I'm glad i wont end up in the Venice Waterworks so thanks a lot for going to all the trouble.
TFFTO

Toofattotakeoff;

The biggest problem with Ljubljana is that the lodgings are now pricy, relatively, but if you can "crash" there that is taken care of. If you won't have a car you can train or bus up to Kranjska Gora and then bus up over Versic (I don't know for sure, but there must be a bus) and stop in Kobarid, which would be a good base for the battlefields. If you wish continue down to Gorica/ Novo Goriza, which was a locus of a lot of fighting, and then train/bus back to Ljubljana. The latter would go there by a southern route and you would see different country, and the Alps to the north in the distance.

I'll sign off this topic unless you have more questions. Also PM me if you wish. If you want I could give you more suggestions, or possibly contacts, but if you know someone there you probably would be OK. For about 15-20 years emotionally I felt that Ljubljana was my hometown, not New York City.

Bob Lembke

Only in Venice one day. Took my (then) wife to ex-Jugoslavia during the worst of the civil war (1992) and we zipped from Istrija to Venice for the day on a beaten-up old Russian hydrofoil. . Blazing hot, I got a small glass of beer, but put my butt down on an outdoor chair for one second, and the price zoomed from $3.50 to $10.50. Got a lunch in a pizzaria, carefully planned, two tiny (great) individual pizzas and a tiny pitcher of poisonous red wine, $34 plus tip, and that was a bargain. A plate of spaggetti would have been much more. The day before my wife and I had taken a water-taxi out to a tiny island in the harbor of Rovinj, Istrija, had an excellent seafood lunch (fried squid) and a good open white wine on a table under pine trees 15' from the lapping water, $2 per person. (The town was crowded (mostly Slovenes and Hungarians) as it was one of the only safe places in "ex-Jugoslavija" to go. Rovenj is about 40% Italian, in flavor much more. They have their own language, spoken by 6000 people, but with its own poetry journal.) I went to Rovinj with a Serb girlfriend 20 years ago, she was with the secret police, besides a day-time job, she had spent a cold winter in Amsterdam, so she would drop her clothes in a tiny park in the center of town and soak up the sun, and the Croat and Italian grand-mothers would wheel baby carraiges past and curse at her. One tough lady.

I will go to Venice again, I think, but carefully planned. Amazing place.

But, for the Julian Alps, Budapest would be as practical a home base.

Have a good trip.

Bob Lembke

"Toofatfortakeoff";

Just Googled on Rooms Slovenia, went to Kobarid, and the first hit I got came up with a current room rate of $16.31 per person per day, and that works for a single person only as well as $32.62 for a couple. Pictures of the guest house, the rooms, and the village outside of Kobarid, and it looks nice.

You would probably pay more in Nigeria.

Bob Lembke

Here is the info on that hit.


Property Description

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The village Drežnica lies in the middle of untouched peace, near the western Slovenian border and underneath the mighty Krn Mountain (2245m).
We are far away from the noise of cities, and yet only an hour from Nova Gorica and Idrija, as well as from Udine and Treviso, Italy, and two hours from Ljubljana.
Our family, Kurinèiè, with the informal local name 'Lovriž', lives in the centre of this pleasant village, in house number 22.
You are invited to enjoy our hospitality.
From our house there is a splendid view of Krn Mountain, of Ozben, of Krasji Vrh and the wonderful village area.

In the intact nature of the Alps you will discover a rich legacy of diligent people.
You will be reminded of the scary memories of the 1st World War yet be able to enjoy the blissful peacefulness of the surrounding mountains.

Drežnica lies in an ideal location for various outdoor activities.
The peaks around here are ideal starting points for paragliders and mountaineers.
Only a few kilometers away lie the most popular places in Slovenia for canyoning, rafting, canoeing and kayaking on the Soèa River and other smaller rivers.
The Kanin ski centre is also very close; It is open during the winter and, if the snow conditions are good, till May.

When you are staying in our apartments you will be welcomed by the warm hospitality of our family.
The more sociable can enjoy engaging themselves in conversation either with the locals or with us and our five children.
We hope that they will enchant you with their hearty playfulness.
For those who prefer tranquility do not worry.
The apartments for tourists are completely separated from our apartment so your privacy will not be disturbed by our family life.

Food is provided in the nearby Jelkin hram restaurant.
Property Facilities

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Restaurant
Car Parking Available
Internet Access
Linen Included















Your Property Rating....

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Character 93%
Security 100%
Location 86%
Staff 100%
Fun 80%
Cleanliness 93%
Avg. Rating 92%
This hostel has been graded by 3 Hostelworld customers in the last 6 months.


Click here to view last ten ratings & read customer comments



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Bob Lembke

PS I'm not on the payroll.

Thanks Bob and everyone who has contributed to this topic-sorry I cant respond quickly as I am working sigh....I will get back to you as the time draws nearer when more questions shall occur-and they shall believe me Im doing my massivest tour next year as a present to myself for being er...good. Im gonna start at Pas de C and work my way down on a bicycle for the Spring and Summer
I shall look forward to contacting aggain ssooonnn.
Seqanio

TFFTO;

Very impressed by your plan to cycle to Slovenija. (I was a fairly successful road and track cycle racer when I was a young lad.) However, that would certainly impact your route and plans. I would be happy to give you advice on that. As I have suggested, I probably spent a total of 15-18 months in "ex'Jugoslavija", over about 20-21 visits, not counting multiple entries and exits during a given European trip, such as driving into Italy or Hungary and back. Most of that time was in Slovenija, and almost every trip involved one or more trips into Slovenija. So I have crossed Slovenija's borders probably 50-60 times, total, using practically all of the major border points. So I have a good idea of the nature of the various entry points, which range from flat to true Alpine.

My previous suggestions were based on my assumption of your driving on your trip; either your car or a rental car picked up at an airport. Most of Slovenija's roads are in the valleys, which typically have an altitude of about 1000 feet. However, many of the international crossings involve mountain passes (Typically international borders in mountainous areas of Europe run across the highest peaks and ridges.) Driving up to these border crossings in mountain passes seem an exhilarating acomplishment in an auto. I have ridden and raced in hilly, if not mountainous areas, and have a sense of what is possible, and what might only be faintly possible. The amazing mountain road built by the Russian POWs from Kranjska Gora up to the pass of Versic, which I recommended, rises about 5000 feet in a ride of about 6-8 miles, and that is only due to the incessant switchbacks; the point to point horizontal travel might only be 2-3 miles, with an ascent of about one mile in altitude. Additionally, at that altitude one might be in unexpected snow. (If you went much higher you get into a zone where it can never rain, it can only snow.) And you would want to have multiple sets of brake blocks on hand. Possibly a public bus might have accomodations for bicycles. A bus ride to the pass summit, and coasting down the other side to Kobarid, would be an exciting but doable experience. Only a short, top section of the ride down is very steep, but not like the north leg up to the pass, doable in good weather. On the north (steeper) side short sections of the higher road is paved with very small cobblestones, in very good repair, I think only at turns, for some technical reason, probably.

There may be a Slovene cycling society.

I will PM you my e-mail address if you think we are getting too particular and want to discuss this off-forum. Your plan for a cycling trip across Europe to the Balkans is quite impressive.

Bob Lembke

Hello everbody,

During August this year, my wife & I had a ten day holiday in Slovenia. Suffice to say: it really is a great place to visit. We stayed at the Hotel Zlattarog at the end of Lake Bohinj (pron: bok-in), and spent most of our time attempting various walks in the area. This is now part of the “Triglav National Park”, an area of quite tough mountains which can truly keep you fit!

However, I’m ashamed to say that I wasn’t aware of the WW1 history of this area. I’m now know that this location in modern Slovenia was part of the Isonzo Front: 1915-17, which many Austrians, Slovenes & Italians still consider to be one of the “forgotten battles” of WW1. The battles for mount Krn (Mnt Nero to the Italians) was near our holiday location, and evidence of the military concentration of the time is still well evident. “boblemke” above has mentioned a few places we saw (the Russian Chapel built by POWs etc.).

Anyway, I’ll just finish here with a picture below of the war cemetery at Ukanc next to Lake Bohinj. The multi-lingual notice board outside of it explained that most soldiers buried here were Hungarians of the Austro-Hungarian army, but also included are some Croations, Slovenes, and one unidentified Italian POW. I’ve not many other photos of the area, but briefly visited a few of the other WW1 sites, and could probably help with some comments etc..

Rich

Sorry, another attempt to post the attachment .... The Austro-Hungarian War Graves at Ukanc

Rich

Rich;

Great that you enjoyed your trip.

In February 1967 I was working in Ljubljana. I was expected to drink so much hard liquor at morning conferences that my guts were burned out and I hardly could walk. (It was my American boss, not the Slovenes, pushing the booze.) So I decided to recuperate by going skiing, which I had only done 2-3 times in the US. You must have seen the kilometer-high rock wall on the south side of the lake. There was (is?) a new ski hotel up there, I knew, on the edge of the cliff looking down on Bohinj and up to Triglav. It was considered Slovenija's most posh ski place. (Slovenes are maniacal skiers and alpinists.)

Went to a travel agency for reservations there but the agent told me that they were charging $10 for a room there with a private bath with tub, which she said was outrageous, so she begged me not to get a reservation, as they were boycotting the place. (A boycott in a Communist government! Typical Yugoslav insanity.) So I just went, took the cable car up to the terrace of the hotel, and asked for a room. The woman looked serious and asked if I had a reservation. I said no, and she said that they were full, it was late Saturday afternoon, but that she might be able to find me a bed, but that I was going to have to rough it. She made a call or two and sent me over to a small chalet about 200 m. away.

I walked over and entered and a panel slid open and a woman, a cook, leaned out of the kitchen and addressed me in good but oddly accented German. "Ah, you're the person from the other side. Well, I have a bed, but you are going to have to rough it. I must put you in a room with four maidens." I suddenly felt like I was in a male fantasy. I was led to a room with two-long bunk beds; when it was bed-time there was six high school girls and one or two high school boys snuggling with a couple of damsels. We went to bed, and a young girl ran out and brought back a liter of some sort of odd booze. She drank a lot of it, and with my aching tummy I only could drink a water glass full, forced on me. She swayed in the center of the room loudly exclaiming rude things, with neighbors pounding the walls. Finally another girl tackled her and we all fell asleep.

There was a nice breakfast in the morning. The total tab was $1.13. The ski lift ticket prices for foreigners was very discriminatory, $0.29 for 30 lift rides, $0.14 for Slovenes. Thwere only was 3 meters of cover (10 feet), locals said it was really bad, unacceptable; they wanted at least 4-5 meters, 13 to 17 feet. Instead of cutting down the scrubby trees on the slopes, they relied on snow to cover them. So you had to duck between the trees poking out and up and down into small ravines. A young woman rocketed past me into a ravine; instead of ski poles, she had a baby, only a few months old, cradled in her arms; she manuvered by leaning sharply from side to side.

Pardon the ramblings of an old fart. Slovinija is a great place, I have lots of happy memories. Prices are higher now. The filet mignon dinner (two filets) in the best restaurant was $0.86, a roast wild boar dinner $1.13.

The German military grave protection society has just opened a new German war cemetary in Ljubljana (the capitol).

Bob Lembke

The Austro-Hungarian cemetery Ukanc should not be in care of "VdK=German War Grave Commission", but in care of the Austrian pendant "Schwarzes Kreuz", see here for home page
If it were VdK-authority it sure would look proper! But I am amazed that this "Waldfriedhof" survived the communist era in good condition

Hi, Egbert;

Except for a few years after WW II, and especially during the break with Stalin in 1948, the Slovenes were generally rather decent and pragmatic during the communist era. The economy (all of Jugoslavija) was actually a market economy, not the Russian-style command economy. When I was there in 1967, working for both the US Department of State, and also government (Communist) bodies at both the republican (Slovene) and federal (Jugoslav) levels, at the same time, it was quite civilized, and the lowest entity on the political totem pole was the State Security Service (secret police), whose local head had just committed suicide. I actually had access to the contents of my file with the secret police, through friends more powerful than the police were!

In 1967 and later I was good friends with the daughter of the President of Slovenija, whose uncle was Tito's Secretary (no, he did not take shorthand), and they were decent people, respected by non-communists.

They generally were not the type to trash cemetaries.

Bob Lembke

Thanks for both your replies to my original message.

Yes, we went up in the “Vogel ski lift” to the ski hotel. At the bottom there was a v.small display of WW1 memorabilia (see first attachment photo). We hiked mainly around the L.Bohinj area, but one day took an organised trip further around the Julian Mountains. Here, we saw the Kluze Fort, which I understand (despite built in 1880s) was used as the Aus-Hungarian HQ during WW1.

Rich

Sorry, here's another attempt to post atleast one attachment: the Kluze Fort (it's getting late here!)

Rich

Rich, did you do any climbing? A nice feature is that the area is a lot lower than, say, Switzerland, sort of like it is displaced almost a mile lower than, say, Zermatt. So it is a lot easier on the lungs. My first (moderately) serious climbing was there, Triglav ("three hats"), once thought to be a three-headed pagan god. Climbed it twice with the sister of an old friend, a professor of physical education, then went to Zermatt for five summers to climb with a Slovene guide.

A nice WW I visit is the fairly new museum at Kobarid, Slovenija, which I had driven through a number of times over about 30 years before I realized it was Caparetto, which I had assumed was further west in Italy. If you were at the Russian chapel you saw the road built by the Russian POWs up from there about 5000 feet to Vrsic Pass, then down the other side to Kobarid. Even the casual traveler sees pillboxes, etc. along the road. The drive itself up the pass road is quite an experience.

Further south (very further south, hundreds of miles) is another amazing road built during WW I, the one up from Boka Kotorska (the Bay of Kotor) up into Montenegro, also switching back incessantly to rise almost vertically thousands of feet.

"Ex-Jugoslavija" is a land with, possibly too much history. I was in a group of American and Jugoslav graduate students being shown about Beograd (Belgrade) by two Serbian professors, who almost came to blows arguing whether Beograd had been destroyed by invading armies 40 times or 80 times. There is a very good military museum in the Kalamagen fortress in Beograd; the Celtic fort on the site was 700 years old, I understand, when the Romans got there. So the fort, in various forms, is at least 2500 years old. The museum has a Skoda 30.5 cm howitzer from WW I on display; can't be a lot of them left. (My grand-father used them in Belgium and in Russia; 1914 and 1915.)

I was in Beograd last year, but it was a bit unpleasant, despite my speaking Serbo-Croatian; I would not necessarily recommend it for a touristic visit. But Slovenija could be the great site for a mixed WW I/mountain/nature visit; safe, friendly (and multi-lingual; my first Slovene friend, at 17, spoke seven languages), and inexpensive, with a little effort. I've been to "ex-Jugoslavija" about 20 times, and would be happy to help anyone plan a visit, and even hook one up with a mountain guide or other local aid. A friend of 34 years in Ljubljana has been in the tourist field all that time, and has placed me privately with friends of hers in a lovely, inexpensive apartment (Lake Bled).

Bob Lembke

Bob,

Thanks again for this info. I guess we haven’t any immediate plans to return to Slovenia as yet, but would certainly like to. You said:



Yes, we saw this (via a coach + driver), but the chapel was unfortunately closed for maintenance. This was during a one-day trip around the mountains, and we had a very knowledgeable young Slovene guide. I know also that many Russian POWs with Austrian guards were killed in a catastrophic avalanche during the construction of the road. As the weather was disappointing that day, he arranged for us to briefly visit the “new museum” on the other side of the Vrsic pass – and I’m sure this was at Trenta. Anyway, this museum has been converted from a former Italian military barracks built during the 1920s/30s. I’ve attached a photo of a similar barracks taken from the museum entrance on that day. After this, our route went to Bovec, and then returned via the Predel Pass (via a brief detour “into Italy”). I can’t remember anything about Kobarid on this day unfortunately.

We are not mountaineers, but really hill walkers. Atleast, I will attempt the odd scramble to reach a mountain top on occasions. During this trip our walking excursions were mainly around Lake Bohinj, and my greatest achievement this time round was a walk from the Hotel Zlattarog to the summit of Prsivec & return (immediately N. above L.Bohinj). I envy your conquest of Triglav. I would recommend hiring guides as you say, but became quite keen about the new “Cicerone walkers’ guide” of the area, which includes several historical walks centred around Kobarid.

Rich


Old Italian barracks at Trenta:

The journey draws near thanks for the info esp on the Russian Rds and all the pics-these are eally fantastic-I have a few brake blocks-inner tubes and other bits for this killer trip-it will start in the heady Heights of Oostende in the first week of February-I shall take all this stuff with me for the latter parts as I travel down the Western Front- Thanks for all the time you all spared since my last visit-I shall get back to you re the further information offered
best wishes
Seanio

Seanio;

Have a great trip. It sounds fantastic and quite ambitious. I used to bike-race as a Junior (14-17) with some success many centuries ago (hint-I had a spill in a sprint on a cinder running track and was slightly injured; the official who advised me on treatment had a dark smudge on his forehead from a spill of his in a race on a cinder track in 1905). But I have not ridden in many years, but should.

Why don't you keep us Forumites posted occasionally on the progress of your trip, sites, etc?

Last time I was in Slovenija I was in Mariabor (in the east) changing money and lunching and just popped into the local university and used a remarkably cheap "Internet cafe without coffee" aimed at the students. I have even stayed in student dorms in past years. Along the road you will see a sign saying, "sobe" or "soba" (rooms or room in Slovene and Serbo-Croatian, and often "Zimmer" and "camara" (room in German and Italian, latter probably spelled wrong.) However, many people don't have their room available off-season. Also, tourist agencies sometimes shut down their network of rooms off-season. The Internet might find you a room.

Or maybe I am off base and you will be staying at the posh joints.

Please do not be bashful if you are there and want some advice, contacts, etc., to e-mail me or PM me. I think my Forum profile has an e-mail link. I am not as close to the scene as when I went there every year or so, but I think I still could be useful.

Again, have a wonderful time.

Bob Lembke