Saturday, August 23, 2008

SKOCJAN CAVE AND LIPICA STUD FARM

On the 15th of August we hopped into our rental car and drove to Skocjan Cave. There are 9,ooo caves in Slovenia but, the closest caves were Postojna Cave and Skocjan Cave. We decided to go to Skocjan Cave because it was a UNESCO World Heritage site and because my Mom said it was a nicer. When we got there we had to get tickets and go to our tour group. You have to take a 15 minute hike down to the cave and then another 15 minutes to get people of different languages organized. The cave was amazing!!! On some parts of the cave the stone looks like snow and ice. There were lots of stalagmites and stalactites that had grown together which is called a pillar. A stalagmite is created when water from the cave ceiling drops to the ground. A stalactite is created when water from the cave ceililng clings to the top surface of the cave. It grows one centimeter every thousand years or so. There is also a river in the cave that we got to walk over and near it there were big cups of water. After we were finished with the tour we got back in the car and drove to Lipica.




Lipica Stud Farm is the breeding home of the Lipizzaner Stallions. It is now also a resort so there are hotels, spas, etc. We took a tour of the farm and saw a horse presentation (like a show). Lipizzaner horses our special because they are very quick learners and can repeat patterns. Lipizzaners are born in dark colors but then as they grow up they get lighter. The males are trained to show off and the females are trained to pull carriges for show. We didn't think that the restaurant had great food or great service. After the presentation, we played on the playground for a little and then went home.


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I know I will never be able to see the caves but you at least me the pleasure of seeing the wonderful sites. The horses I have seen them preform. I thannk you and love you for filling in some of the things I;ll never have the opportunity to see. Bubie o x o x

Anonymous said...

Did the horses do any kind of special "dancing" in unison? Are they used for just riding by ordinary people, or are they just bred and used for show?

Thanks for telling us about them.