Slovenia and Venice

This weekend in Croatia was a national holiday; Thursday was All Saint's Day, known better as The Day of The Dead. We had school off on Friday, and the Tuškans decided we would take a family vacation to Venice.

The trip started off with me forgetting my passport, but luckily Janet reminded me it was essential to the trip before we had a chance to leave the driveway...

I'll admit I slept through most of Slovenia, although what I glimpsed through blurry eyes was beautiful. Slovenia is a small but prosperous country and historically, even during the days of Yugoslavia, it has done well. We stopped at Postlojna, which is one of the longest and largest caves in Slovenia. (Slovenia is famous for its caves.)

The cave is filled with stalactites and stalagmites, and also boasts a creature known as the Human Fish, a sort of newt looking fish, skin colored and slimy looking. You take a train through the first part of the cave, and then walk through the rest. The cave was cold and damp, and although I could appreciate the aesthetics of it, I wasn't too happy with being underground. At one point the lights were turned off unexpectedly-it was pitch black and eerie beyond belief.

You almost expect to see the Seven Dwarves or a band of goblins or elves around the next corner; it is a cave out of the science books I read as a kid. Postlojna has thousand and thousands of formations which have taken thousands and thousand of years to form. Spaghetti Hall is so named because of the hundreds of stalactites dripping from the ceiling in thin cylinders. The Curtains were my favorite formation-rocks which have warped because of continuously dripping water to form what literally looks like a curtain blowing in the wind.

Next was on to Venice. It felt sacred to be journeying to a city that is so loved and revered. We took a bus into the city center, and walked down the steps and into another world. My first impression of Venice was the lack of noise. There are no automobiles, and at first I couldn't put a finger on what it was that was different-but you quickly adjust to the quiet. We took a water taxi down The Grand Canal-which was an experience due to the massive amounts of people from all over the world pushing and shoving; not wanting to miss any of the city.

We went to St. Mark's Square and fed the pigeons. Actually, I didn't feed the pigeons, they freaked me out-they are so accustomed to people that they climb all over you and eat right out of your hand. When the pigeons all take flight it is a truly magical sight.
We wandered around the city, and saw the fish market, a market that is as old as the city itself. (It still smelled strongly of fish...surprise surprise.) I loved all of the depictions of the lion with wings all over the city (the symbol of Venice) there is a lion on practically every building.
I was impressed by the cleanliness of the city, especially the water-there are no plastic bags or empty bottles, which is amazing when you think about the constant flow of traffic.

The entire time I was in Venice I couldn't shake the feeling that I was in sort of alternate reality, another world so to speak. It feels archaic and looks archaic, a combination one cannot find anywhere in America. It is difficult to imagine being Venetian-one cannot imagine people actually live and work in such a city. Around every corner is another picturesque side street that you just want to explore-it is a labyrinth of endlessly intriguing streets. And as Tomislav so aptly put it-Venice is not a place for fat people, you wouldn't be able to fit down the streets.
We also visited the Rialto bridge, which provides a lovely view of the city. I enjoyed the feeling of standing on a bridge where thousands of people have stood before. All in all, I was completely captivated by Venice.

More about Poreč later...