The Best of Slovenia

HI, I'M RICK STEVES,

BACK WITH MORE OF THE BEST OF EUROPE.

THIS TIME, IT'S BEACHES, CAVES, AND ALPS --

ENJOYING A CULTURAL WORKOUT IN SLOVENIA.

THANKS FOR JOINING US.

TINY SLOVENIA, WITH JUST TWO MILLION PEOPLE,

IS ONE OF EUROPE'S MOST

UNEXPECTEDLY DELIGHTFUL DESTINATIONS.

LOCATED WHERE THE GERMANIC, MEDITERRANEAN,

AND SLAVIC WORLDS COME TOGETHER, SLOVENIA HAS A UNIQUE APPEAL.

WE'LL ENJOY THE PLAYFUL ARCHITECTURE

AND LIVELY CAFE CULTURE OF ITS CAPITAL CITY,

ROW TO A CHURCH-CAPPED ISLAND,

EXPLORE THE JULIAN ALPS,

DESCEND INTO A MASSIVE CAVERN,

AND SUNBATHE WITH SLAVS ON THE TINY

BUT INVITING SLOVENIAN COAST.

DURING MOST OF THE 20th CENTURY, YUGOSLAVIA WAS ON

THE OTHER SIDE OF WHAT WAS CALLED THE "IRON CURTAIN."

AS YUGOSLAVIA BROKE UP INTO SEPARATE COUNTRIES IN THE 1990s,

SLOVENIA BECAME INDEPENDENT AFTER A TEN-DAY WAR.

WE BEGIN IN THE CAPITAL CITY, LJUBLJANA.

AFTER RELAXING AT LAKE BLED, WE LOOP THROUGH THE JULIAN ALPS

AND THE HISTORIC SOCA RIVER VALLEY.

WE END AT THE ADRIATIC RESORT OF PIRAN.

LJUBLJANA FEELS SMALL.

IT IS, WITH ONLY ABOUT A QUARTER OF A MILLION PEOPLE.

BUT IT'S BY FAR THE COUNTRY'S LARGEST CITY,

ITS CULTURAL CAPITAL, AND A CHARMING PLACE

TO KICK OFF ANY SLOVENIAN TRIP.

A FORTRESS HAS CAPPED LJUBLJANA'S HILL

SINCE ROMAN TIMES.

AS IF TURNING ITS BACK ON ITS HARD-FOUGHT HISTORY,

THE CITY PLAYFULLY STRADDLES ITS SLEEPY RIVER.

LJUBLJANA IS LAID-BACK,

THE KIND OF PLACE WHERE CRUMBLING BUILDINGS

SEEM ELEGANTLY ATMOSPHERIC RATHER THAN SHODDY.

IN ITS RELAXED PEDESTRIAN CENTER,

IT SEEMS ALL ROADS LEAD TO THE MAIN SQUARE.

FANCY FACADES AND WHIMSICAL BRIDGES

ORNAMENT DAILY LIFE WITH A SLOVENIAN TWIST.

CENTURIES OF RULE FROM VIENNA

UNDER THE GERMAN-SPEAKING HABSBURGS

SEEMS TO HAVE BOTH INSPIRED

AN APPRECIATION OF THE GOOD LIFE

AND STRENGTHENED THE LOCAL SPIRIT.

THE STATUE OF FRANCE PRESEREN, SLOVENIA'S GREATEST POET,

REMINDS LOCALS THAT THEIR LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

ARE BOTH DISTINCT AND WORTHY OF PRIDE.

THE TRIPLE BRIDGE --

WHERE THE TOWN SQUARE JOINS THE RIVER --

IS BOTH A POPULAR MEETING PLACE

AND A BELOVED SYMBOL OF THE CITY.

THE BRIDGE SEEMS ALMOST VENETIAN.

THAT'S BECAUSE THE ARCHITECT RECOGNIZED THAT LJUBLJANA

IS MIDWAY BETWEEN VENICE AND VIENNA,

AND THE CITY ITSELF WAS AND STILL IS

A BRIDGE BETWEEN THE ITALIAN AND THE GERMANIC WORLDS.

THE RIVERFRONT MARKET IS A HIVE OF ACTIVITY,

WHERE BIG-CITY SLOVENES

ENJOY BUYING DIRECTLY FROM THE FARMER.

OVER TIME, SHOPPERS DEVELOP

FRIENDSHIPS WITH THEIR FAVORITE PRODUCERS.

IN THIS TINY COUNTRY, IT SEEMS LIKE

EVERYBODY KNOWS EACH OTHER.

SOME FARMERS STILL USE WOODEN CARTS TO BRING VEGGIES IN

FROM THEIR GARDEN PATCHES.

THE MARKET IS A PERFECT OPPORTUNITY

TO CONNECT WITH THE LOCALS.

DOBER DAN.

DOBER DAN.

UM, CHERRIES?

YES.

UM, HALF KILO.

HOW DO YOU SAY "HALF KILO"?

POL KILO.

POL KILO.

POL KILO.

POL KILO -- THIS IS YOUR FARM?

OUR FARM, YES.

THEY ARE FRESH.

YES, THEY'RE VERY GOOD.

THESE SCALES ALLOW BUYERS TO IMMEDIATELY

DOUBLE-CHECK THE ARITHMETIC,

JUST IN CASE.

HABSBURG DAYS LEFT LOCALS WITH THE OLD SAYING,

"TRUST IS GOOD; CONTROL IS BETTER."

HALF A KILO -- IT'S JUST RIGHT.

THE MARKET'S PICTURESQUE COLONNADE

IS DESIGNED TO LINK THE TOWN AND THE RIVER.

IT FEELS MADE-TO-ORDER FOR CONVIVIALITY --

ENJOYING A DRINK OR OBSERVING THE MARKET ACTION.

NEARBY, VINTNERS PROUDLY SHARE THEIR WINES.

THESE WINES, FROM THE NORTHEAST OF SLOVENIA,

ARE CONSIDERED SOME

OF THE COUNTRY'S BEST.

PERHAPS LJUBLJANA'S SINGLE BEST ACTIVITY

IS SIMPLY STROLLING THE RIVERFRONT PROMENADE

AND SITTING IN AN OUTDOOR CAFE

TO WATCH THE STYLISH SLOVENES STRUT THEIR STUFF.

AS HOME TO THE COUNTRY'S MAIN UNIVERSITY,

YOUTHFUL LJUBLJANA

IS BUSY WITH STUDENTS.

AN EARTHQUAKE LEVELED THE CITY IN 1895.

IT WAS REBUILT IN THE ART NOUVEAU

AND ART DECO STYLES SO POPULAR IN VIENNA,

THE EMPIRE'S CAPITAL AT THE TIME.

LJUBLJANA REMAINS A TREASURE-TROVE

OF ENGAGING ARCHITECTURE.

THIS STRIKING BUILDING WAS DESIGNED BY

AN AMBITIOUS LOCAL ARCHITECT,

HOPING TO FORGE

A UNIQUELY SLOVENIAN STYLE.

BUT THE BIG NAME IN LOCAL ARCHITECTURE

AND URBAN DESIGN IS JOZE PLECNIK.

LIKE GAUDI SHAPED BARCELONA AND BERNINI SHAPED ROME,

PLECNIK SHAPED LJUBLJANA.

HE LIVED IN THE EARLY 20th CENTURY,

STUDIED IN VIENNA, MADE HIS NAME IN PRAGUE,

AND HAD HIS GREATEST IMPACT RIGHT HERE,

IN HIS HOMETOWN.

PROLIFIC PLECNIK ESSENTIALLY REMODELED

HIS HOMETOWN WITH HIS DISTINCTIVE

CLASSICAL-MEETS-MODERN STYLE.

ALONG WITH THE TRIPLE BRIDGE AND THE MARKET COLONNADE,

PLECNIK'S BRILLIANCE FOR URBAN DESIGN --

THE ABILITY TO CONNECT

LJUBLJANANS TO THEIR CITY AND RIVER --

IS EVIDENT IN HIS COBBLER'S BRIDGE.

BECAUSE HE LOVED HIS TOWN,

WALKED TO WORK EACH DAY, AND HAD TO LIVE WITH

WHAT HE DESIGNED, PLECNIK WAS

PARTICULARLY THOUGHTFUL ABOUT INCORPORATING

AESTHETICS, NATURE,

AND PEOPLE'S NEEDS INTO HIS WORK.

THE HOUSE OF LJUBLJANA'S FAVORITE SON IS ON

AN UNASSUMING STREET,

BUT BEHIND THE GATE, IN HIS GARDEN,

THE CREATIVE WORLD OF PLECNIK OPENS UP.

GUIDES, PASSIONATE ABOUT HIS WORK,

GIVE MEANING TO HIS HOME.

Woman: SO THIS IS PLECNIK'S ROOM,

WHERE HE WORKED, AND HE SLEPT HERE.

SO, HIS BED, RIGHT NEXT TO HIS WORK TABLE.

YES, ABSOLUTELY.

AND A SINGLE BED?

WAS HE NEVER MARRIED?

NO, HE WAS MARRIED TO THE ARCHITECTURE.

BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, YOU HAVE HERE A GILDED SCULPTURE

ON THE TOP OF THE CEILING.

SOME KIND OF A MUSE, YOU KNOW.

BUT IF YOU LOOK ALL AROUND,

YOU WILL SEE THERE ARE MANY, MANY

PERSONAL OBJECTS -- HIS GLASSES, OR,

FOR EXAMPLE, HIS HAT.

HE WAS FAMOUS BY THAT HAT.

HE WAS ALWAYS WEARING IT

AND ALWAYS DRESSED IN BLACK.

SO PLECNIK IS VERY IMPORTANT TO THE SLOVENIAN PEOPLE.

ABSOLUTELY.

HE LEFT SUCH A STRONG MARK, NOT ONLY IN VIENNA AND PRAGUE,

BUT DEFINITELY IN LJUBLJANA,

BECAUSE ALL THE LAND ACCESS

AND RIVER ACCESS ARE DESIGNED BY PLECNIK.

AND HIS HERITAGE LIVES ON TODAY

AS THE PEOPLE ENJOY HIS CITY.

THAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT.

ALL THE BRIDGES ARE CROWDED, YOU KNOW,

AND THE ARCHITECTURE REALLY LIVES,

EVEN NOWADAYS.

Steves: IF THIS CITY WORKS FOR ITS PEOPLE

AND FITS THEIR CHARACTER,

IT'S AT LEAST IN PART THANKS TO JOZE PLECNIK.

IN SLOVENIA, SO SMALL AND SO LACED WITH MODERN FREEWAYS,

VIRTUALLY EVERY SIGHT IS WITHIN AN HOUR OR TWO

OF THE CAPITAL CITY.

WE'RE HEADED NORTH, INTO SLOVENIA'S JULIAN ALPS.

OUR FIRST STOP

IS THE COUNTRY'S TOP ALPINE RESORT, LAKE BLED.

SINCE THE HABSBURG DAYS,

THIS IS WHERE SLOVENES TAKE THEIR GUESTS,

WHETHER KINGS OR COUSINS,

TO SHOW OFF THEIR NATURAL WONDERS.

[ BELL RINGING ]

THE CASTLE IS STRIKING,

AS ARE THE VIEWS FROM THE CASTLE.

LAKE BLED RETAINS AN AURA OF THE ROMANTIC AGE.

SLOVENES ARE PARTICULARLY FOND OF THEIR FAMOUS LOCAL PASTRIES.

THE DECADENT KREMSNITA ARTFULLY SANDWICHES LAYERS OF CREAM

AND VANILLA CUSTARD BETWEEN SHEETS OF DELICATE CRUST.

LAKE BLED'S ICONIC ISLAND IS THE FOCAL POINT OF ANY VISIT.

ROMANTIC PLETNA BOATS, UNIQUE TO THIS LAKE,

FERRY VISITORS BACK AND FORTH.

LOCALS STILL BUILD THEIR PLETNAS BY HAND

WITH LARCH WOOD FROM A DESIGN PASSED DOWN

FROM FATHER TO SON FOR CENTURIES.

THERE'S NO KEEL, SO THE SKILLED OARSMEN

WORK HARD TO STEER THE FLAT-BOTTOMED BOAT

WITH EACH STROKE.

THE ISLAND HAS BEEN A SPECIAL GATHERING POINT

THROUGH THE AGES.

NINETY-NINE STEPS LEAD FROM THE DOCK UP TO THE SUMMIT

AND THE CHURCH OF THE ASSUMPTION.

[ BELL RINGING ]

A LOCAL SUPERSTITION CLAIMS THAT IF YOU RING

THIS BELL THREE TIMES, YOUR WISH WILL COME TRUE.

WHILE NO MOTORIZED BOATS DISTURB

THE TRANQUILITY OF LAKE BLED,

IT DOES HAVE ITS HUMAN-POWERED SPEED BOATS.

BLED IS THE ROWING CAPITAL OF SLOVENIA.

CREWS STROKE RHYTHMICALLY THROUGH GLASSY WATERS,

MERGING NATURAL AND HUMAN GRACE.

STROLLING THE THREE MILES AROUND THE LAKE,

VISITORS ENJOY EVER-CHANGING VIEWS.

ALSO ENJOYING DRAMATIC LAKE VIEWS ARE HANDSOME VILLAS,

MOSTLY FROM THE 19th CENTURY.

MY FAVORITE WAS ONCE THE VACATION VILLA

OF YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT-FOR-LIFE,

MARSHAL TITO.

SLOVENIA WAS ONE OF SIX REPUBLICS THAT

UNITED TO MAKE YUGOSLAVIA, A COUNTRY THAT EXISTED

BASICALLY FROM JUST AFTER WORLD WAR I UNTIL THE 1990s.

TITO, A LARGER-THAN-LIFE, STRONG-ARM DICTATOR,

WAS THE ONE LEADER ABLE TO HOLD THAT TROUBLED UNION TOGETHER.

WHEN TITO RAN YUGOSLAVIA,

HE HUDDLED WITH FOREIGN DIGNITARIES,

FROM INDIRA GANDHI AND NIKITA KHRUSHCHEV

TO KIM IL-SUNG, RIGHT HERE.

AFTER TITO DIED IN 1980, HIS VILLA WAS CONVERTED

INTO A CLASSY HOTEL, OFFERING GUESTS

A JAMES BOND AMBIENCE.

IN THIS HIGH-END SUITE, YOU CAN ACTUALLY

SLEEP IN THE DICTATOR'S BED.

AND VISITORS CAN USE TITO'S PERSONAL DESK

FOR SOMETHING I BET HE NEVER IMAGINED --

SENDING AN EMAIL.

HERE IN WHAT WAS TITO'S BALLROOM,

A MURAL SURVIVES, TELLING OF WORLD WAR II HEROICS.

AFTER THE NAZIS BOMBED BELGRADE

AND TOOK OVER THEIR COUNTRY, THE RAGTAG GANG

OF YUGOSLAV PATRIOTS, INSPIRED BY

CHARISMATIC COMMANDERS, FORMED A RESISTANCE ARMY.

VASTLY OUTGUNNED, THEY FOUGHT BACK VALIANTLY,

EVENTUALLY DEFEATING THE GERMAN INVADERS.

TITO AND HIS PARTISAN ARMY

BOOTED THE NAZIS WITHOUT SOVIET SUPPORT.

THAT'S WHY, UNLIKE HIS EASTERN EUROPEAN NEIGHBORS,

TITO COULD AND DID CHART HIS OWN COURSE,

INDEPENDENT FROM THE USSR.

MY FRIEND AND SLOVENIAN TOUR GUIDE TINA HITI IS JOINING US

TO HELP SORT OUT THE YUGOSLAV PUZZLE.

I FIND THIS PROPAGANDA SO STIRRING.

I CAN SEE HOW IT WOULD MAKE PEOPLE JUST WANT TO WAVE A FLAG.

YEAH, THIS IS A VERY TYPICAL SOCIALIST REALISM PROPAGANDA.

IT WAS ALL OVER EASTERN EUROPE,

AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE PICTURE,

YOU CAN SEE THE PROUD WORKERS, YOU KNOW, CARRYING THEIR TOOLS,

YOU CAN SEE THEM WITH SHOVELS, AND THEN YOU CAN

SEE HERE THE TRUE REPRESENTATIVE OF A STRONG WOMAN

CARRYING A CHILD AND PROUDLY WAVING THE FLAG.

BUT STILL, YOU KNOW,

IT'S A PROPAGANDA OF EASTERN EUROPE,

BUT IT WAS SO DIFFERENT OVER HERE.

WE WERE NEVER INSIDE THE WARSAW PACT.

THAT'S WHY MAYBE THE FACES ARE A LITTLE HAPPIER.

SO HOW WAS COMMUNISM IN YUGOSLAVIA DIFFERENT

FROM ALL THE COMMUNISM WE THINK ABOUT WITH THE USSR?

WELL, WE CHOSE OUR WAY, THE THIRD WAY, WE CALLED IT,

AND IT WAS A LOT DIFFERENT.

LIKE, WE COULD TRAVEL,

WE HAD FREE MARKET ECONOMY,

AND THERE WERE JOBS FOR EVERYBODY.

SOCIAL SYSTEM WAS GOOD.

TITO HAD SOME MAGIC ABILITY TO BRING IT TOGETHER.

WELL, PROBABLY HIS MAGIC ABILITY

WAS THAT HE WAS A MIX OF ALL THE NATIONALITIES

THAT INCLUDED YUGOSLAVIA.

HIS MOM WAS A SLOVENE, HIS DAD WAS A CROAT,

AND HIS WIFE WAS A SERB, SO HE WAS THE ONLY

TRUE YUGOSLAV THERE WAS.

TODAY, ARE YOU HAPPIER WITH OR WITHOUT TITO AND YUGOSLAVIA?

I WILL SAY I WAS HAPPY THAT I COULD LIVE

A PART OF YUGOSLAVIA, BUT I AM HAPPY TO BE LIVING

IN EUROPEAN UNION AS WELL NOW.

Steves: THIS LAND HAS SEEN LOTS OF CHANGE,

BUT ONE THING THAT'S CONSTANT IS THE WARMTH AND HOSPITALITY

OF ITS PEOPLE.

THIS IS MY MOM AND DAD.

DOBER DAN.

DOBER DAN.

NICE TO MEET YOU.

Steves: TINA'S HAVING US OVER FOR DINNER TO MEET HER FAMILY.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

SASO, SASO?

SASO, YEAH.

AND... ANZE.

ANZE!

Steves: UH-OH, LITTLE ANZE'S MORE INTERESTED

IN BEDTIME THAN US.

WHILE GRANDMA AND GRANDPA TAKE CARE OF HIM,

TINA AND SASO ARE GIVING US A PEEK AT THEIR APARTMENT.

THEY CONVERTED THE ATTIC OF TINA'S CHILDHOOD HOME,

CREATING PLENTY OF SPACE FOR THEIR GROWING FAMILY.

Tina: HERE WE ARE.

Steves: WHOA, THIS IS QUITE A SURPRISE!

WHEN YOU COME IN, YOU DON'T REALIZE HOW MUCH IS HERE.

Saso: IT DOESN'T SHOW

FROM THE OUTSIDE, DOES IT?

YOU WOULDN'T KNOW, LOOKING UP HERE.

IT LOOKS JUST LIKE A LOFT.

IT'S A SECRET COMPARTMENT OF OUR HOUSE.

WITH GRANDMA AND GRANDPA DOWNSTAIRS.

BUILT-IN BABYSITTER.

THIS IS OUR LIVING ROOM.

THIS IS WHERE WE SPEND RAINY AFTERNOONS.

THIS IS VERY COMFORTABLE AND VERY SPACIOUS, REALLY.

ABOVE GRANDMA AND GRANDPA'S.

NOW, I STILL CAN'T GET OVER THAT,

BECAUSE, I'VE GOT TO SAY,

IN AMERICA, THERE'S A STIGMA ABOUT PEOPLE IN THEIR 30s

STILL WITH THEIR MOM AND DAD, RAISING THEIR KIDS UPSTAIRS.

THAT'S THE USUAL THING AROUND HERE.

Tina: VERY TYPICAL.

ALL RIGHT, AND THIS IS THE LITTLE KID'S ROOM.

ANZE.

ANZE IS HIS NAME.

THE ROOM IS SOON GOING TO BE SHARED BY ANOTHER BABY,

WHICH IS DUE IN FOUR AND A HALF MONTHS.

IN FOUR MONTHS?

WE ARE ALMOST HALFWAY THROUGH.

ANZE WILL HAVE A ROOMMATE, THIS IS GREAT!

Steves: WHILE THE TWO FAMILIES LIVE SEPARATELY,

THEY SHARE LOTS OF DINNERS,

AND THE HEARTY LOCAL FOOD PROVIDES A GOOD FOUNDATION

FOR A LIVELY CONVERSATION.

THIS IS VERY INTERESTING TO ME, BECAUSE THIS IS FOOD

I WOULD THINK ABOUT IN GERMANY OR AUSTRIA OR IN THE NORTH,

BUT WE'RE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE, ITALY, GERMANY.

AND HOW DOES THAT AFFECT YOUR CULTURE?

WE ARE PUNCTUAL WHEN WE NEED TO BE PUNCTUAL,

WE WILL BE ON SCHEDULE WHEN WE NEED TO BE ON SCHEDULE,

BUT WE CAN ALSO BE REALLY LAID BACK, RELAXED,

MELLOW ABOUT CERTAIN THINGS.

IF YOU'RE ANGRY, WHAT WOULD...

WE WOULD CURSE, SERIOUSLY.

IN SLOVENE?

ABSOLUTELY.

WHAT WOULD YOU TELL ME?

I WOULD SAY, "MAY YOU BE KICKED BY A HORSE," OR...

THAT'S YOUR WORST?

"300 HAIRY BEARS."

THIS WOULD BE JUST ABOUT OUR WORST.

300 HAIRY BEARS?

YES.

THAT'S WORSE THAN "YOUR MOTHER WEARS ARMY BOOTS."

[ LAUGHTER ]

GORAZD, YOU GREW UP WITH TITO.

ARE YOU NOSTALGIC ABOUT YUGOSLAVIA?

NO, NO, NOT NOSTALGIC, BECAUSE NOW WE LIVE BETTER

THAN IN FORMER YUGOSLAVIA.

THERE IN FORMER YUGOSLAVIA,

THERE WERE GOOD THINGS AND ALSO BAD THINGS.

MAYBE ONE OF THE BETTER THINGS

WAS FOR YOUNG FAMILIES, BECAUSE THEY CAN GET APARTMENT,

THEY CAN GET A JOB.

BAD THINGS ABOUT YUGOSLAVIA WAS MAYBE BECAUSE

THERE WAS NO GOOD STIMULATION

FOR GOOD WORKERS -- FOR GOOD OR BAD WORKERS,

THE WAGE WAS ALL THE SAME.

SO YUGOSLAVIA WAS GOOD FOR BAD WORKERS.

IT WAS GOOD FOR BAD WORKERS, YEAH.

AND TODAY, CAPITALISM HAS CHANGED --

GOOD FOR GOOD WORKERS.

IT'S GOOD, YEAH.

Steves: THERE'S REALLY NO BETTER WAY TO GET TO KNOW A PLACE

THAN ENJOYING A MEAL WITH A LOCAL FAMILY.

THIS NORTHWESTERN CORNER OF SLOVENIA,

WITHIN YODELING DISTANCE OF BOTH AUSTRIA AND ITALY,

IS CROWNED BY THE JULIAN ALPS.

EXPLORING THE SLOVENIAN COUNTRYSIDE,

YOU GET THE FEELING THAT THINGS WORK.

VALLEYS THAT JUST A GENERATION AGO

WERE INDUSTRIAL WASTELANDS ARE GREEN AND GETTING GREENER.

[ BELL RINGING ]

VILLAGES GATHER AROUND BAROQUE BELL TOWERS

AMID RICH FARMLAND.

THE UNIQUE ROOFED HAYRACK IS RECOGNIZED

AS PART OF THE NATIONAL HERITAGE.

IN THIS UNPREDICTABLE CLIMATE, HAY IS HUNG ON THE RACK TO DRY.

THESE ALPS, WITH THEIR CRAGGY LIMESTONE RIDGES,

BRING TO MIND ITALY'S DOLOMITES JUST OVER THE BORDER.

LIKE THE MORE FAMOUS ALPS OF AUSTRIA AND SWITZERLAND,

THE JULIAN ALPS ARE BUSY

WITH NATURE-LOVERS BOTH WINTER AND SUMMER.

IN THE CENTER OF THIS REGION STANDS MOUNT TRIGLAV,

SLOVENIA'S SYMBOL AND TALLEST MOUNTAIN.

LOCALS CLAIM THAT YOU'RE NOT A TRUE SLOVENE

UNTIL YOU'VE CLIMBED TRIGLAV.

VRSIC PASS, WHICH COMES WITH 50 HAIRPIN TURNS,

WAS ORIGINALLY A MILITARY ROAD.

IT WAS BUILT DURING WORLD WAR I

BY 10,000 RUSSIAN PRISONERS OF WAR.

IN 1916, AN AVALANCHE THUNDERED DOWN THE MOUNTAINSIDE,

KILLING HUNDREDS OF THESE WORKERS.

THIS LITTLE RUSSIAN CHAPEL,

BUILT WHERE THE FINAL VICTIM WAS FOUND,

OFFERS TODAY'S VISITORS A CHANCE TO PAY THEIR RESPECTS

TO THOSE WHO MADE THIS SCENIC DRIVE POSSIBLE.

AT THE CREST OF THE 5,000-FOOT-HIGH PASS,

THERE'S SNOW EVEN IN LATE MAY.

THE ROAD SWITCHBACKS DOWN INTO THE VALLEY OF THE SOCA RIVER.

SPRINGY SUSPENSION BRIDGES OFFER A MEMORABLE ROADSIDE STOP.

THE SOCA CONTINUES TO CUT ITS WAY

DEEPER AND DEEPER INTO THIS GORGE.

TINY BITS OF LIMESTONE, THE GEOLOGICAL EQUIVALENT

OF SAWDUST AROUND HERE, REFLECTING UNDER

THE BRILLIANT BLUE SKIES GIVE THE RIVER

ITS RICH TURQUOISE COLOR.

WHILE THE VALLEY IS A FAVORITE FOR NATURE-LOVERS TODAY,

IT HAS ITS DARK SIDE.

THIS WAS THE SCENE OF SOME OF

THE FIERCEST FIGHTING OF WORLD WAR I.

WITH OVER A MILLION CASUALTIES,

IT WAS NICKNAMED THE "VALLEY OF THE CEMETERIES."

THIS PEACEFUL RIVER VALLEY WAS KNOWN AS THE SOCA FRONT,

OR THE ISONZO FRONT IN ITALIAN.

BEFORE INDEPENDENCE, BEFORE YUGOSLAVIA,

SLOVENIA WAS PART OF THE AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN EMPIRE.

IN 1915, NEIGHBORING ITALY DECLARED WAR ON THE EMPIRE.

THEY QUICKLY TOOK THIS VALLEY, DRIVING THE AUSTRO-HUNGARIANS

HIGH INTO THESE MOUNTAINS, FROM WHERE THE AUSTRO-HUNGARIANS

FENDED OFF TEN BLOODY, UPHILL ITALIAN OFFENSIVES.

THE KLUZE FORT KEEPS VIGIL OVER THE NARROWEST PART

OF THE VALLEY, WHICH LEADS FROM ITALY,

THROUGH SLOVENIA, TOWARD AUSTRIA.

THE AUSTRO-HUNGARIANS KNEW IF THEIR ENEMIES

COULD BREAK THROUGH THIS FRONT,

IT WAS A STRAIGHT SHOT TO THEIR CAPITAL, VIENNA.

BUT THE SOCA FRONT WAS 60 MILES WIDE,

AND MANY OF THE DEFENSES WERE MORE CRUDE AND REMOTE.

EVERY RIDGE WAS STRATEGIC, AND MUCH OF THE FIGHTING

WAS ACTUALLY DONE HIGH,

WAY UP ON THE FRIGID MOUNTAIN CLIFFS.

THE DEFENSES INCLUDED A WEB OF TUNNELS THAT WENT ALL THE WAY TO

THE TOPS OF THE MOUNTAINS.

A MUSEUM IN THE TOWN OF KOBARID

TELLS THE STORY OF THE SOCA FRONT

AND HUMANIZES THE SUFFERING OF THIS HORRIFIC

BUT ALMOST FORGOTTEN CORNER OF WORLD WAR I.

THIS WAS UNIMAGINABLY DIFFICULT WARFARE,

WAGED IN THE HARSHEST

OF CONDITIONS.

TRENCHES WERE CARVED INTO ICE AND ROCK INSTEAD OF MUD,

AND MANY ILL-EQUIPPED CONSCRIPTS FROZE TO DEATH.

DURING ONE WINTER ALONE,

SOME 60,000 SOLDIERS WERE KILLED BY AVALANCHES.

JUST ABOVE TOWN,

A SOMBER MEMORIAL TO THE ITALIAN ATTACKERS

WAS BUILT IN THE STERN FASCIST STYLE UNDER MUSSOLINI.

IT MEMORIALIZES 7,000 ITALIAN SOLDIERS,

VICTIMS OF JUST ONE BATTLE.

THE POIGNANT REALITY -- COSTLY BATTLES EVENTUALLY

FADE INTO THE HISTORY BOOKS, LIKE THE SOCA FRONT.

A SHORT DRIVE TAKES US INTO A TOTALLY DIFFERENT LANDSCAPE --

SLOVENIA'S KARST REGION --

A HIGH, FERTILE, AND WINDBLOWN PLATEAU.

IN THIS LAND OF STOUT HILL TOWNS

AND RUGGED FARMERS, GRAPES FOR

THE FULL-BODIED LOCAL RED WINE

THRIVE IN THE IRON-RICH SOIL.

SINCE THE LIMESTONE UPON WHICH EVERYTHING AROUND HERE SITS

IS EASILY DISSOLVED BY WATER, THE KARST IS HONEYCOMBED WITH

A VAST NETWORK OF CAVES AND UNDERGROUND RIVERS.

THE MOST DRAMATIC CAVE TO TOUR IS SKOCJAN.

VISITORS BEGIN BY SEEING A MULTITUDE OF FORMATIONS

IN A SERIES OF LARGE CAVERNS.

GUIDES TELL THE STORY AS, DRIP BY DRIP,

STALACTITES GROW FROM SPAGHETTI-THIN STRANDS

TO MIGHTY SEQUOIA-LIKE STONE PILLARS.

IN THE GRAND CAVERN,

THE SOUND OF A MIGHTY RIVER CRASHES THROUGH THE MIST.

CHISELED INTO THE WALL, THE SCANT REMAINS

OF CENTURY-OLD TRAILS EVOKE THE EARLY DAYS

OF TOURISM HERE.

IT'S A WORLD WHERE A THOUSAND EVIL

"WIZARD OF OZ" MONKEYS COULD COMFORTABLY FLY IN FORMATION.

CROSSING A BREATHTAKING FOOTBRIDGE

150 FEET ABOVE THE TORRENT GIVES YOU FAITH

IN SLOVENIAN ENGINEERING.

THE CAVE FINALLY WIDENS,

SUNLIGHT POURS IN, AND VISITORS EMERGE,

LIKE LOST CREATURES SEEKING DAYLIGHT,

INTO A LUSH CANYON.

NEARBY, WEDGED INTO ANOTHER KARST-REGION CAVE, IS PREDJAMA,

ONE OF EUROPE'S MOST PHOTOGENIC CASTLES.

THERE'S BEEN A CASTLE HERE FOR NEARLY A THOUSAND YEARS.

THE MOUTH OF THE CAVE PROVIDED A STRATEGIC PLACE

FOR SOME FEUDAL LORD TO STICK HIS FORTIFIED MANOR HOUSE.

THIS VERSION DATES FROM THE 16th CENTURY.

WHILE THERE'S LITTLE REASON TO GO INSIDE,

THE CASTLE MAKES AN IDEAL SPOT FOR A SCENIC DRINK

AND A GREAT CAPPER FOR OUR VISIT TO THE KARST REGION.

WHILE NEIGHBORING CROATIA IS FAMOUS FOR ITS COASTLINE,

SLOVENIA ENJOYS ITS OWN 29-MILE STRETCH

OF ADRIATIC SEAFRONT.

THAT'S ABOUT ONE INCH PER RESIDENT.

ITS BEST STOP -- THE TOWN OF PIRAN.

MANY ADRIATIC TOWNS ARE OVERWHELMED

BY TOURISTS AND CONCRETE,

BUT PIRAN HAS KEPT ITSELF CHARMING

AND IN REMARKABLY GOOD REPAIR

WHILE HOLDING THE TOURIST SPRAWL AT BAY.

CROWDED ONTO THE TIP OF ITS PENINSULA,

PIRAN CAN'T GROW.

THE MAIN SQUARE WAS ONCE A PROTECTED HARBOR,

UNTIL IT BEGAN TO STINK SO BADLY,

THEY HAD TO FILL IT IN.

A COLORFUL MIX OF WORK AND PLEASURE BOATS

FILL TODAY'S HARBOR.

THESE DAYS, PIRAN'S WALLS ARE INVITING

RATHER THAN DEFENSIVE,

AND THE TOWN IS SIMPLY

AN ENJOYABLE PLACE IN WHICH TO RELAX.

EXPLORE THE EVOCATIVE BACK LANES.

HIKE UP TO THE CATHEDRAL.

SCALE THE VENETIAN-STYLE BELL TOWER.

ON TOP, CATCH YOUR BREATH

BY ENJOYING VIEWS OF PIRAN

AND NEARLY THE ENTIRE SLOVENIAN COASTLINE.

[ GULLS SQUAWKING ]

THE TRAFFIC-FREE HARBOR FRONT,

LINED WITH SLOVENES ENJOYING FRESH SEAFOOD,

IS MADE-TO-ORDER FOR A STROLL.

SWIMMERS FROLIC

WHILE SUNBATHERS CLAIM MORE THAN THEIR SHARE

OF THE NATIONAL COASTLINE.

PIRAN CLUSTERS AROUND ITS SHOWPIECE SQUARE,

PIAZZA TARTINI.

AS WITH MOST TOWNS ON THE ADRIATIC,

IT WAS LONG RULED BY NEARBY VENICE

AND RETAINS ITS VENETIAN FLAVOR.

IN FACT, THE TOWN'S OFFICIALLY BILINGUAL --

SLOVENE AND ITALIAN.

TODAY, THE SQUARE IS ENJOYED

BY VISITORS AND LOCALS OF ALL GENERATIONS,

SAVORING THE GOOD LIFE

WHERE THE SLAVIC WORLD, THE ALPS,

AND THE MEDITERRANEAN ALL COME TOGETHER.

THIS FASCINATING AND OFFBEAT CORNER OF EUROPE IS ONE MORE

EXAMPLE OF THE CONTINENT'S MANY HIDDEN CHARMS.

I HOPE YOU'VE ENJOYED SLOVENIA.

I'M RICK STEVES.

UNTIL NEXT TIME, KEEP ON TRAVELIN'.

Man: HOW DID THAT GO?

Man: HE'S LOSING IT.

Man: DON'T STICK YOUR ONE PINKY.

[ LAUGHTER ]

Man: NO PINKY.

Steves: THIS TIME, IT'S BEACHES, CAVES, AND ALPS...

AND ENJOYING A LITTLE CULTURAL WORKOUT...IN SLOVENIA.

THANKS FOR JOINING US.

Man: OKAY, GO.

[ LAUGHTER ]