I am not Gene but we spent a pleasant week in Slovenia in August. We spent two days hiking on Triglau (make reservations for huts on weekends!! - there were probably over 300 people - way over capacity - at the hut below the summit and maybe 1000 people within 2 hours of the summit - this in a country of 2 million. So that is comparable to 250,000 Americans near the top of McKinley). Then we drove around in a friends car - highlights included Skojanski Caverns - which i had seen some 30 years ago and are much more impressive then the more touted Postojna; the Soca Valley on the east side of Triglau with the not-to-be missed WWI museum at Kobarid - an incrediblehomage to the incredible battle for this valley that saw over 1/2 million Italians and Austrians die; the Franza (sp?) WWII hospital - a remarkable place literally built in a Canyon over a river where hundreds of resistance fighters were treated and which was never found by the Nazis - has to be seen to be believed; Prejdama castle and cave - most impressive of many castles seen - built into a cliff and cave; Lipici - the birthplace of the great Lippizoner breed; by all means see them in Vienna but come to Lipica to see where the best are bred and to ride them; Piran - the Venetian styled town on the Adriatic - but stay in nearby Portoroz which lacks the charm but also the hassle of staying in a town where it is impossible to park; and of course the mainstays - Bled and Ljubljana - are still charming. We also enjoed Ptuj (pronounced ptooee - but don't hold that against it).

harold ...