MIKE AND JESS' TRAVEL DIARY

Slovenia and Portugal Trip

Day 7 - May 10 2023

It’s so sad we are half way through the trip!!

We slept in a bit and went out for breakfast at Le Petit Cafe again. It was raining, but the patio was full this time. We were able to get a table and ordered the English breakfast and Croque Monsieur. Since it was so busy and cold, it was not the most pleasant, but the food was good again and we had left some room in our stomachs for dessert. 😉

The patio seems to be home to a group of small birds that peck at the dirty plates once people leave their table. This one didn’t want to wait for us to get up.

Back for the 4th time at Fetiche Patisserie, we got the Mango dessert with mango, passion fruit, and coconut and their Cheese dessert, a less sweet version of cheesecake. We had not been certain we would get the Cheese one because the way the server explained it, that it’s all about the cheese and that it’s a saltier version of cheesecake. Not that we don’t love ourselves some salty cheese…but it didn’t sell it for us. However, we had tried more than half the desserts they offered and we needed something to compliment the mango, so we went for it. Thank goodness we did because it was Mike’s overall favorite and very close to mine. It was not salty at all. But, it was not the overly sweet cheesecake we are used to. It was perfect. The Mango was delicious too. It had the most flavorful mango and passionfruit filling.

We got in the car for our last day trip- Postojnska Cave. This is the longest cave in all of Europe, second longest in the world, and it was only a half hour drive away. The cave can only be explored by guided tours departing every hour. Here’s how it works: You get your ticket for the time you want and gather around the entrance to the cave. About 15 minutes before the tour time, guides start scanning tickets and forming groups for the different languages. There was roughly 75-100 people total in the group broken up between about 4 language groups. The groups file into the cave and get on an electric, open air, train. Kinda like a big version of the kids ones in malls! The train takes you through about a mile of the cave. Then, staying with your group, you walk through the well-paved walkway for about 1.5 miles. The guide stops everyone at points in the tour to describe the formations and history of the caves. You can take photos without flash. Once complete, the tour filters you through a gift shop and post office (the only cave post office in the world) before loading back on the mall train for the ride back. You get to see a total of 5km of the cave, but it actually extends 24km in total. The cave is also home to Olms, the blind, baby-dragon-looking animals with the cutest fingers ever! Inside the cave is an aquarium with some in, photos are prohibited but look them up. So cute and creepy!

Obviously, it was incredible. We have been lucky enough to explore caves with stalactites and stalagmites in other countries but this cave and these formations were so big, it was hard to believe. For only 30 Euro, it was well worth it.

Once we got back into town around 5, we were ready for some dinner. We only had one dinner left in this country, so we wanted to make it good. Since we had such a great meal at Julija a couple days ago, we decided to go back. Even though it’s cold and rainy, they had a big umbrella up so we could sit outside. This time, we got the mushroom risotto and Penne alla Siciliano. It was a let down, unfortunately. The risotto was fine, but I think Mike makes a better one. The pasta was really just not good. Not handmade like the pasta I had there last time and slightly undercooked. The sauce (I’m sorry to say it) reminded me of the pasta we had on the flight over.

We ate just enough to not be sending back full plates and decided we would not let this be our last dinner here! Das Ist Valter had to save the day! There’s one a 15 minute walk away from the hotel, so we decided to go back to the hotel, pack up, and then bring some home. On our way back, however, there was one more stop to make. Can you guess what it was?? Fetiche, of course. But this time, we got our favorites for our last time here. Cheese dessert and Tart Au Citron to go.