The jagged and imposing Julian Alps
Dates visited: September 17, 2009
We followed the exact itinerary as described in Rick Steve’s book, Croatia and Slovenia. From Bled, we drove through the stunning Vršič Pass, the picturesque Soča River Valley and returned back to Bled in an autovlak (car train—load your car in the train, sit in the car, and the train drives you)! It was a beautiful drive as we watched Mount Triglav (highest mountain in Slovenia) and other majestic peaks towering over us. Driving through Triglav National Park was quite an adventure with its 50 hairpin turns; keeping your eyes glued to the road is extremely difficult when you have natural rugged beauty seducing you at every turn. As we entered Soča River Valley, we were completely mesmerized by the emerald allure of Soča river. The scenery on this trip pretty much had everything—a commanding river cutting its teeth on the rocky banks, dotted with lush green vegetation, and all of this being watched over by the mighty mountains against the backdrop of a bright blue sky.
After several hours of driving, we reached Most na Soči to catch an autovlak (car train) that thunders directly through the mountains. It was fun driving the car on to the open, flat train carriage. We had to sit in the car for the entire duration of the journey (through several tunnels) so it felt like we were on a moving walkway for cars!
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- Russian Orthodox chapel built by Russian POWs from World War I
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- Soča river making its way from the mountains
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- The miner’s church of the Virgin Mary of Loreto in Trenta
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- Mural on the ceiling of the miner’s church of the Virgin Mary of Loreto in Trenta
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- Stopping for a view of the Julian Alps
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- Suspension bridge across the emerald Soča river
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- Julian Alps towering higher and higher
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- Probably some landslide… …
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- You talkin’ to me?
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- That inverted heart-shaped hole in the mountain is big enough for the Statue of Liberty to crawl through!
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- Another suspension bridge across the emerald Soča river
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- Car Train (Autovlak) arriving at the Most na Soči station—the train just cuts through the mountains
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- Loading the car on the Car Train (Autovlak)—the train just cuts through the mountains
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- Driving through the tunnel, but not really driving—inside the car loaded on the Car Train (Autovlak)—the train just cuts through the mountains
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- Boka Waterfalls—second-longest waterfall in Slovenia