"Welcome out of the cave, my friend. It's a bit colder out here, but the stars are just beautiful." -- Plato
======(in western Slovenia) The undulating, heavily forested Notranjska (Inner Carniola) region of Slovenia -- which encompasses the towns a Postojna and Predjama (and a 24-kilometer [15-mile] -long cave system) -- is full of woodlands, castles, caves, and sinkholes created by "disappearing" rivers and lakes. Its isolated setting has spawned some of Slovenia’s most cherished myths and legends.. The region has recently been promoted as the "Green Karst"’ -- one that pursues sustainable principles and encourages tourist facility owners and managers to behave "more sustainably." Featured here is Predjama Castle, under a towering cliff. Magnificent, defiant, mysterious, and impregnable, it has dominated the surrounding area, seemingly plugged into the 123-meter high cliff, for more than 800 years. Listed among the Guinness World Records as the largest cave castle in the world, it is one of Europe's most dramatic castles. It teaches a clear lesson: if you need an impregnable fortification, build it in the gaping mouth of a cavern halfway up a cliff. Its four levels were constructed piecemeal over the years from 1202, but most of what one sees today dates to the 16th century.
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