Krka River Valley, Slovenia

Today was cool and overcast in southern Slovenia. I decided to meander along the Krka (pronounced Kurkuh) River valley up and downstream of Novo Mesto. You’re guaranteed castles and ancient fortifications along rivers in Europe. They were the highways of long ago.

On my drive I’m amazed at the number of churches dotting the Slovenian landscape. Every village seemed to be capped by a spire. Many were built on hill tops and could be seen for miles. I’ve read that this placement symbolized closeness to God. It also made the churches more defensible during invasions.

I arrived near the small village of Kostanjeivca na Krki. It was unique in Slovenia, situated on a man-made island with the Krka River flowing by. I parked and walked over the slow-moving green water across a wooden bridge.

As I stepped into town, it instantly felt like I’d gone back in time 150 years. Many of the buildings would have been perfectly at home in a faded black-and-white photo or a painting by an Impressionist.

I explored the former grounds of a monastery just outside town. It was abandoned and burned during World War II but had been reborn as an art gallery.

In 1945, a mass post-war massacre by Slovene partisans occurred in the nearby Krakovo Forest. The quiet today was only interrupted by the chirping of an occasional bird.

Back in the car, I stopped at a grocery and gathered a few items for lunch. Eventually I reached the mysterious Devil’s Tower in Soteska.

The tower stood alone in an empty field away from the ruins of what was once its master’s castle. Legend has it that the tower was the site of hedonistic entertainments by the lords of the estate. This impression of sinfulness prompted villagers to give the tower its name.

It was certainly quieter today. I sat on weathered stone steps behind the tower and enjoyed lunch overlooking the Slovenian countryside.

The lords of the intact Žužemberk Castle just down the river were apparently more focused on work than their feckless neighbors.

Back in Novo Mesto, I walked once more across the bridge over the Krka for an evening beer. I tried a bottle of Union from a Slovenian brewery in Ljubljana. Not bad at all.

Sunset reflecting off the river was the most appropriate ending for today.

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