We Found a Bunker!
I was hoping to see an actual bunker built during WWII by and for Italian partisan fighters on this trip, and we did! But first we had a really nice drive through Slovenia. This was a total surprise to me. I don't know why I thought Slovenia would be closer to the developing world, but it's really very beautiful and advanced. It's really Austria's mini-me. It looks like Austria in every way. Same food, pretty much same everything.
The day started at the Zelinski Nature Preserve where we got to see a lake and area that looked like Yellowstone a long time ago. Beautiful lake with crystal clear water and bubbling gas and minerals underneath. This lake will eventually evaperate and leave what looks like the "mud flats" at Yellowstone.
From there we had lunch at beautiful Lake Bled. A really nice town on a perfect lake with the most fascinating color of water. Almost tropical looking.
After some walking around the lake front, we drove towards Italy, and hunted for some WWII bunkers that were used by the partisans in the area. My dad would not have used these specific bunkers, but they are representative of ones he did use. Also, these were run by Paulo, who offered my father the position of Commander, one of only twelve in the country, over partisan efforts in Trentino and the Tyrol. Had he taken the position, he would have had access to the resources of the national partisan organizations. But he was focused on an independent Trentino, and remained focused on that even long after the war, so he turned the offer down and stayed independent. The following videos are narrated and tell the story more fully. I'm sorry the quality isn't the best, but the bunker was completely black without any light. My headlamp provided some illumination, but it wasn't as much as could have been used.
The time in the bunker was really special because there are only a handful still around. After a long day we made it to Trieste. We had a terrific dinner at the port and was further rewarded with a great sunset. Tomorrow we pick up Jim and Julie Philpott at the Venice airport and spend the next two days exploring the greatest city without streets.
