Slovenia 8 - Pivka and the park of Military History /how to park a motorhome for 10 euros a night ./Onward to the border

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Where in the world is Gabby the motorhome on this fine day.

She is parked on a 10 euros a nightstop at a very unusual place . The Park Vojaske Zgodovine. Now go on tell me you are not at least a bit interested in knowing where she is. Lets try another language she is at the Parco della storia militare . Now that gives more of a clue in Italian. She is on a car park in the park of Military History.

We have passed by many times. As we drove up the road each time we have seen tanks. Each time we have said "too late , we have missed whatever it is " "We will have to leave it for another day." The museum lay on a corner and we always came across it too late .

Another day never came until today . We are here. We are parked up. We could have electricity if we wanted . We have filled two water bottles and we plan to visit the museum. We even could stop the night. If you are looking for a highly unusual and cheap place to park up then this is the spot for you.

The sun is shining for the first time this holiday. We are getting into the holiday now. The crack in the windscreen has got a little bigger and is now curving slightly towards the mirror. We dont care we are at the largest military complexs in the Republic of Slovenia. As long as the screen lasts until we get home we shall be happy. We are setting into Gabby life . At last I can lay my hands of what I want without opening cupboard after cupboard. It takes a while to get used to a small place but you get there in the end ..

We only have time for a short visit as we have a long drive to the coast and into Croatia . The roads are not the best here. We doubt we will make up good time . But it should be time enough to do the place justice.

It is the only museum in Europe where you can find everything from the oldest existing bows (I dont remember seeing them) to the extraordinary collection of armoured vehicles and military aircraft, a German locomotive from the Second World War and the highlight of the museum a submarine. It also offers a restaurant, the motorhome stopover and many walks and hiking trails . You could actually spend a few days here if you enjoy walking the hills.

It cost 8 euros each to go in and felt well worth every cent. There was a reduction on the entry fee for pensioners. The buildings have been paid for by the EU. Many were new and the existing ones in pristine condition. It seemed good value for EU money . It is open every day from 8 am until 6pm and was quite busy when we arrived.

Having paid at the shop we were directed upwards to the upper yard where we saw the locomotive which was in the process of being renovated . We saw several green Soviet tanks parked up outside. . All liveried the same way with the soviet stars all over them. They took me back to the large displays of military hardware which was shown off to the world during the Cold War on May Day parades.

The buildings above us contained collections of tanks and weapons from the first world war. All were beautifully displayed and lovingly cared for. Glass cases held guns, surgeons instruments and food rations. Many exhibits had been donated by the USA. All the exhibits had full descriptions in both Slovenian and English. Each one was fascinating in their detail. We tried to think of anything we had seen before that came anywhere near the quality in this museum and we failed miserably. We both felt it was the best we had ever seen . Good for its content and brilliant in its design.

. The second building contained the trucks, wagons, tanks and aircraft from the Second World War. It was interesting to compare our own military museums with this one which contained much material relating to Yugoslavia before its independence. Aggressive soviet tanks filled the building. The sheer size amazing.

Downstairs we entered a building full of sounds of gunfire and shouting recreating the War of Independence. . This hall was completely given over to Slovenian independence and told the story through artifacts and film. . It was frightening to think just how close to our time this period of history was. We walked by glass cases full of guns used by the freedom fighters, tanks that were part of the repression and items pertaining to the life of Slovenians as they tried to live as normal a life as possible. All I can say after walking through this area was the sheer scale of the exhibits and the way the history was portrayed. The Slovenians were very proud of that they achieved and everything in the museum echoed that sentiment. We saw metal beds from shelters, rations, cars that had been destroyed by the tanks and medals won by the generals.

There were a couple of aircraft dangling from the roof and one on the ground, a helicopter and a full size submarine. There was an extra entrance fee for the submarine. We didn't get inside due to it only opening at 1.30 in the afternoon and we had a long ride ahead of us to the border with Croatia.

Beyond that a ferry to the island of Pag. We did however read about the life of a submariner who could not wash with water. He was allowed the smallest amount of water to brush his teeth. Water was rationed for cooking and drinking. He washed using wet wipes. The information was so detailed down to that smallest point.

Was the visit worth the wait? It had taken a few years to get here and it was clear the museum had grown in size since the first time we saw it. It was well worth ever cent of the entrance fee to walk amongst such lovingly restored militaria. We are finding different things to see this holiday. From canal settings to military museums. From pretty countryside to football museums.

To top it all Wifi is free everywhere. Even at this museum you could plug in to your computer . I have even started on Gabbys library. The book of choice The House Swop by Rebecca Fleet described as a heart thumping read in one sitting story.

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