Only Kites and Horses

The village of Velike Bloke lies in the middle of a vast karst plateau Bloke, a remote and wild place in the heart of Slovenia.

Lying above 700 m ASL Bloke plateau remains wild and untamed. There is almost no place for agriculture, and deep forests are home to huge beasts, inclunding brown bears, wolves and lynxes (we once flew above those forests, check the story and photos here!).

A meander of Bloscica

River Bloscica meanders over the barely permeable Triassic limestones and dolomites, creating moors and marshes and contributing to the serene and mysterious nature of the plateau.

"Napoleon" bridge over Bloscica river

This five-arched bridge is called Napoleon bridge - yet it was definitely not built by Napoleon and his armies. Funny how so many infrastructural and landscaping details in Slovenia are named after Napoleon, as if the arrival of the French spurred development in these then rather backward parts of Austrian Empire.

Otherwise easily spooked horses chose to ignore the high-flying kite

While the altitude and climate of Bloke don't allow for intensive crop growing, there is plenty of grazing livestock, mainly cows - and horses. Seeing the pristine Bloke plateau from a saddle is one of the best tourist experiences around here!

More horses

Bloke plateau is considered the cradle of skiing in Slovenia, with first reports of people riding skis over the snow-covered hills appearing in Valvasor's Glory of the Duchy of Carniola in 1689.

Velike Bloke

All kite aerial photos shot with Canon A810 on a Great White Delta kite.