What do you remember about your work as a Postojna Cave tour guide?

It was eventful (laughter). Working with people involves delicate situations. We’d go into the cave up to six times a day! We were in the cave all day long. I remember that during my early days, a single guide would guide a group of up to 400 people at a time! Now the tours are perfectly organised!

What do you think a cave guide should be like?

He or she needs to be polite and well-mannered. But only up to a certain point!

And what’s this certain point?

You have to find it yourself! There was a lot going on in this big crowd of people, we had to deal with lots of situations... But the one thing I’d advise any new guide is to be polite and to educate themselves. In my time, all the drivers also had to take a cave train driver exam. I still have my licence at home. So – in theory – I can drive the cave train!

For the first time in 200 years, we’ve now got a female cave train driver. Did you know that?

That doesn’t surprise me! (laughter)

Which part of Postojna Cave do you like the most?

Well, the Beautiful Caves, of course. – Why? – Well, because they are beautiful. Full of cave formations, little figurines, a bit of imagination...But also the Great Mountain – when you get to the top, it’s magnificent. Well, it’s all beautiful. But the cave train went a bit too fast sometimes.

Did it go fast back in your day?

How fast does it go now? 

I think about 7 km/h (4.3 mph). 

You don’t say! It went twice as fast back in my day! And as tour guides, we had to jump off the train; jump off, run to the light, turn it on and back onto the train. All this while the train kept going, at that speed. This is the way it was until they sorted out the photo cell. Because I had a bit of hard time running, the train drivers at least went easy on me. But otherwise they drove without stopping. It was very dangerous.

How about collegiality among the cave guides?

We helped one another. For my very last tour, I’d arranged for my fellow guides to leave early, and so I guided the group myself in four different languages. And while doing it, I had to make sure that I used the same words in all the languages, because there were some visitors who could understand several different ones. And if I used a different word in French than in Italian, it was wrong. And I remember that my French teacher, Mr Pavlica, also worked as a Postojna Cave guide. And, you know, I was very inquisitive, I was always asking him questions and learning grammar. I was taught Italian by ‘the old’ guides. And within a couple of years I had my way in. The first time I guided a group in French, I ended up asking them, “Did you understand what I was saying?” And they said, “We did! And the things we didn’t, we could guess them!”

Later, your daughter Urška also worked as a Postojna Cave guide and now visitors to Postojna Cave can meet your granddaughter, Lara. Is it a nice feeling to know that you have inspired them for this job?

Of course it is! My daughter guided the French visitors. I even helped her write the commentary speech. But I never wanted to go to Postojna Cave with my granddaughter, so that she wouldn’t feel as if I was keeping an eye on her. But I have no worries about her, she’ll manage!

Has Lara asked you for any advice?  

Actually she’s the one who could give me some advice! But if you put me in front of a French-tour-group welcome board right now, I wouldn’t get cold feet in the least.

As we were riding the train through the cave passages with the Americans, who I knew to be rather timid people, just before we were about to drive through one, I made sure to shout out, “Heads down!” Everyone would hastily get their heads down and I just stood there, only bowing my head a little. Then I said, “Heads up,” and then again, “Heads down!” And then at the end of the ride, someone looked at me and asked, “And how come you can stand?” “You know," I replied laughingly, “I’m used to it!”

Could you still guide the whole tour?

In English? I could. And ever more so in French and Italian. I can still remember the formula for how stalactites and stalagmites are formed: CaCO₃ + CO₂ + H₂O → Ca(HCO₃)₂

Do you miss being a Postojna Cave guide?

Yes, of course! I still dream about it! But do you know what I dream about? It’s interesting the things that stay with you: that I didn’t keep track of the cave hours or that I couldn’t find the way out. And then I wake up in the morning and all Is well again.

But surely you also remember the good things?

Yes, plenty of them. Especially in winter, when we played cards. We played chess and we had a table tennis competition – I still have the trophies at home! ... And I remember when mini-skirts came into fashion! Tourists would stand by the famous Postojna Cave sign and take pictures of young girls walking up the stairs.

Only the tourists or also the guides?

No, we did no such thing! 

Could you say that the Postojna Cave people were your second family?

Definitely. And if there was ever a problem, we quickly solved it with humour!