LAKE BLED DISTRICT
To reach our destination we travel to Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia at the end of the tourist season to be met by our guide and drissly miserable weather which made our visit all the more interesting as we sort shelter from time to time in bakeries and coffee shops.
This is a very interesting city which is based on a central river which is lined on either side with shops many serving interesting cakes sandwiches and coffee - perhaps the hot chocolate is a better proposition.
As we walked the banks there was a sidewalk bric a brac sale with many interesting items for sale, many being war relics from the many squirmishes that Slovenia had with its border protection.
The city buildings are architecturally attractive and colourful.
We walk to the top of the city hill to enjoy a visit to the Bled Castle and the surrounding vista.
Returning to the car we drive to the district of Lake Bled. Arrival is in bright sunlight and the lake a stark contrast to the beautiful green grass and the remaining autumn hews. We drive around the lake stopping at points of interest which include the country retreat of Tito which has now been converted into a 5 star hotel. We venture further travelling close to the lake and observe the many boats transitting the lake to the central island. We stop at the international rowing centre and can imagine the national rowing team in training on what must be the most idealic location. The reflections on the glass like water add to the beauty of the setting. We then walk to the waters edge where a brand new boat awaits we meet the oarsman who is a nuggety young chap and set about travelling to the Island when this young chap entertains us with a description of the lake in the broadest American accent - he was a student in Baltimore studying Marine Engineering and inherited the boat license from his father. Boats on the lake cannot be bought or sold so that the heritage of boatsmen is preserved.
On the island we visit the church which is also a heritage site - inside the ornate church reveals its origins as it is built atop an older church which ccan be observed through a glass floor.
Looking out from the island the entire shoreline can be observed and the township of Bled sits to the west and the sun is slowly falling and the clouds approach its the end of the sunny days for the rest of our visit.
We check into our hotel and enjoy a heearty dinner before retiring.
In the morning there is a different view as a mist, cloud and rain add to the cooler weather and the island sits shrouded whilst still reflecting its image upon the water.
WE drive to the township of Vitgar and travel through the interesting extremely green country side adorned with drying sheds and livestock. The villages are remarkable with the old style of architecture its inthese villages we view many a frescoed church.
We drive on to the cablecar which is fortunately or unfortunately closed for the day because of the weather. The benefits are that we have time to drive further into the beautiful country side. Our first stop is a war cemetry for Italian mercenary soldiers who were employed to asist in border protection. The cemetry was as are all memorials a place of solitude and a place to reflect and remember that Slovenia was a war torn country for a long time. We travel further and undertake a walk into the country side and upward to a remarkable waterfall (see images).
As the day progresses we visit Lake Bohinj where we intended to take shelter for a while but tourist season is over and the coffee house closed. This is a lake of many images as the reflections of cloud and tree change with the intensity of light penetrating the cover. (see opening phoograph)
We are nearing the end of our journey so we stop at the canyon walk where we take umbrellas and walk into the canyon. Images of parts of Japan return as trees projest at angles from the escarpment walls and the sounds of cascading water encourage an more penetrating walk into the dim light of the valley. The need for refreshment grows and our guide suggests a stop at the a cooffee shop which serves the pastry that makes Bled all the more famous. We are served our coffees and hot chocolate with a serving of Bled Cake which is the most delicious morsel that my sweet tooth had had for a long time.
The rain continued as we settled into the hotel for the night and watched the dark encompass the lake with a little reminder to return as the church bell tolled.
We left in the rain promising to return to continue our adventure and to walk more of the surrounding area with a chance of a gondola ride to the top.