LAKE BLED, SLOVENIA.

 After a very gray and chilly day in Ljubljana on Thursday we woke to this lovely view from our hotel room early Friday morning.  On the top of the hill is Bled Castle, the symbol of Bled and Slovenia and over one thousand years old. Our hotel, Park Hotel was at lakeside so the evening before we bundled up and walked to a nearby restaurant with wonderful mushroom soup, perfect for a chilly night. We had no idea we would have this lovely view the next morning.

We took a brisk walk Friday morning into and around the little village of Bled before joining the group to tour Bled Castle.  Such amazing views of the lake and the church on the island in the middle of the lake.  The medieval castle is the oldest Slovenian castle and one of the most visited tourist attractions in Slovenia; how lucky we were. We walked the rooms surrounding the two courtyards, my favorite was the chapel built in the 16th century with these beautiful frescoes and this stunning statue. The castle even had a drawbridge over a moat. 

The beauty of the day and this view was spectacular. 

 On the lower level of the castle was the ancient printing shop where I printed a bookmark from one of the print blocks.

 From the castle we returned to the lake where these traditional gondolas, known as plentas, were waiting to take us across the lake to small island and the Church of the Assumption.  The plenta boats date back to the late 1500s, a quiet and fun way to cross the water to the island. I didn't get a photo of our gondolier, but he was 70 years old, rowing about 15 of us across the lake.  He stood at the back of the plenta, one foot forward and remained in that position just pulling the oars across. We couldn't have had a better day, no wind, no rain, just a stunning view in every direction.

 Along the shore we also saw this sign for a Dali exhibit though we never did find out where it was being held.

 The Julian Alps are in the background here; they stretch from northeastern Italy to Slovenia. Yes, it was cold.

The boats dropped us on the island at the bottom of the 100 steps to the Gothic church.  There is a tradition for couples marrying on the island; the groom carries his bride-to-be up the one hundred steps. Not easy just to walk up, let along carry someone yet we were told the tradition continues even today. According to legend, while she is carried the bride must stay completely silent or bad luck will come to the marriage. The steps are very steep and grooms often spend several months training in a gym before the wedding day. It would have been amazing to actually see this tradition in action!

 The church and bell tower with a great view once we climbed to the top!

 From Lake Bled we drove about an hour to a small forested area along Lake Bohinjsko; beautiful traditional homes and barns with a lovely walk along the lake.

 The reflections of the lake with a tiny glimpse of the Alps in the background.

Returning to this little village we stopped for a coffee and walk, so very quiet with few tourists, though the winter ski season was drawing near and all that would change.

Back at our hotel, we. had our usual afternoon beverages; a beer for me and cappuccino for PK.

The hotel had been decorated while we were gone that day, so a perfect Christmas photo for us.

Since this was our final night of the tour Gate 1 hosted a wonderful traditional Slovenian dinner in a nearby hotel. 

A beautiful presentation, and tasty food, finishing with the traditional Slovenian dessert, Cremeschitte, layers of puff pastry, fresh cream and sweet icing on top. Way too large a serving and too sweet for me, but so delicious. 

And, a group photo to finish our holiday. 

I must say for this being our first trip with Gate 1, we absolutely loved it.  Our guide, Djuka, was so professional and knowledgeable, excellent hotels, perfect itinerary in every way and all at an amazing price. Of course, having the best weather for ten days made the whole trip perfect!