Lake Bled is a large, turquoise lake with a small island in the middle. It makes for beautiful photographs from afar, but it is also well worth the visit to the island. Over a thousand years ago, the island was used as a worship center for the goddess of love. When the area was converted to Christianity, the island was then adorned with a small chapel. I guess it is no wonder why brides and grooms choose this picturesque spot to say their vows. There is one small glitch though. Local legend says that in order to have a successful marriage, the groom must carry the bride up the 99 steps from the boat dock to the church. It is said that 80% succeed, which, seeing those stairs, impresses me! Although, another guide told us that it is often the bride's fault because in order to be successful, the bride must also remain silent. Another legend says that if you can ring the bell in the church three times with one fell swoop, your dreams will come true. The bell rang all day. Truly continuously throughout the day, and you could hear it from around the lake. And yet, somehow, when I rang the bell, it stopped ringing. I would take that as a bad sign, but when you're in such a beautiful spot, well, I'm not totally certain your luck is bad.
The pletna boat, a boat only seen on Lake Bled took us back to shore. The pletna boats have a sort of monopoly here as, years ago, when land was divided up, the boat captains were not given any land, but were given the honor of driving boats and told they could take payment for that without having to pay any taxes. Sort of like a huge gondola, but with a two oars for the rower, besides the row boats you can rent, they are just about the only thing on the lake - motors are not allowed.
Before rain set in, I decided to take Jessica back to the viewpoint at the far end of the lake. It truly is the best place to get views of the lake, castle, and island all at the same time. The steep climb soon had us sweating, but once again, it was well worth it, and I was very thankful we went back for the stunning views of the marvelous vast scenery. Once again, though, while on top, the thunder started and so we rushed back down, making it back to the flat track around the lake just in time for a drizzle.
One of the best restaurants in town, Sova, was nearer to the other end of the lake, a walkable distance for sure, but perhaps not one that we wanted to walk to and from for dinner, and as parking in the area was very limited, we decided to make a late afternoon feast out of it, and man, it was delicious! The creamy truffle soup and the Sova steak were not only delectable, but works of art as well.
We walked home in the light drizzle of afternoon rain, had a quiet evening and then walked to the nice hotel in town where cream cake, the local speciality was invented. It has several layers on it, but is most similarly compared to a layer of custard, a layer of whipped cream and a crisp pastry to top it off. Quite delicious, and we knew we had to have one before leaving the area, or it would have been like we weren’t ever really there.
Our early night, and extremely early morning were completely worth the adventure that came next. Jessica had had hot air ballooning on her bucket list for sometime. I had only done it once, years ago in Aspen, but was eager to do it again. Months ago, we saw that there was a possibility and we jumped at it. It was actually, supposed to have happened Monday morning, but the weather delayed us, and thankfully we were able to take a beautiful ride Tuesday morning.
We met our guides at 5:30am with a small group of fellow travelers. We were taken to a field where we watched in wonder as the balloons slowly filled up, showing their enormity. Paying careful attention, watching for just the right time that our guides had instructed us to jump in to the small pockets of the basket, we did our best to help hold it down as it stood up, almost ready for flight. I’m not scared of heights, although, I’d be lying if I said that my stomach doesn’t sometimes get a little queasy when I look down from high heights. Those feelings never came over me during our trip. It was incredibly smooth and did not waver back and forth. Lifted high into the air currents with ease and speed, we were immediately able to overlook the stunning castle, lake, island and surrounding countryside. Truly breathtaking, and a perfect place to take this ride.
Seeing trees from above gives a whole new perspective to their shapes and formations. Flying above herons sailing around searching for a morning morsel was a new sensation. Our guide, a soft spoken man probably in his sixties, who shared small chuckles and warm smiles, would often lean over the side and spit. Not very attractive on something so seemingly romantic, eh? But, when he explained that he was doing that to see which ways the winds were blowing and catch the right air currents, well, that made perfect sense! A meteorologist by day, he sort of accidentally got into ballooning years ago when he was able to give more precise measurements of winds to balloonists. Now, he’s been doing it for 25 years. There is no steering wheel, but instead he adds heat to rise and can turn the balloon by opening up a flap in the top through a series of ropes. We landed a few miles away at the local airport. Having been taught the “landing position,” we assumed it was a just in case sort of thing, like knowing where the lifevests on an airplane are. Nope, it seems that landing the balloon is most often done, or at least during times of a little wind, by the bucket falling on its side. Perfectly safe, we found ourselves in odd piles in small compartments with our new found friends, and in some very contortionists sort of ways had to maneuver our ways out of the basket.
After, the pilots and the ground crew performed a ceremony for us where we knelt on carpet, in the middle of the airfield and repeated after our guide. I wish I could remember the words, but I know it started with “I was nothing,” and then went on to describe how we had bravely gone into the air. Dousing us with a little soil to remind us where we came from and then champagne for the celebration, we were named Barons and Baronesses because years ago, the king had offered these titles to people brave enough to go up into the air. Don’t think I won’t have my students start calling me Baronesse Smith next year - I even have a certificate to prove it!
As if that hadn’t all been enough, we were escorted to the rooftop bar in the nice hotel to enjoy some coffee and cream cake. Views were not as marvelous as they had been just moments before in the balloons, but they were still stunning. Our guides told us more about their craft, and their country that they were so proud of. One thing that stood out most to me was hearing about how recycling in the country works. Inka, our food tour guide had told us that bins at your house had scanners on them and were weighed so you paid for recycling and waste that you threw away. Our guides continued that and said that even the mixed garbage is sorted and only 5% of things thrown away in Slovenia end up in a landfill. We’ve got some real catching up to do!
What an absolute treat the whole morning was! And if I had known that all I had to do to get an official title was ride a balloon in Slovenia, it would have happened a lot sooner!
After a quick refresh, we drove up to the castle overlooking the lake. Quick tip courtesy of Rick Steve’s: if you make reservations for a meal at the castle restaurant (ahead of time!), you get free entry to the castle for your whole party which makes the exquisite meal with the excellent view incredibly reasonable! The castle itself, in my opinion, would have been a bit of a disappointment, minus the view that’s well worth the trip. Each piece of the castle now holds some sort of piece of history or showcase of Slovenia, often with purchasing possibilities and people dressed in period clothing. The castle is not all too large, but nevertheless is has a drawbridge, walls and turrets. Lunch was beautifully presented, once again a piece of art, and also delectable.
The non-motorized vehicle lake below had been dotted with row boats and paddle boards, and as the sun was shining and bringing with it, some heat, we decided to join in on the fun. At the far end of the lake is a beach with a campground (what a cool place to camp!). It had been fairly full of people and activity all week. There were people partaking in water activities, small children running around in the nude while parents chased after them with sunscreen, adults soaking in rays on some comfortable lounge chairs and a man, walking his pet ostrich. Yep. We didn’t understand it, nor were we really able to capture it on film, but a grown man walked, with his arm casually draped around the ostrich through the crowd of people, down the sidewalk along the beach, then back again around the lake. No sign asking for donations, no offering of rides for children, but simply looking like a man out for a stroll with his four legged best friend, but only this man brought out his rather large two legged best friend.
Jessica and I, amid all the activity, rented paddleboards for the hour and headed toward the middle of the lake. It was so beautiful, so peaceful just a short distance away from the crowd. Clear, turquoise water surrounded us and our setting between the island and the castle almost seemed surreal. The water (we chose to get in, we didn’t actually fall in!) was refreshing, but not frigid. A perfect last activity on such a magical time in Bled!
If you ever get the chance to visit Slovenia, you’ll be welcomed by warm, proud, hardy and delightful people. You’ll be surrounded by stunning scenery and fill yourself with tasty food. Go ahead, get there before the rest of the world discovers the perfection that is SLOVEnia!
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