Monday the 25th marked our first full day in Slovenia, which we spent exploring Lake Bled. The lake itself is very beautiful, with deep, still waters surrounded by cliffs (one with a castle) and mountains; it even has an island in the center with a church on it (more about that later). We began our morning by making the 3-mile circuit of the lake, enjoying the ever-changing view of the mountains and the island, passing by grand villas of important Slovenians past and present, and simply soaking up the peace and quiet (at least I did, after two weeks in the metropolis of Berlin). Along our way around the lake, we passed by Vila Bled, now a luxury hotel, which was once a summer residence of the Yugoslav royal family and then the retreat of Tito, Yugoslavia's communist dictator. Tito, who was half-Slovene, half-Croat, apparently liked to vacation on Lake Bled, and entertained important figures from the non-aligned world at Vila Bled, which (somewhat appropriately) is now a hotel; presumably, someone could stay in Tito's former rooms, although I would think that somewhat much on a number of levels. After our walk around the lake, during which we worked up an appetite, we proceeded to lunch at the Okarina restaurant, where I had barley soup with ham and beans (very tasty) and part of a Balkan meat sampler (also tasty).
After lunch, we went for a traditional pletna boat ride in the afternoon. The pletna boats are the traditional boats of Lake Bled; they are covered boats large enough to seat around 12 people that do not have a rudder or a keel or anything under the boat to steer it. Because of this, the boatman steers the boat only with his oars and his own strength (it is a very labor-intensive job) while standing at the back of the boat, which was slightly reminiscent of punting in Cambridge last summer. Our pletna boat ride took us from Bled town across the lake to the island, where we had a half hour to explore. After walking from the boat dock to the front of the island, during which time we encountered a film crew (I am probably now going to be on Slovenian TV climbing up to the summit of the island), we proceeded to climb the 99 steps from the docks to the church on top of the island. Local legend has it that if a groom can carry his bride up all 99 steps, their marriage will be good! We chose not to go in the church, but rather walked around the island and bought some postcards of Bled and the surrounding area before descending to board our pletna boat for the ride back to the mainland. After our boat adventure, we stopped at the Hotel Park to try traditional Bled cream cake, which was quite good, but very rich.
Returning to the hotel, we rested for a while before going to dinner at another good restaurant whose name I cannot remember, where I had a grilled meat sampler that was very flavorful and tasty. After a successful first full day in Slovenia, we relaxed at the hotel and then went to bed.
After lunch, we went for a traditional pletna boat ride in the afternoon. The pletna boats are the traditional boats of Lake Bled; they are covered boats large enough to seat around 12 people that do not have a rudder or a keel or anything under the boat to steer it. Because of this, the boatman steers the boat only with his oars and his own strength (it is a very labor-intensive job) while standing at the back of the boat, which was slightly reminiscent of punting in Cambridge last summer. Our pletna boat ride took us from Bled town across the lake to the island, where we had a half hour to explore. After walking from the boat dock to the front of the island, during which time we encountered a film crew (I am probably now going to be on Slovenian TV climbing up to the summit of the island), we proceeded to climb the 99 steps from the docks to the church on top of the island. Local legend has it that if a groom can carry his bride up all 99 steps, their marriage will be good! We chose not to go in the church, but rather walked around the island and bought some postcards of Bled and the surrounding area before descending to board our pletna boat for the ride back to the mainland. After our boat adventure, we stopped at the Hotel Park to try traditional Bled cream cake, which was quite good, but very rich.
Returning to the hotel, we rested for a while before going to dinner at another good restaurant whose name I cannot remember, where I had a grilled meat sampler that was very flavorful and tasty. After a successful first full day in Slovenia, we relaxed at the hotel and then went to bed.