After a leisurely morning touring Rovinj, Croatia we headed off to Lake Bled, Slovenia. Slovenia used to be part of Yugoslavia so I was hoping that the spattering of Croatian language I knew would be helpful in navigating the area, sights and restaurants. As we drove north from Croatia and crossed the border into Slovenia the landscape began to change from lush green rolling terrain to beautiful views of the Julian Alps in the distance. We stopped at a roadside currency exchange and swapped our Croatian Kuna’s to the Euro and purchased the required vinjeta (toll-sticker) for our rental car. The architecture had a definite Austrian look as we headed further into the country with roadside chalets and quaint towns.
Unfortunately as we neared Lake Bled the clouds decided to roll in. Parking was again an adventure and we fortunately found a spot by our hotel that the concierge was holding for us. The Grand Hotel Toplice was recommended as a “must” by my dear friend Maureen and we were not disappointed. It is an old classic elegant lakeside hotel that has been host to worldwide guests such as Arthur Miller, Agatha Christie, Madeleine Albright and King Hussein I to name a few. It’s elegance may be starting to fray slightly, but the classic bones of the building, the impeccable service and location definitely made it a wonderful choice. Our room was located lakeside with a balcony that had a fabulous view of the Lake and Bled Castle. We grabbed our umbrellas (items which I was very glad to have “over packed”) and headed out to explore.
Across the lake from our hotel we climbed the steep wooden switch-back stairway to reach Bled Castle. It is about a 1/2 hour climb to the top, very narrow and slippery. The castle originally dates from the year 1004, but has had several restorations since the Middle Ages. Literally as we went through the gates of the castle to enter the courtyard the rain began to fall. With umbrellas up we wandered the outer courtyard and upper terraces for wet but beautiful views across the lake. There is a castle museum which with a quick visit truly saw all you needed to see, and a small chapel that was charming. Our last stop was climbing more stairs (truly feel this has been the trip of 100,000 steps!) to the wooden defensive gallery for a few more rainy views of Bled and the surrounding area. Walking back down the steep switch-back stairway in the rain was a bit more treacherous. Sitting next to the lake were two empty hand-built Pletna boats. Not many tourists or locals were out and about in the rain, so Joe & I decided it was time for a well deserved break and beer or two.
Our plan the next day was to drive up into the Julian Alps, however in the morning I checked my handy-dandy “Dark Sky” weather app and it warned that the mountains had been blanketed with 8-10 inches of new snow overnight, and it was still raining down at the lake and snowing up there. Neither of us felt the urge to slip and slide through the mountains so we bundled up, grabbed our umbrellas again, and explored the town of Bled. After a few hours, wet shoes and cold noses the spa at the hotel sounded very appealing. I was very excited to dip into the thermal spring-fed “healing waters” swimming pool…until I dipped my toes in and found it to be freezing. Apparently “thermal” does not necessarily mean warm in a foreign country. Joe was brave enough to take a dip and after refusing to be coaxed in I checked out the spa.
We took a walk in the evening and ended up at Gostilna Pri Planincu (“By the Mountaineers”) for dinner and a few beers after dinner. The food was traditional Slovenian and delicious. Afterwards we headed into their bar which is covered in license plates from around the world and chatted for a while with another couple from the US and a couple from England. The staff was also extremely fun and friendly and the local draft beer hit the spot!
The next morning sunshine finally arrived. We quickly packed up, checked out, had breakfast and headed to the Pletna boats to take us across the lake to the island (Bjejski Otok). Upon leaving the boat there is a climb of 99 steps from the dock up to the church, and apparently grooms carry their brides up the steps as a rite of passage. The Church of the Assumption is a beautiful church and locals claim that if you ring the church bell 3 times on 1 pull your wish will come true. After waiting in a short line I gave it a try…..those who know me well know what I wished for! A short stroll around the perimeter of the island gave us lovely views across the lake, the turquoise water, Bled Castle, the mountains and Tito’s Vila. We were both so glad the weather finally broke to truly enjoy the natural beauty of this destination.
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