Lake Bled
On the way to Ljubljana the capital, since the breakup of Yugoslavia, and largest city of Slovenia, we decided to visit picturesque Lake Bled, 55 km away up in Julian Alps.
At 475 m above sea level, at the end of the Zaka Valley, Bled owes its alpine beauty to its flora and landforms (due to ancient glaciation and tectonics) and to more recent manmade improvements.
These include medieval Bled Castle that stands above the lake on the north shore and the church on Bled Island; the whole lending a 'picture postcard' atmosphere.
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Picturesque Lake Bled - sympathetically landscaped and the water height is regulated by a weir
There's a walk that circumnavigates the lake and half way around are the gondoliers who take tourists to the Island.
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Gondolas to the Island
There are also rowboats for hire for the energetic, who can also ski in winter
Lake Bled was once a place of religious pilgrimage, to the Church of the Assumption of Mary on Bled Island, where there is a 17th century church replacing the older one. Couples who get married there will have good luck if the groom carries his (sic) new bride up the 100 steps of the church. These last gems are from the web, as we decided not to join a geriatric throng from tourist coaches who had whaled into the boats. We had a coffee and then continued our walk instead.
Thus, Bled Island is now a place of pilgrimage again - touristic pilgrimage. Indeed, tourism is as important in Bled as at Disneyland, supported by occasional international rowing races and even a small ski slope. I'm informed (the web again) that there's also an annual festival dedicated to the local pastry: 'Cremeschnitte' (a snotty sneeze?). I found out about that too late!
While we didn't venture onto the water, we did pay a visit to Bled Castle - as we'd had a bit of a castle drought since Budva. We were just in time for the re-enactment of a medieval romance and wedding, performed by local mummers.
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Bled Castle
The castle, one of the most visited tourist attractions in Slovenia, was first mentioned in writing in 1011, during the rule of King Henry II of Germany (at the time the Holy Roman Emperor). It passed from the Empire to the Austrian House of Habsburg in 1278.
It's much restored or is it renovated (?) and also contains a museum or two and even a printing press with metal letters in a frame and real ink.
