We have spent the better part of this week in the valley below Slovenia’s Julien Alps.
The day we drove in it was raining cats and dogs. Having seen this in the forecast I booked us into a spa for the local specialty: a warm honey massage. One of us had some trepidation going in.
I’m pleased to report that the massages were lovely and our skin felt great for days afterwards.
By the time we left the spa the skies had cleared and we hit golden hour just right as we walked around the famous Lake Bled.
We saw the island church from all of the different angles, each offering a unique and ever beautiful view.
While admiring a photo stop we met a family with roots in Medicine Hat. They told us that when they arrived to Bled the day before there was no snow on the mountains!
We enjoyed a hike through the Vintgar Gorge that ended with sweeping views of the valley.
Our fantastic AirBnB had views of the Bled castle and it lured us out for some nighttime views.
Of course we had to taste Blejska Kremšnita, the famous Lake Bled cream cake. We even managed to find a gluten free version (which was the better of the two!).
The next morning was a perfect bluebird morning for a short but steep hike up Ojstrika, which boasts the best views of Lake Bled. Yep, we can confirm that these were some of the best views we could imagine.
We moved to the Bohinj area, where our accommodation highlighted some of the reasons that Slovenia is a leader in sustainability: solar panels, an apiary (bee hive), garden, and focus on recycling. Our host treated us with homemade Blueberry Schnapps as a welcome drink.
We rented bikes and cycled a loop of the valley, including a stop at Savica waterfall.
The Slovenian food has been delicious, with lots of hearty soups, stews, and meat & potato options. I also enjoyed a taste of traditional Slovenian dumplings.
Slovenia has definitely exceeded our expectations. Tomorrow we will be heading south to Croatia again. Stay tuned for some special foodie adventures. I’ll sign off with one more of our thousand pictures from Lake Bled, this one complete with sunbeams.
