Lake Bled is a famous lake in Julian Alps of Slovenia near the town of Bled. My friends & I decided to do it as a day trip from Ljubljana and on a cold Autumn's day, we took the morning bus to Bled (there is a bus every hour). The 45 minute route was picturesque - with farms, villages and Alps providing many photo opportunities.
From the Bled bus stop, the lake is a 5 minute walk. The lake is of mixed glacial and tectonic origin.
The lake is more than 2kms long and 1.4kms wide. There is a walking trail around the lake, which should take around 2-3 hours depending on the number of stops you take along the route.
The lake is located amidst the mountains and forests - it is a perfect place to spend your day in silence and solitude. The boats are ready for tourists but in this cold weather, there is no one here except us !
There is a rowing center here - apparently, this is a famous place to hold many rowing competitions.
It lists down the Olympics venues (and years) where Slovenia (or Yugoslavia) participated in the Olympics. However, swimming is prohibited in most areas and that is one of the main reasons the lake is so clean.
Of course, we had to have the famous Bled cream cake - really really good and a must try. Locally known as kremna rezina or kremsnita, it is a vanilla and custard cream cake dessert extremely popular in Slovenia. I enjoyed it with good music, hot cocoa and some great company -
After getting some warmth, it was time to resume our walk and once again face the cold.
Bled island is in the middle of the lake. It has a few buildings and a church. It can be reached via the wooden boat. 99 stone steps lead up to the church and during weddings, it is considered a good omen for the couple if the groom carries the bride all the way into the church. Damn, for all the hard work done by the groom, I hope the marriage succeeds !
Meanwhile, we are just happy getting our photo taken -
The mountains form a perfect backdrop for the lake. There are points around the lake, where you can get the medieval Bled castle with the lake in the foreground and Alps in the background.
Since there was no time pressure, I had ample opportunities to observe the behavior of swans, birds and small animals in the area. One of the more fascinating ones was this baby mouse trying to have its lunch without a care in the world. It did not make any attempt to run even when it was approached by the public wanting to have a closer look. Too young and innocent to understand the dangers of the world ! We spent some time there before we moved on to finish our round of the lake.
One other thing happened which left me speechless and made me admire my friend so much. Caring comes naturally to her and even though I knew her nature, I was shocked at the extent to which she cares for life on the planet. While walking around the park, she saw a bee struggling on the ground and used a leaf to move it to the side of the road in order to avoid it being squashed. It is something I have done myself in the past and so, I thought that would be the extent of her rescue operation. But, no she was not going to leave it unattended like that. She tried to pour some drops of water on the bee in an attempt to resuscitate it and I hoped against hope that the bee made a quick recovery. While tending to the tiny winged insect, she told me that they need sugar for energy and back home, she carries water and sugar for such situations and sometimes, the bees regain their energy and fly away. I was blown away when she said that ! Oh, the joys of meeting such kind people and the amount of things you can learn while interacting with them is endless.
Unfortunately, her attempts proved futile and there was no visible improvement in the bee's condition. A bit disappointed, we made our way towards the lakeside restaurant for a late lunch. It was a small place and we had a lovely time interacting with the owner.
After a wonderful day breathing clean and fresh mountain air, it was time to head back to the city. Slovenia never ceased to surprise me and as I boarded the bus, I was already looking forward to what else this lovely country had in store for me.
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