My latest find on the iTunes App Store is Timehop, an app that reminds you what you were up to on “this very day” a year, or 2, or 5, ago. I just saw that it’s been a year since my trip to Slovenia… and somehow, I haven’t yet written about what a beautiful little jaunt it was.
I was in Slovenia as part of a multi-country train whiz through Europe courtesy of Eurail.com. Having made my way from Berlin to Prague to Vienna to Bratislava to Venice to Rome to Bologna to Lausanne, I decided to spend a couple of days in Slovenia’s near-unpronounceable capital city: Ljubljana.
After just a few days wandering around the extremely pleasant, walkable city, I was a little bored, so I teamed up with a fella I met at Hostel Celica for the hourlong bus ride to Bled, a town in the Julian Alps.
We didn’t have a plan for what to do once we arrived, and somehow I think that was the right way to go about a day trip to Lake Bled.
The lake, the castle and the tiny town of Bled are pulled straight from the pages of a storybook… at least, the storybooks I used to read as a kid. Imposing castle on a hill; sparkly, dark, mysterious lake; church with 99 steps marooned on an island… it was all just too picture perfect. Definitely an inspired location for a Disney princess movie if ever there was one!
Like a real Disney Princess, I was googly-eyed over the dozens of ducklings kicking their way all around the lake’s edge, and the swans were curious about me, too.
I nearly broke into cheerful song.
Instead of ticking off the traditional sightseeing list – castle & church – we decided to take the 6 km path all the way around the lake in order to capture every beautiful vantage point.
There’s nothing like spending a day with a total stranger, is there? Especially one you really find interesting. We chatted for hours, stopping for ice cream and occasional photographs. None of either of us, though, as the scenery really stole the show.
After weeks of non-stop travel blogging hysteria and train travel, my day at Lake Bled was a slow, welcome day of reflection, conversation and fresh air. The weather was perfect, the scenery couldn’t be beat and the company was lovely. A top travel day to remember forever.
