Blue as a sapphire, it doesn’t even look natural. I can assure you my photos have no colour enhancement. There are so many pictures of the blue lake with the tiny island in the middle, the church’s tower being the stand-out element of it. A picturesque scenery, surrounded by mountains. You may also have seen it covered in snow, so very postcard-like. And I can imagine, like me, every time you saw that picture, that image, being that from a book, from the internet, from the TV you always thought to yourself – how beautiful. It almost looks fake. Or at least, definitely from a fairy tale world that is not ours.
But our world is beautiful indeed. It made me so happy it made me to be surrounded by such beauty. My heart started to beat faster when I got off the bus at Bled’s Bus Station, and as I walked in the direction of my accommodation for the weekend, that blue hit me. I was so glad I hadn’t cancelled the trip. I needed it. I needed to get out of the chaotic life I was living for a few days. And cancelling it would have been a product of my anxiety, my irrational panicking, and nothing more. And look at all I would have missed.
I recently wrote about Travel cliches and perhaps you could add Bled to that list. It is one of the most – if not the most – famous places to visit in Slovenia. Some people, especially locals, will likely even tell you there are other marvellous places in their country – and probably even better, less crowded. But I always believe if something is that talked about, if it’s part of the main tour books of Slovenia, it must have something. And well… Lake Bled has it.
I was almost going to cancel this trip of mine. I had booked it a few months ago, taking advantage of the Summer Bank Holiday in the UK – a long weekend. I was going to cancel because my life has taken a huge turn – as I wrote yesterday, I’m about to move back to Portugal. It’s been overwhelming, to say the least – the packing, the selling, the donating. Deciding what to keep and what not to keep. Ensuring I am taking care of all of the annoying bureaucracies – cancelling bills, changing addresses. Making lists and more lists. Whilst working full time. All alone. It’s a lot. then there was a train strike booked for the day I needed to get to London Luton airport – and I had a train ticket. I consulted the timetables until the very end, making sure my train was not affected – well it was, so I had to really pay a lot more by calling an Uber. Cursed myself for not having given up on the idea of a train, and just taken the bus. But well… thankfully I don’t live that far from Luton.
With the flight at 6 in the morning, it meant I had slept about three hours. I got to the airport on time, trying to forget the train incident. At the end of the day, I knew it had been my own misjudgement. Why do I trust railway services in the UK? Seriously, don’t. Strike or no strike. I was trying not to see that as a sign that maybe this trip had not been a good idea. I’m practising being kinder to myself – so put it behind my back. Got on the plane. And once I arrived at Ljubljana’s airport, luck smiled at me – for two main reasons.
First I was happy that the weather looked so nice for the time I was in the Lake, with the rain coming only on Monday evening. And secondly, I got one of the last four seats in the public bus that takes us from the airport to Lake Bled. Otherwise, I’d have to wait for another hour or more, or go with a shuttle that cost four times more – I know this because one of the shuttle drivers approached the small group of us gathering at the bus stop, stating that he would charge 16 euros per person to leave immediately. And the public bus… “I don’t even know what time it comes”, making it feel it was unreliable. There was a schedule at the bus stop and I also checked online. I almost shouted back “It comes at 10:10”. I did not. I simply decided to trust the company’s website (the bus I used was from Arriva)
He didn’t persuade anyone to go on his shuttle – not at that moment. Perhaps he gained some customers anyway, as most people couldn’t get on the Arriva bus – the one that only charges 4 euros per head to take you to Lake Bled, about a one-hour drive distance (there was some traffic arriving into Bled, since it was a Saturday, and the weather was likely the last of Summer).
The weather was indeed summer-like – perhaps a little too much. At about 33 degrees Celsius, I arrived at my accommodation drenched in sweat. I was hoping the room was ready so I could change and have a quick shower before setting out. Once again, luck was on my side. The host was incredibly kind and helpful, told me that my room was going to be available in only 10 minutes and, most importantly, had a weak spot for the Portuguese people. He loves Portugal and his best friend is from there. He gave me a map of Lake Bled, giving me tips on where to eat, and what activities to take part in (I skipped some of the most obvious and heard him out). Knowing that I would be heading off the next day to Ljubljana, he also gave me a map of the city, telling me some of the best places to go and what to see. And the place was just perfect – a little wood cabin, giving me the real Alps feel. After all, I was in the Julian Alps. And I cannot recommend this place enough – Vila Alpina. It is not in Bled town, about 30-minute walk from it – but the walk is lovely and you do have a few restaurants and a supermarket just 5 minutes away.
Walking is really the best thing to do in Lake Bled probably besides a nice swim in the lake, and the hikes you can do. You can walk around the whole perimeter of the lake (6 Km long), it’s 100% accessible, or even rent a bike and to it that way. I walked, entertained by the people tanning and doing sports in the water, embracing the views around and to the island – the only island in Slovenia – to the Bled Castle, one of the oldest in the country.
It is really a place of relaxation, with the spirit and charm of a little town. It actually didn’t feel that touristy or crowded. The waters of the lake are so translucid, unpolluted, so rare to see these days. Perhaps because you won’t see any motorised boats in the river – even the trip to the Bled Island is made using the traditional Pletna boat – a wooden boat made by locals, whose origins date back to 1590. The boat has a wooden flat bottom, designed with the same concept as the famous Venetian gondola, but it has some unique features – the most visible being a wider boat, allowing a total of 18 passengers to travel. Being a “pletnar”, the oarsman of such boats, is quite a renowned vocation, and can’t be done by anyone. During the reign of Maria Theresa (ruler of the Habsburg dominions at that time, 1740-80), the ownership rights of the pletna boats were given to farmers who received poorer land for cultivation – the profession was handed down from generation to generation. Currently, there are 23 Pletna boats in Lake Bled.
I didn’t get to go on a trip to the Bled Island, to visit the famous church. Perhaps if I had had more time. But with a costly return trip of €18 pp (apparently it used to be €12) it just didn’t sound that appealing when I knew there was so much to do and see with my own foot in the short time I had in Bled.
I had started my walk, but it was lunchtime. I didn’t want to sit at a restaurant so I went to the supermarket and got myself the traditional Burek – with Turkish origins, this can be found across most Balkan countries, often with variations. It’s a pastry made of thin flaky dough (filo) with different fillings – my favourite is cheese and spinach. I sat down by the lake to enjoy what would be my lunch that day. I always try to travel on a friendly budget – and always find ways to experience the local delicacies with the best views, without any premium price attached. One thing to bear in mind about the supermarkets in Slovenia – they are all closed on Sundays. As it was a Saturday, I had a chance to get some snacks from Mercador, the only supermarket chain I saw in Bled.
Bled Castle stands proudly on top of a magnanimous rock, facing the lake. The host at my accommodation told me that from there you get the second-best view of the lake. Again, I had to pass this one too and content myself with the best one, but I have to mention the castle. It is a part we cannot ignore of Bled – it makes the landscape what it is, and it gave me Vampiresc – or shall I say – Dracula vibes. To visit the castle you pay €15. I considered it but then realised that with the hiking I wanted to do, I didn’t have much time. It is a shame though – but my experience with visiting castles is that they are often underwhelming. After all, these were defence structures, and with its fortified walls, Bled Castle is no exception. Its history dates back to 1004. Despite its ancient history, part of the castle was changed and rebuilt especially when a huge earthquake in 1511 caused so much damage to it.
As I reached the town, I decided it was time for dessert. I had to try the famous Cream cake of Slovenia, and at my accommodation, my host had told me I had to go where locals go. So there I was, at Zima. I’m not going to lie – not a big fan of the cake, which I should have expected bearing in mind I am not a huge fan of cream. The slice was also huge, so I had to leave half of it, mostly the cream – but well, at least I could say I had tried it! I also ordered fresh lemonade (lemonade in Slovenia is actually really good, not sweet at all).
As I went along, I would stop by the water from time to time to read a little, relax, and hydrate. Observe the people having fun by the lake. And smiling whilst seeing those who struggled to do their standing paddling.
And then I took myself the to best view of the Lake – a little hike to Mala Osojnica. That will be a story for the next post. For now, I’ll leave you with the views from below 🙂
Love, Nic
The Winged Bone 
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