We set off to the Julien Alps early in the morning after leaving Ljubljana, intentionally avoiding the freeway and taking side-roads to get to Bled. We first stopped in Skofja Loka, a pretty village with some cool streets, bridges and a castle. For such a small country as Slovenia, the variety of scenery is remarkable! And if you decide to take the freeway, you can span the country (north to south) in a couple hours.
We then took a really windy road from Sk. Loka towards Bled, avoiding the highway. The leaves were all beginning to change and had great color in the foothills of the mountains. Upon descending the other side of the mountain we drove up, we stopped for lunch in Radovljica, another little village only 5 minutes from Bled that has a few restaurants and a gingerbread factory. We ate above the factory and got a gingerbread souvenir afterwards before heading to Bled...to check into our super cool accommodation for the next two days.
For €30 a night, you can stay in this little A-frame hut that has a really nice bed with comfy sheets and comforters. The have good insulation too! The campsite (Bled Camping) has two huts now and call it "Glamping". We loved it!
After we checked in to our Glamp, we headed to the lake, which has a path around the entire lake, which is highlighted by the little church island below and a massive cliff topped up by a castle that holds a commanding view of the village and the lake. We had just a few minutes of sunlight on the church but got a couple cool shots!
And the castle and village...
We walked around the lake, stopping in the town and getting a few snacks and gearing up for dinner at a pizza place in the town called Rustica. It was nice to have pizza after the hardy Austrian-themed lunch. It rained all night that night and we had a great sleep in our little hut!
The next morning we slept in pretty late as it was still raining and eventually headed toward lake Bovinj, which some argue is prettier than lake Bled. It was hard for us to compare given it was raining all day long. We drove past the lake, stopping once as the leaves in the forest were amazingly beautiful and colorful despite the rain. We then parked on the far side and to hiked to the
Savica waterfall, which was about 5 times stronger (bigger) than when it isn't raining.
You can see the raging falls behind a wet couple!
When we returned home the rain finally subsided and we took a nice (but pricey) boat ride to the island. It is really peaceful, especially given we represented 50% of the tourists on the island, which consists of a church, a small museum and a little cafe.
That night, we ate at Ostarija Peglez'n, a really charming restaurant between the old town and the lake that is recommended by Rick Steves. The unfortunate thing about these great restaurants recommended by Rick Steves is that they are filled with Americans, which takes a little bit away from the Slovenian atmosphere. The food is great and we enjoyed a long candlelit dinner before returning to our hut for the second night!
The next morning we took the LONG, very LONG, drive through the mountains to the southern wine region called the Karst. You can see how beautiful the scenery is in the mountains. Despite being beautiful, it wasn't worth the much longer drive that we took, an alternative to getting on the motorway and saving 2 hours of drive time. If we were to do it again, we'd take the motorway as it is a dizzying drive through the mountains.
Over the mountain and through the woods....to the agriturismo we go....
I hope there was a small couch or a big enough bed for 3 in that little hut, so you guys could look at it and be thinking... ahhh Jenna could have slept there! Looks like a really pretty place!!!
ReplyDeleteThe fall foliage and the fog pics are great! Glad you had a fun time! Where to next?!
ReplyDeleteWe are very happy that you enjoyed staying in our campsite, and we hope that we will see you again someday! :)
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