Just a short bus ride northwest of Ljubljana is one of the most famous tourist destinations in Europe, Lake Bled (pronounced “blade”). Even if you’ve never heard of Bled, you’ve probably seen gorgeous pictures of this stunning little lake with a church sitting on an island in the middle. The pictures often include a castle sitting atop a tall cliff alongside the lake, and the beautiful alpine peaks beyond. Normally at this time of year, the area is covered with snow, but this year is warmer, so we just see bare trees, not the usual winter wonderland. Nevertheless, it is still beautiful.
This is northern Slovenia, close to the Julian Alps and the Austrian border, so the feel here is decidedly German. The architecture and language feel close to the Bavarian. Of course, our visit in February is clearly “off season.” There are advantages and disadvantages to this.
To the negative: Other than the pines, the trees are bare, and some attractions are closed for the season. We do not see the colorful landscape we would see in Spring, Summer or Fall. An it’s been a warm winter, so we don’t see the lovely snow-covered Bled that is normal this time of year.
On the positive side: We can easily find a great meal without even making a reservation, we get faster service, and there are far fewer of us tourists, so we have to crowds no deal with.
Our Hotel Mlino: Rather than staying in the town of Bled itself, we stayed a couple of kilometers along the lake, in Mlino. The hotel looked out on the lake, just across the road, where the Pletna boats were launched. It also provided one of the best restaurants available, so we ate two fantastic meals there.
Highlights of our visit to Bled:
Walking the Lake: A pleasant walkway of about six kilometers circles the lake and is shared by hikers and runners. Walking from our hotel, we also came upon a swimming center which, despite the February temperatures, was full of people and events. While we wore our multiple layers, many were in swimsuits, diving into the cold lake water to compete for prizes. They had come from all over: we met folks from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Wales, and the Netherlands. They had all come to take part in Winter Swimming. Continuing around the lake, we came into the town of Bled where we stopped for coffee and a taste of the kremšnita, also known as the Lake Bled Cream Cake. Very Delicious.
Visiting the Island; We took the traditional Pletna Boat ride out to the island. The Pletna, a flat-bottomed boat that can seat up to twenty, powered by a single driver almost like a Venetian gondolier. Once there we climbed the stairs to the Church of the Assumption of Mary and had our chance to “ring the bell.” Those who can ring it in just one pull, according to the legend, will have their wish fulfilled. We also climbed up to the tower and walked the on the circumference of the island before returning to our Pletna boat.
Visiting the Blejski Grad, the Bled Castle. We also made the arduous climb from the lake’s shore up to the castle. It houses a museum that offers a history of the town and the castle as well as a print shop, winecellar, chapel and a restaurant where we enjoyed a coffee break before heading back down.
On our last evening in at Hotel Mlino, we enjoyed one more terrific meal in preparation for the bus ride back to Ljubljana next morning.
