Picture perfect.

Can you see the park we swam at beneath the castle?

One of the many appeals of Slovenia is the opportunity for outdoor adventures. The area around Bled in particular offers visitors plenty of opportunities to get outside. With only a limited amount of time in the area, we decided to take the classic hike: around the lake with a stop at the Velika Osojnica viewpoint.

Family/friends from home, can you read my shirt?

Walking along the water was more of a stroll than a hike. We passed a few sweet old Slovenian women beginning their day by bathing in the lake. We also got a closer view of the famous island. This little island and the church upon it are what make Bled the romantic and picturesque destination that it is. You’ll be seeing plenty of photos.

The Church of the Assumption plays an important role in town. On weekends you can spot grooms carrying their brides up the 99 steps to the church door. We kept our eyes open for a glimpse of the local tradition but I think it was a bit too early in the day for wedding festivities.

The trailhead for the viewpoint took us up up up and up the side of the mountain. I kept thinking the end must be near… but no. There’s even a nice little spot with a bench at the top of a very steep set of stairs that makes you think you’re at the top, but you’re not. Persevering was well worth the effort, the view from the tippy-top was even better.

xo, jill

Be still my heart.

After our day of sightseeing in Ljubljana, we took a bus to our next Slovenian destination: Bled.

I am so in love with this little town. Bled is a very popular tourist destination (you’ll see why in my next post) but we weren’t tripping over tourists. Even with the World Rowing Championships in town, Bled wasn’t very crowded.

The B&B we stayed in was a giant traditional house with three floors and several rooms. I loved the house but the atmosphere was a bit… unfriendly. We think our host may have been having a bad day (or two).

Just outside we found the proof that Slovenians tend to be religious.

Whatever happened to gnome lawn art?

After settling in to our room, our first order of business was to swim in the gorgeous green lake. Due to the regatta, swimming was forbidden in several areas. We chose to swim at a park located under the local castle. We left our cameras in the room in favor of a worry free afternoon.

In the evening we walked along the water and enjoyed the fresh air. Being outside in pleasant weather feels like a luxury when you know you’re heading back to heat and humidity in just a few short days.

I found a few pretty flowers too.

xo, jill

Ljubljana.

We arrived in Ljubljana after dark. We checked into our hostel, which was actually dormitory housing for the university, and set out to explore the city. Searching for food on an empty stomach is sometimes the most annoying part of travel. I tend to get a little grumpy when I’m hungry. Mike tends to want to find the perfect meal. It rarely goes well. We ended up eating the one food we were hoping to avoid: felafel. (Nothing against it, but when you live where we do you tend to eat it a lot.)

The next morning after breakfast in the dining hall we walked towards the center of the city. We were lucky to catch a free city tour just as it was leaving the square. Free walking tours are one of my favorite things to do in a new city. We were also lucky that our guide was an anthropologist and was very knowledgeable about Ljubljana and Slovenia in general.

To get started with our tour we went past Triple Bridge. There’s a main crossing in the middle and two smaller crossings on the sides. Originally cars were allowed over the main crossing and pedestrians took the outer sides. Now the center of town is a pedestrian only zone and people can cross the bridge any which way they like.

The city also has an unofficial lovers bridge for anyone wanting to lock their love. Slovenians like to refer to Ljubljana as the “City of Love” because the word for “beloved” sounds very similar: “ljubjlena”.

Our guide led us to St. Nicholas’ Cathedral to view the lovely dome. The main door of the cathedral depicts the 1250 years of Christianity in Slovenia and was dedicated to the pope. We were told that traditionally Slovenians are quite religious and we found this to be true later in our trip. (However, I checked out a few stats and it seems things are changing.)

Despite the warm weather, it was very pleasant to walk around the city. The buildings were old but charming and it never hurts to have a river winding through town. By the time our guide explained to us that a university education is essentially free (she paid about 20 euros, she guessed), I was feeling pretty jealous.

This street here will take you up to the castle on the hill…

but I insisted on riding the funicular. It’s not every day you have the opportunity to get your funicular on!

The highlight of the castle was essentially the view. We walked into a chapel briefly and were on our way out when a huuuge tour group was on their way in. It was comical as we waited at the door as a looong train of elderly tourists filed in. I felt a bit trapped.

Later we sat by the river at a cafe and enjoyed being outdoors in a pleasant place.

That night the city was having a festival with live music and street vendors galore. It’s always fun to be in town for a festival but eventually I grew tired of the music that had become “middle aged person jazz.” Mike disagreed but was nice enough to accompany me back for the night.

xo, jill