Two lakes in Slovenian Alps

The main reason why we chose Slovenia for our trip in 2018 was the beauty of its nature. And relatively close distance, both from our country and to many places within Slovenia once you're already there. We already saw one of the caves. One of the most popular and most well-known of all caves in Slovenia - Postojna Jama. This time, we wanted to spend our day out in the open. We decided to go see the mountains. Or, to be more precise, to see the lakes in the mountains. 

When many people think of Slovenia (us included, before our visit), the first thing that comes to mind is Lake Bled. Is there anyone who can't recall the view of the lake surrounded by mountains, with the tiny island in the middle with a church on it? That's definitely a view well embedded in my memory. We wanted to see that with our eyes as well. 

 

 The drive from Ljubljana took some time, but it wasn't too bad. The roads were in good condition and it wasn't too crowded for most part of the drive. Only once we started nearing Bled, we got stuck in a traffic jam. The town itself isn't too big and is mostly centered around the lake. It is, though, way overcrowded. Finding a free parking spot was a nightmare (and once you find one, prepare to pay for it. And pay for it well). However, once you're already out of your car, get ready to inhale the beauty of the place. 

You can't swim in the lake, so don't prepare for it. The waters seem relatively clear, at least near the banks. You can see plants growing and fish swimming around. There's a nice path that you can follow around the lake (ok, I have no idea if it actually goes around the lake, as we didn't get that far). It's out in the open sun, though, so equip yourself with water, sunscreen and some kind of head-cover. It wasn't too bad to follow with a pram, either. Every now and then, there's a stop for boats that can take you across the lake, either closer to the castle mounting over the lake or to that famous island with a chapel/church, on the other part of the lake. Yeah, I always thought it was somewhere closer to the castle. It's not. But that doesn't take its beauty away. 

 

Also, prepare to manouver among other people, too. Have I mentioned that Bled is crowded? Over-crowded? It is. Some walk in the same direction as you (not necessarily at the same pace). Some in the opposite direction. Some stop suddenly, without a warning, to take yet another picture (check your brakes before you come, so that you don't bump into them ;)). Once you get a little further away from the restaurant buildings, it gets easier to avoid others. And easier to move around. 

 

We came, we took a walk, we enjoyed the views and decided that we'd had enough of it. We already knew that it wasn't yet the time to get back to Ljubljana, thouogh. We still wanted to get a little further. To yet another lake. One that is much less crowded. Where not so many people arrive. Where there's also a lake, but sadly no castle. One that is surrouned with beautiful Alpes. And one, that you can actually swim (or practise other sports) in. 

 

But first things first. Getting out of Bled was no easy business. The only road that first led us in, we needed to follow along a little (lot) further. And it was jammed. With narrow passings and people looking for parking spots. Once we got out of Bled, it got a lot easier. We kept driving until we got to a parking place in the middle of nowhere. Bohinj, which we were going to, has limited car access. So unless you have a permission or are staying there for longer, you're supposed to leave your car earlier. Ok, finding a free parking spot was no problem. But how were we supposed to get to Bohinj? There was no one around, so we couldn't ask anyone for any tips or directions. We found some information that there's a bus that would take us to Bohinj, but when? No idea. Luckily, we didn't have to wait for long until a bus showed up. Another 10 mins later, we were already on our way. 

Bohinj is tiny. I mean the town. All I remember from there, were two restaurants (one surely with a hotel), some shops and a church behind the bridge crossing a river flowing into the lake. The lake itself, though, was so much better than Bled to us. It wasn't like we were the only people there. Far from it. But we could find ourselves a quiet free spot to sit by the lake. We could chill a little by getting our feet wet in the lake (water's cold. After all, it's a mountain lake). It was so majestic. You could feel the power of nature there, even though the waters seemed still. But the mountains, the colours of water, the clouds in the sky - all made us experience the nature the way we hoped for. To feel its power. To feel how tiny humans are. And to chill, to rest, to experience, to connect. It was so worth the extra drive.

 

 

While sitting by the lake, I was reading my travel guide book, where I found the information on a car train that could take us through the mountains and let us skip driving through Bled yet again. That sounded like an option we wanted to try. The train station is basically on the way from Bohinj to Bled, so we took a tiny detour to check the precise train times. Unfortunately, we came too late and there was no train that day anymore. However, that couldn't stop us from taking that train another day. And guess what? We made it! However, I'll write more about that some other time....

Sightseeing in the eastern part of Slovenia

Ok, so where are we now? Just a quick recap. We're back to the summer of 2018. We left home for another Eurotrip, which is becoming kind of family tradition (stopped this year by covid, most likely, might I add). We already spent a night in the Czech Republic and a night right off Graz in Austria. Finally, we got to Slovenia, our main goal. After due deliberation, we decided to choose a single camping for our whole stay in Slovenia and simply drive around the country, choosing a different spot each day. That's basically something new to us, as we usually just spend a night or two in a given place and then move forward. But with three kids on board (one only 10 months old), we decided it was the best option. Already in Slovenia, driving on the highway and passing by Ljubljana, we thought it was high time to choose a spot. So we backed a little and decided to stay in Ljubljana. Close to highways' junction and we could easily get to Ljubljana city centre by bus, so it seemed perfect (and turned out very convenient, too). First night meant a thunderstorm and heavy rainfall, with a lot of rain to follow the next day, too, so we decided to see Postojna cave and Predjama castle on our first day of discovering the gems of Slovenia. There. We got it :)

Second day welcomed us with lots of clouds yet again. Weather forecasts were pretty unanimous that it may continue to rain on and off around the western parts of the country. So what else could we do than go and see the eastern parts. After a quick breakfast, we were on the highway heading east. It was getting brighter and more sunny on the way and we were getting familiar with the place we were about to visit (reading a travel guide, duh. Paper one, as in a book. I still love those). We were on our way to the oldest recorded city in Slovenia, Ptuj. 

First, we loved the name. Second, we couldn't wait to see the castle. And third, we were happy to walk its narrow streets. But let's get back.

We parked our car as close to the castle as we could. The car park was suspiciously empty. It was already around 11 o'clock, so not that early, so we felt a little strange and started wondering if we got to the right spot. Yes, we did. We were just a five minute walk from St. George's Church, where we actually wanted to start sightseeing anyway. Already on the way, we could see the castle mounting over the city and Drava River. 

We went into the tiny church to have a look on what it's hiding inside (some precious art). Right next to the church, there is a town tower and Orfeus monument. Then we went a little up the street and once we saw an interesting narrow side street, we decided to take a turn. Also, it was a route up to the castle. 

Ptuj Castle has a very peculiar shape and arcades on all floors on the inside side of the walls. It looks charming. You can buy the tickets and start sightseeing. Don't miss the ticket building, though. Get all inside and have a look on the history of carnival events happening every spring in Ptuj. Plus there is (or at least was) a display of traditional carnival costumes. A little scary some of them, but it's all explained there. 

When it comes to the castle itself, there is a sightseeing route to follow and I recommend following it. It gives you a good introduction to the history of the castle. What is not that common, even the kids could find some very interesting bits and pieces for themselves. Starting with funny photo scenes (photo booths), through the whole process of making ornaments or instruments presented piece by piece like this:

to interactive bits including music or light. Of course, it's Slovenia, so there also had to be a dragon:

 and lace (I just love those! But there's more of that still yet to come).

If that depended on me, I could take some of the furniture home. But they wouldn't let me... They were simply stunning. I don't blame them, historical after all. Well, maybe a little. Ok, a lot. Let's not talk about it any longer, though ;)

After seeing the castle, we went for a walk in the narrow streets of the town until we got to Drava River. Following it slowly, then taking a few twists and turns, we got back to our car. It still was early enough to go to one more city, though. Since we were already in the east and were not planning to get to the east anymore, we wanted to make the most of it, even if that meant having a really long day. And so we did. 

We got to Maribor shortly after dinner, so we started the visit with ice-cream. Cause there's no better way. Especially when the ice-cream is so delicious that all of us didn't want to share theirs with anyone, so we didn't miss even a single drop. But seriosuly, though. The ice-cream we found was delicious and we only found this place by accident - we all love such accidents ;) Below - the ice-cream place in the back right by Glavni Most.

What is Maribor famous for? The oldest... noble vine in the world, which is entered into the Guinness Book of Records. It's said to be growing and bearing fruit for over 400 years! And here it is:

There is also a tourist information and a souvenir shop right by this vine. We got a map of Maribor there with all places worth visiting marked on it. Frankly speaking, to see all we wanted to see, we took a rather short walk a little up the hill. It is a straight way from the old vine up, first through the narrow streets, then through a park, up to a vineyard. We didn't get that far, though. We stayed in the park, as that actually is a very family-friendly place. A lot of space to run around. Or practice sports. Or just to sit under a tree and read a book. Lots of things happening, a stage, workshops for kids, a place so full of life. Plus two big playgrounds, one for older and one for younger kids. And what's even more impressive, there were also swings and merrygorounds adjusted to the need of kids in wheelchairs. It's still not that common (which should be!), so it's worth underlying. 

Even though most  of those narrow streets in Maribor are paved with cobblestone, it was surprisingly easy to navigate with a pram. And it wasn't even too shaky for the kid, either. You can see in the pics that she was relatively content with her ride ;)

What was our impression of Maribor after all? I hate this question although I've asking that precise question to myself very many times. And even though it's been over two years from the visit, my feelings remain similar - they are still mixed. There's no denying that Maribor is full of its own charm. Located on the banks of Drava River, with its narrow cobble stone streets, it gives you a chilled, summer impression of a small medieval town. Plus the beautifully renovated houses surrounding you all around. And that could be it. We could just end the story here and that could paint a nice postcard to the town.

However, I can't leave it just like that. Cause those beautiful building were often side by side with awful, neglected, often window-less cubes, reminding so strongly of the past. Of the communist rule of after WW2 times. I believe that it's changing. To the better. I can still see it in our country, too. Especially in smaller towns. But in largere as well. That some districts, neglected for years, treated often as second category or "those dangerous ones" gain new charms and change so much with the change of their looks. I hope and believe for similar things happening here. Don't get me wrong, I understand history. I understand the changes the country got through (in so many ways, so much quicker and possibly better than my own). Yet I still need to be honest here. True to myself. It's just my perception of the place. We loved our sfternoon there (have I mentioned the delicious ice-cream and that amazing park yet?), but still left with mixed feelings. And that's also ok.