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.
