Brett and myself at Bled Castle overlooking Lake Bled with its' chapel topped island.
Day 14: Lake Bled
This map in the RS Croatia/Slovenia guidebook gives a good overview of the whole lake.
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Our hotel is near the big i for information on this map. We were rowed out to the island, spent some time on it, and were rowed back. The rest of our day was free until it was time to meet up for our final group dinner. We then proceeded to head right from there around the lake so we could hike up to the castle and see what what it had to offer. After the castle we headed back down, continuing around that way all the way back to the hotel. We stopped at Vila Bled for a snack and took a lot of pictures!
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Image of the Day99 steps lead from the boat dock up to the Church of the Assumption on Lake Bled's island. Newlywed husbands are supposed to carry their brides up to prove they're fit for marriage. Brett and I are far from newlyweds and might be a bit past young, but I work with 10 year old's and Brett is a dad who messes with his kids, so we decided to have some fun here 'just making it' to the top of the steps for a photo!
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Let's Take a Pletna Boat Ride!
First up today was a pletna boat ride with the group to the chapel topped island in the middle of Lake Bled. Peter hired 2 boats to take all of us and we divided in half and hopped on! I was able to sit in the very front point of the boat on our way to the island, which was fun! You want to make sure you even each side out for weight and number of people, and don't stand up. The boats are flat bottomed, no keel, so standing upsets the balance of the boat. Having someone else do all the work to get us to the island was so relaxing and enjoyable on a beautiful day!
T-B & L-R: Bled Castle & its' reflection in Lake Bled, waiting Pletna boats below Bled Castle, the spire of the island chapel, on our Pletna boat, Deb and I getting ready to hop aboard, Jess and I on the boat, the chapel topped island in Lake Bled, the other half of our group's boat.
Lake Bled's Island & Church of the AssumptionAfter our pleasant row out to the island we all made the climb up to the top of the steps. Peter outlined for us the history of the Church of the Assumption, that we could go up the bell tower with our ticket if we wanted, and pointed out the cafe and gift shop with WC before letting us know what time to be assembled for getting back on the boat to get rowed back to the mainland. We all started out in the church as a group, which was originally an 8th century Slavic pagan temple dedicated to the goddess of love and fertility. The current Baroque version is the 5th to occupy the spot.
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Looking back down all the steps we just came up with a pletna boat and a man who must have swum to the island, which you can also do.
Feeding the Ducks
As we started on our way around the lake towards the castle there was no end to the amazing views on such a beautiful day, and going around the end curve we encountered some ducks. Brett seems to have a way with ducks. Everywhere he goes, he finds a way to make friends with them, and this trip was no exception! He tossed a few small bits of roll in and over they came. He also was kind enough to share with a little girl who threw the bread into the water with such enthusiasm her mom had to hold on to her lest she fall in!
As we started on our way around the lake towards the castle there was no end to the amazing views on such a beautiful day, and going around the end curve we encountered some ducks. Brett seems to have a way with ducks. Everywhere he goes, he finds a way to make friends with them, and this trip was no exception! He tossed a few small bits of roll in and over they came. He also was kind enough to share with a little girl who threw the bread into the water with such enthusiasm her mom had to hold on to her lest she fall in!
Bled CastleBled Castle is a cliff-hanger and in a spectacular setting! It dates from 1,000 years ago and was the seat of the Austrian Bishops of Brixon, who controlled Bled in the Middle Ages. We enjoyed the old-fashioned printing press (go upstairs), a frescoed chapel, the decent history museum, the covered walkway and the sweeping panoramic views over Lake Bled and the surrounding mountains!
Pro-Tip: Hike up to the castle using the 'longer but less steep' route around the back of the hill, and come down from your visit using the switchback steps. Directions in RS book. We were glad we did. |
Completing the Circuit
After descending from Bled Castle we continued in the same direction around the lake to 'complete the circuit,' back to where we started. We first had some really beautiful views of the castle, island, and both together. Stunning! We then decided to stop at Tito's Villa Bled for a little afternoon dessert. You can no longer go see the social realism murals, but we could sit out on their terrace and enjoy a drink and Lake Bled's signature dessert - Kremsnita - custard and cream sandwiched between delicate crusts. It was delicious!
After descending from Bled Castle we continued in the same direction around the lake to 'complete the circuit,' back to where we started. We first had some really beautiful views of the castle, island, and both together. Stunning! We then decided to stop at Tito's Villa Bled for a little afternoon dessert. You can no longer go see the social realism murals, but we could sit out on their terrace and enjoy a drink and Lake Bled's signature dessert - Kremsnita - custard and cream sandwiched between delicate crusts. It was delicious!
Our Farewell Dinner!
Our final group dinner was at a nice restaurant very close to the hotel where we were able to choose our soup starter and meal from several options. I stuck with the seafood and had fish soup and fish for my main entre. You could also have a dumpling soup or BBQ beef ribs. Dessert was a torte or mango gelato. Peter also provided us with a couple glasses of wine each to celebrate the wonderful tour we had, though it was sad to be saying good-bye. We had some wonderful last conversations, lingered, and thanked Peter for being an excellent guide through the Heart of Europe. It was truly special.
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Post Tour Plans
Our post tour plans were originally all to go to Venice for 2 nights and 1 full day before heading home. Deb and Brett did this, but Jess and I ended up changing our plans to go to London instead. Use the button below to see our post tour adventures in London. Otherwise, use the More drop down above for Final Thoughts.
Our post tour plans were originally all to go to Venice for 2 nights and 1 full day before heading home. Deb and Brett did this, but Jess and I ended up changing our plans to go to London instead. Use the button below to see our post tour adventures in London. Otherwise, use the More drop down above for Final Thoughts.