I had forgotten how beautiful Lake Bled was. At six in the morning the water sparkled under the rays of the rising sun and Bled Island was reflected in its depths. Our hotel, Hotel Jelovica, was just across the pretty garden behind me. But no time to linger this morning, we were off on a walk, to Martuljek near Kranjska Gora.

 

After walking for a short time we stopped by a river. As we admired the view there was a sharp crack above us and some rocks sheered off the cliff face across the water and crashed to the ground. Our guides had a brief discussion and decided to continue and after crossing two precarious wooden bridges one at a time, we climbed up to the top of the waterfall at Martuljek. After the waterfall it was an easy downhill walk to a traditional mountain hut where we stopped for coffee. The effects of very heavy snowfall during the previous winter and recent torrential rain meant we had to modify our plans and we did a circular walk and returned to the rifugio for lunch. A very simple menu offered either cabbage soup or barley soup with bread. The accompanying pine juice was delicious yet the jars in which the juice was fermenting had not looked at all appetizing. After lunch we walked back to our vehicles and returned to Lake Bled where most people sneaked off for a siesta.

 

The second day I woke with a start when the bells in the church next to our hotel chimed at six in the morning. They chimed again fifteen minutes later, a snooze function as well! Today we had decided to explore the lake and set off along the lakeshore. After a short distance we took the path through the woods up to Grad, the castle, perched on a rocky promontory above the lake. It was very interesting strolling around the castle from which there were stunnng views across the lake and surrounding coutryside. We took a more gentle route back to the lakeside and continued our circuit although it was not long before we were lured into one of the many bars for some refreshment. Back on track we stopped to admire Tito’s summer residence before discovering it was time for lunch. As we ate we watched the small wooden boats going to and fro across the lake to Bled Island and decided to go acroos there to explore. The main attraction was the church with it’s ‘wishing bell’ and we all pulled the rope three times and made a wish. Back on dry land we strolled along discussing what to do next. Mini-golf won the vote although for some of us the attraction was a glass of a nice white wine for just one euro. By now the evening was drawing in and as we crossed the lawn to our hotel we stopped to  admire a swan and her four  very young cygnets sleeping on the grass. 

 

Lake Bohinj was next on our agenda for a very active day, scaling a natural rock face in the morning and canoeing on the lake in the afternoon. Larger than Lake Bled, it was a lovely, natural lake and a real contrast to the commercialisation of Bled. Just one electric boat plied its trade up and down under the watchful eye of a statue of Zlatorog (Golden Horn). Between activities we enjoyed a very substantial picnic supplied by our hotel. That evening we decided to sample the local cuisine and walked the short distance to Gostilna Marka a local restaurant that specialised in Slovenian food. We enjoyed a very nice meal outside on the spacious terrace of this hostelry.  

 

Vintgar Gorge was our destination the following day and we made our way there either by bike or minibus and then walked through the gorge. It was spectacular, cliffs rising steeply above us and blue-green water flecked with white foam tumbling down below us. At the furthest point of our walk we were entranced by a rainbow that danced in the spray of a waterfall. After enjoying a substantial lunch in a roadside restaurant a short distance from the gorge we either walked or cycled back to Lake Bled gaining the shelter of our hotel just before a thunderstorm erupted around us.

 

Rafting down the river was the final activity and after the rafts had been pulled ashore we spent some time on a small island before tucking into a barbecue lunch. Our return to Lake Bled was perfectly timed, afternoon tea with sumptuous pastries at Café Smon Slascirana followed by some retail therapy at the local handicraft market. Today the little town was buzzing with people and above the murmur of conversation and traffic we could hear the booming voice of the starter at the international regatta taking place on the lake. All day light skiffs had been skimming across the calm surface of the water on the shouted command “Go”. As we were close to the Italian border it seemed appropriate to dine on pizza that evening and a table had been booked at Pizzeria Planincu. As soon as I saw the expression on the face of the lady with whom the booking had been made I knew we had a problem. Just a few minutes earlier another group had arrived and claimed our table.  People were ushered away from a big round table in the centre of the restaurant and somehow the twelve of us managed to get round it. The pizzas were really good although the large version was enormous and the toppings were a bit random as the two guys making them worked flat out to keep up with the orders. We decided to move on to the Art Café for dessert where I had the chocolate fondant – a bizarre mixture of alcohol and dessert, a mound of ice cream topped with cream was smothered in an alcoholic chocolate sauce that also filled the trough round the bottom of the dish.

 

Our final day was spent exploring the capital city of Ljubljana. We travelled there on the local bus, an adventure in itself as different bus companies offered different services. From the bus station we strolled to the old town, crossed the river and then walked up to the castle. We could have taken the funicular but we had plenty of time and it was a beautiful day. From the castle we could see the city spread out below us. We made our way back down by a different route and then meandered along the river towards the centre pausing to admire handicraft stalls and paintings along the way. We whiled away an hour having lunch by the water’s edge before making our way back to the bus station.

 

Just enough time on departure day to experience the thrills of the funbob, well the men did while the ladies watched and encouraged them as they rocketed down the mountain on the single rail track. All too soon we were on our way to the airport and a strange ending to a great week. When we finally boarded our delayed Adria Airways flight an announcement was made that due to building works at the airport the runway was shorter than usual so some of our luggage would not be coming with us. There was pandemonium on board as people rushed to find a member of the cabin crew to plead their case for their case. Sadly four pieces of our luggage did not make it into the hold but they were soon re-united with their owners.