Slovenia – Lake Bled / Vintgar Gorge

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Landing at 12:30p in Slovenia we hit the ground running.  We picked up a rental car, which has been allot of enjoyment for Elijah.  It is quite small by our standards.  Still the driver’s seat sits very low in the car, so I can just barely look over the dash.  It is also a stick shift and the mountainous driving in the alps making for a fun re-learning experience.  The hills can be quite steep, making me need to use my parking brake to help me get started without rolling backwards.  The mountains are majestic though.  They are huge, to the point that they basically look more like a painting than actually being real.  

As a family, we have made a conscious decision to not use smart phones.  However, I do have an ancient relic (an iPhone 3) that was donated in case we need it for navigation.  In Slovenia I would not be able to function without it.  It turns out that the country decided it really would save some money on road signs.  There are very few signs that tell you where you are going and then there are close to zero signs that give the number of the road you are on.  The only way we have been able to function is by plugging in GPS coordinates into the iPhone and then letting it navigate us to the location.  This is not without it’s on adventure, as the iPhone makes sure to send us down the smallest 1/2 lane streets it can find in the country and in towns.  Sometimes I’m sure the mirrors are going to scrap on old stone walls and there is no chance you could actually pass someone on these streets, even though they are two way “roads”.  Driving in New Zealand did get me ready for the one lane bridges and tunnels we have been finding.  They did decide to put signs up to tell you who has the right of way each time you come to what they decide is a one lane obstacle.

Lake Bled was magically with it’s castle perched on a cliff and the church out in the center of the lake.  We hiked up Mala Osojnica to get the best view.  Elijah liked the steep stairs at the top of the climb, as they were more like a ladder than stairs.  He kept saying he wanted to climb higher, until we made it to the lookout.  The lake was beautiful from that altitude.  As the thunder rolled we were praying we would stay dry on the hike down.  To finish off our time at Lake Bled we were told we must enjoy a piece of the famous Bled Cream Cake.  The Sava Hotel serves the original recipe as you sit on a terrace overlooking the lake.  Our large servings of cake were delicious and a meal in themselves.  As we finished, the rains came, letting us know it was time for our next adventure.

We winded our way through a maze of small unsigned mountainous roads and small towns to arrive at Vintgar Gorge.  It was raining harder which really thinned out the crowds for the popular two mile river walk along a boardwalk.  We saw crystal clear water and numerous small waterfalls along the hike.  We watched trout play in the stream currents, having a lot of fun.  The rain kept pouring and we were soaked, but still having a great time.  I had read that it can be a two mile line of steady people as the tour buses drop their loads off for this walk.  We saw maybe twenty people the whole time.  Elijah was trying to go to sleep on me while hiking by the time we got back to the car.  The jet lag was hitting the both of us pretty hard.  Fortunately our hotel was thirty minutes away.  We got the the Spik Hotel in Karaska Gora, where I had an interesting time checking in.  The manager told me he believed I was sneaking Elijah into the hotel and trying to not pay for him.  The funny thing was Elijah was with me while I was checking in and I was finding it rather comical being accused of sneaking Elijah in while all of my paperwork showed I had reserved a room for one adult and one child ten years old.  The manager finally took copies of my paperwork (I’m so thankful I had all my notes in order) and we were off to a huge room, along with a kingsize bed the manager was sure we would not both be able to sleep in together.  It turns out by 8p we were able to go to sleep just fine and I don’t even think Elijah found me in that huge bed, even though he tossed and turned all night.

Elijah’s Take – Our flight came in and we landed.  The flight was super nice.  We drove to Lake Bled and it was really pretty.  We did a really long hike that was hard and so worth it because it was beautiful at the top.  We went to a gorge and just as we got there it started raining.  We waited a bit in the car and then just got out in the rain and hiked the gorge.  There were some very pretty waterfalls in it that were so pretty.