Today’s plan was for a day trip to Lake Bled, one of Slovenia’s most photogenic places. There was no way Matt could make it to Lake Bled, so we had come up with a modified plan. I would visit in the morning, and Andy in the afternoon. Anna opted to go with Andy to avoid an early start!
I left the apartment at 7am and walked to the bus station in the dark and freezing fog. That sounds awful, but it was actually really fun to see that normal life just carries on in these conditions. The quote “there is no such thing as bad weather, just unsuitable clothing” is so true. When you’re dressed appropriately and move fast, conditions like that are really refreshing. There is no train station beside Lake Bled, so it was time for a bus ride. The bus was warm, comfortable and on-time. One hour and twenty minutes later I arrived at a pretty deserted Lake Bled.
With the sudden change in plans, I hadn’t had time to research where I was actually going, so just headed towards the island at the other end of the lake. Part way down I met an old Slovenian guy on a bicycle who had enough English to tell me the best viewpoints. He directed me to a viewpoint up a steep hill. Apparently a photo taken at that spot had won a National Geographic competition for the most beautiful place in the world. The signage was slightly confusing, but I’m pretty sure I ended up in the right place. It was a spectacular view anyway, and I didn’t have to share it with a single soul.
I had just enough time to speed walk back to the bus station and grab some snacks before catching the 11:30am bus back to Ljubljana. I think Lake Bled would be super packed in the summer, but there was almost no one there. There were several food places around the bus station but they were all closed except a tiny kiosk with a few snacks and a drinks fridge. Initially I thought it was closed too as the kiosk window was shut, but the worker was just keeping warm. The drinks fridge was even locked – when I pointed to it I was handed a set of keys to get what I wanted then lock it again!
I got back to Ljubljana just in time to catch Anna and Andy before they boarded the 1pm bus for their turn. There was just enough time to give them my map and a brief run-down on the best spots. I headed back to apartment to spend the afternoon hanging out with Matt and relax. He was doing better but just very weak and no appetite. Later on I popped out for a last wander around this adorable little city.
There are some really quirky things in Ljubljana, there is also a huge variety of international food and some very amusing signs. I walked up one lane with two very traditional buildings – one was the Cutty Sark Pub and the other a Mexican Cantina.
Andy and Anna had a great time in Bled too. They walked right around the lake and got the sunset views and much better photos that me! They were back at the apartment by 7pm. Matt was already asleep so we went to a local restaurant for a last Slovenian dinner. Dining outside is huge in Ljubljana so we wrapped up warm and joined the locals. It was magic to sit outside at one of the riverside restaurants and enjoy beautiful food and Slovenian wine.
