Bled : Another Lake!

 Taking the train looked like a good idea but poop happens. 

We headed to Fonyód to catch the train to Zagreb. On Fonyod we could not find storage for the bags so we rented a couple bikes and the shop held our bags, very convenient. We rode to a couple of wineries but nothing was open for tasting, no matter what the internet says. We headed back to town and ate a couple times on the way. 

The train was ….. (wait for it) ….. late. Only about 40 minutes, minor in the eastern country. We had booked seats, luckily?, and our compartment had a young Aussie couple in it, and the car had a few dozen young students in it. Very hot and really moist. The AC in our car was not functioning either so it made for a less than ideal environment.

The students didn’t stay on long but the moisture and heat were already firmly entrenched. We chatted and rode for a while when the other Aussie couple appeared and said the next car was empty and the AC working wonderfully. Off we go!

After a reasonably pleasant continuation of our voyage we arrived in Zagreb, only about 90 minutes late. Checked a Bolt and it said €4.5 for the ride a driver was there and I offered him €5, he scoffed and said it was too little, I showed him the app and he said ‘so call them’ and I did, the driver showed in 2 minutes.

The hotels was nice quiet which was a bit surprising although it was difficult to find the front door, I think our Bolt drove down the bike path to get there. We called another Bolt to take us to the airport with the bags to pick up the car, we thought it would saving going there and returning for the luggage. After picking up the car I discovered that I still had the room key in my pocket so we ended up returning anyway.

Driving is easy enough in Croatia and Slovenian. Watch for the aggressive ones and cruise at 130 kph like everyone else (except the trucks). 130 is the speed limit on the freeways. An uneventful trip gets us to Lake Bled.

What an amazing place! We have a room with parking up on the hill, no view but only 5 minutes to get down to the lake walking. The scenery is outstanding, so picturesque. Busy though, it reminds one of Banff in a way, beautiful but full of tourists. I won’t wax philosophically about the situation but it is pretty easy to look through the tourist if you practice, and it’s not fully packed as it isn’t high season yet.

There is a U19 rowing regatta on this weekend, which explains some of the crowd. It really interesting and fun to watch, while you sip beer and wine on a shady balcony overlooking the lake. There are plenty of restaurants and bars and you can walk around the lake, we did not. We did however, rent a rowboat to get to the island. Only a 10 minute row and a 30 meter climb on the path to get to the church and cafe on the top.

We decided a nice progressive supper was in order so we wandered from restaurant to restaurant, with lengthy strolls in Bette and had a very enjoyable evening. We found live music for our entree and even danced a little. A wonderful meal, live music and a view, can’t get much better!

Jane decided we had to do the sled down the ski hill. It’s not a very big hill and only a 6 or 7 minute walk from our room. I was a little sceptical but played along. Once there we decided 2 rides each would do. One to figure the track out and the second for fun. It’s a short, old double chair lift to the top. Really nice view as well, helps to make the trip up that much more worthwhile. The down part is a rocket ride, lots of fun, a little shake, rattle and rolly, lots of fun.

Well that’s about all, except I should mention the nights on the lake. It becomes amazingly quiet after about 9 o’clock. I guess the day trippers are gone, the campers are in the campground and the tourists are in bars and restaurants. The lake is still and quiet and beautiful. Oh I forgot, they light the castle at night. Sorry my shots aren’t great, still figuring out the new camera.

See any faces?