Lake Bled: Last chance for romance in the Heart of Europe
Our last morning with the tour group started with a boat ride across serene Lake Bled to a small island, the only island in Slovenia. We rode in a pletna, a beautiful flat-bottomed wooden boat. The pletnas have been hand-built for generations going back to the Hapsburg empire. With no keel it's a bit tippy so we followed their protocol for loading and unloading where one person moves at a time, alternating sides. On our way across the lake we could see the colors of the leaves starting to change here in the Julian Alps.
Our burly oarsman is the fourth generation in his family to row passengers on the pletna to the island.
The church is a popular wedding spot. We think the couple standing in front of the gilded rococo altar in traditional costume was celebrating an anniversary.
We had the afternoon free for one more bike ride, on another route suggested by Scott. This one was a spectacular trip along the Radovna River into Trigalv National Park. We had to shorten it for the time available, but there was plenty of beauty. The bikes were the nicest rentals yet on this trip.
Mountain bikes again, but these are really nice ones with a much better padded saddle, no adjustments needed.
Remains of the Smolej farmhouse. The Germans burned it down in 1944 along with other houses in the hamlet of Srednja Radovna, killing 24 innocent people.
Our view on a little loop that we rode down towards the road back to Bled. This is definitely the ride of the trip so far. Worth repeating and going farther next time.
A sign by the road tells the legend of the "Fat Stone" that rolled down from the slopes of the Mežakla plateau a long time ago. One day a man heard a terrible noise and turned to see a huge snake slithering down the slope, waving its tail. The snake dislodged rocks that in turn moved a fat stone. It rolled to a stop at the roadside. The snake disappeared into the river, but the stone still sits by the road.
Ginny and Pete DarbyTo Scott AndersonI read about these unique structures. Apparently, they were used for drying hay. So much rain in the region required the farmers to build the racks with the little roof. Guidebook said they were the subject of souvenirs; I looked for one but couldn’t even find a refrigerator magnet! Reply to this comment 7 months ago
Janice BranhamTo Ginny and Pete DarbyIt was in the guidebook! How about that. Good for you for reading it. I didn't get through it all what with all the trip preparations, busy days and the journal. Reply to this comment 7 months ago
The evening was devoted to a farewell dinner with our tour companions. They're a fun group of people; we would love to travel with them again, although I might look for one without so many long bus days next time. Peter was an awesome guide, and veterans of other Rick Steves tours testified that this was the best one they've been on yet. It was extremely well organized and a nice balance of group activities and free time. We'll miss this bunch, but at the same time, we're looking forward to running our own show for the next phase of the trip.
