Our final stop in Slovenia was the Vintgar Gorge. Located just 4 km outside of Bled, the Gorge was created by the erosion of the ever flowing Radovna river and was completely inaccessible until 1891 when a wooden walkway was installed which was no easy feat. Now, thousands of people walk the beauty of the canyon each year and marvel at its crown jewel, the Šum Falls, which is the largest waterfall in Slovenia. And we were no exception. Not a lot of words needed for this post, just gorgeous pictures. Enjoy...
The start.
The sheer canyon walls are between 50 and 100 meters high (160- 330 ft).
One of the many rapids.
And one of the many pools. (By the way - limestone is what makes the water sooooo green here).
Tourists leave cairn here too (we first encountered them in South America!)
The single arch stone bridge of the Bohijn Railway overlooks the dam which reroutes the water underneath. They are the only two man-made sights in the gorge.
The waterfall.
After we walked back on the trail, we hopped in the car and started our trek back home. Which was a little bit shorter than our drive there but not by much. We exhausted the girls iPads and then the girls themselves. What a great long weekend!
We were in Slovenia. And like I mentioned in my last post, we started our day in Lake Bled by taking a SUP tour to the island in the lake (read it here). Since our tour did not start until almost 11 am we decided to walk around the island and explore for a bit beforehand. With a coastline of 5km (3 miles), there was plenty to see...
The boats were still locked up for the morning.
The water was green, blue, turquoise...it all just depended on what angle you were looking at it from..And I loved how it constantly changed in pictures. We also loved the fact that it was so clear (and deep -30 meters at its deepest) so that you could see the bottom all around the shore.
Fuzzy Baby Duckies!!!
I shot this island/church from so many angles and loved every one of them.
The island train. We didn't take it because we were having such a good time exploring...
MadHatter asked me to stop and take pictures of the wildflowers (and post them). These were her favorites...
We made it to our meeting point with a few minutes to spare so we checked out the docks.
We went on our 2-hour tour and once back on shore continued on our adventures around the island. This time looking to walk up to the castle. We found this sign and headed in...and UP, UP, UP...
After about 20 minutes we were at the castle but the wrong side of the castle.
The pathway there was blocked off and so we had to continue on and back down another path only to head back up again this time taking over 200 stairs.
By this time, we were starving. Thankfully there is a very good restaurant at the top with some of the best views of all.
Our table was on the left...
And this was our view straight down...
Family pic!
We toured the castle but there really wasn't much to it so we went back down the 200 steps and into this church (which I have forgotten the name of and can't seem to find online...)
After a day of hiking and paddleboarding we were ready for a treat. And when in Lake Bled you must have the Bled Cream Cake (Kremsnita). And you must try it at the source of its origin - The Hotel Park. Created by Ištvan Lukačevič, the recipe is no secret but experience does matter because if there is too much flour it will take awful; too little and they collapse. Obviously these guys have it down to a science because they have sold over 12 million in the past 60 years.
Thumbs up all around.
The sun was starting to go down on our fabulous day exploring Lake Bled. We took a short stroll to dinner and found a table lakeside with this view...(I don't think there is a bad view from anywhere on the lake)
One last picture and we were off to the hotel. We would be leaving Bled in the morning but we were not sad, just determined that we would have to come back again someday and do it all again.
Lake Bled! It has been on my bucket list since I found out that we were moving to Europe over three years ago. And we were finally here. And yet, here I was, a bit apprehensive. We had gotten a peek at the lake yesterday, and I was really looking forward to spending some time on that ridiculously turquoise water this morning, but I was also dreading it. You see, I had booked a stand-up paddleboarding trip based on the glowing recommendation of a friend, and I trusted them wholeheartedly but you guys, I trip walking up the stairs. I also fall over when I am standing too still, and I do not have a single graceful bone in my body. Yet, here I was, scheduled for a two-hour tour, where I would have to stand upright on a wooden board with nothing but water underneath me for stability. I was sure that I would end up in the lake, more than once. Can you understand why I may have had a second thought? Or two. But I was there, my girls were counting on me, and so we suited up (literally, we suited up in the parking lot just off the lake) and jumped in knees first.
I sent the ringer in first. Mostly because I wanted the girls to have no fear when it was their turn and if they watched me flip the board and sputter back to the top I thought they might have second thoughts about jumping on the boards themselves...So B was number one on the board. And he was a pro from the get-go. He went from knees...
to paddling...
to standing in under a minute...
My turn. And I somehow managed not to flip the board over!!! I mastered the knees position faster than I thought I would but wasn't steady enough to try standing up quite yet.
But with both parents on boards and not in the water, MadHatter was anxious to get on her own and get started. Thankfully, she has great balance and a can-do attitude. Within 5 minutes she was up and paddling forwards, backward and in circles. This girl was a natural.
Finally, Stinkerbell hopped on the front of our Marina's boat (our guide, I will mention her awesomeness more than once in this post). And we were all off.
Stinkerbell catching her balance...
And once she got her bearings Marina let her take control! Which rocked her world as she has never gotten to pilot the ship before...
She relaxed as only Stinkerbell could so that we could get to the island in the middle of the lake.
A little blurb about Bled Island. The island is tear shaped and houses the Church of the Assumption of Mary (now a museum). To get to the church, you must climb 99 steps up the Južno Stopnišče (southern staircase), and legend has it that if you marry at the church, the bridegroom must carry his bride up the staircase to ensure a long and happy marriage. We did not try such a thing...but we did dock our boards and walk to the top, counting all 99 steps...
We saw the church from the outside, but since a wedding had just taken place and we were not dressed appropriately, we declined touring the church. We had ice cream instead...
We headed back down the stair and to our boards where we took some family pics (thanks, Marina!)
This is a Pletna boat. They are only found in Bled and since 1590 the boats have been passed down from generation to generation. Take one if you get the chance!
And then it was time to swim in those beautiful waters. Well, they did. I do not get in if it isn't spalike temperatures...and this glacial lake was nowhere near spa like. The kids enjoyed it though.
They would have played all day except for the fact that we still had to make it back to the mainland. So we put our boards back in the water the same way they came out (this helped keep us on the right board with the right sized paddle). Me first, then B, next MadHatter and finally Stinkerbell and Marina. All was going well until Stinkerbell decided that she didn't need Marina's help anymore and took off...All the way out to the rest of us...
Poor Marina had to catch a boat out to catch up to her runaway...
There were no hard feeling (only a lot of laughter) and soon Stinkerbell was navigating the waters like a pro once again...
Well, when she wasn't swimming in them, that is...
Me, I was relaxing, taking some video/pictures and just enjoying the afternoon sun...
Finally, we had to call it a day. Marina does have a business to run after all. For the last part we put Stinkerbell on MadHatter's board and left them to their own devices for getting back to the docks (spoiler - they did it beautifully).
This was the perfect way to spend a few hours. Not only did we get to tour the island (with a local) but we learned the basics of SUP, and we did it as a family with a fun, funny and entertaining local to boot. If you find yourself in the area - please do yourself a favor and spend some time with WhatSUPbled...you will not regret it!
