Tag: Slovenia

Gorgeous natural wonder of Vintgar Gorge
Besides spending a good deal of time admiring at the beauty of Lake Bled, I rented a bicycle to the highly acclaimed Vintgar Gorge (Soteska Vintgar). Itâ€™s located just around 4 km north-west of Bled town and can be reached by hopping onto a bus at Bled Bus Station. But I opted for a bicycle ride to give me a better control of my time. Furthermore, that also allows me to stop and say hi to Julian Alps. So whenever the clouds decide to uncover its grandeur – I stopped to admire and the Alps sure didnâ€™t disappoint.
The amazing surrounding view of Julian Alps. Hey, Jule!
The road leading to Vintgar Gorge looks fairly easy to navigate according to the map. But yet, I kinda went in the wrong direction several times around PreÅ¡ernova cesta area due to the lack of road signs. I hereby thank the friendly local (Slovenians are a friendly bunch!) who pointed me towards the correct direction. And it becomes a no-brainer once I locate the road Cesta Vintgar.
Soon enough, I am already buying a ticket from the ticket booth.
Gorgeous Vintgar Gorge
There is a series of footpath inside of Vintgar Gorge. The wooden walkways and bridges criss-cross along the natural formation of rocks, carved by Radovna River. The trail seems like an easy one amid some narrow paths which allow only one person to cross. I am there during off-peak season therefore not a problem to me.
The Radovna river cuts the Vintgar Gorge deep between the hills of Hom and BorÅ¡t. The gorge is flanked by steep slopes overgrown with beech forests. It was discovered in 1891 by Mr Jakob Å½umer, mayor of Gorje, and Mr Benedikt Lergetporer, a cartographer and photographer from Bled. Both were amazed by the beauty and the mysterious character of the natural attraction. Local people, however, have always viewed the gorge with awe and respect. In 1893 the gorge was opened to the public. – vintgar.si
Itâ€™s almost surreal to be so close to seeing Radovna River in action, which its stream has created pools and rapids. I am so totally immersed in the beauty of the gorge â€¦just look at these awesome rapids.
In addition, the bright turquoise and crystal clear poolsâ€¦ Itâ€™s so nice to be here.
Almost at the end of the picturesque trail is Sum Waterfall (Slap Sum, which literally means â€˜Noisy Fallsâ€™), the largest river waterfall in Slovenia. This is where the gushing river in the Vintgar Gorge will conduct a grand finale for their visitors. Very nice!!
Moving towards the end of the trail is another ticket booth for people entering from the other side, which is nearer to Sum Waterfall. I turned back from here on and continue to be mesmerised by this scenic Vintgar Gorge walk.
I gotta say this is one amazing place and thankful that such natural beauty is open to the public, very sure it ainâ€™t easy to build a walkway through the difficult terrain. This is a perfect side trip when in Bled and does allocate the time to see this natural wonder of Slovenia. I am glad I did.
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What are your thoughts about Vintgar Gorge? Leave a comment and share it with me.
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April 10, 2016
Fairy Tale Lake Bled
The breathtakingly beautiful Lake Bled surrounded by snow-capped mountains of Julian Alps seems like a set of a fairy tale. It is a picturesque place with emerald green water and one medieval castle sitting high up on a rocky perch. In addition, there is this gothic church on a tiny island which enhances the magical feel of Lake Bled. Itâ€™s probably the most popular destination in Slovenia and rightly so – who does not like a fairy tale?
The tiny island is called Bled Island where Church of the Assumption is located. So you can either take a 15-minute gondola ride across costing 12 Euro. Or if you rather paddle on your own, rowing boats are available for rent too. One of the things to do while visiting the Church is to ring the bell and make a wish. I didnâ€™t do any of these because I opted to visit Bled Castle and Vintgar Gorge instead.
Bled is essentially the lake area and everything around it and the townâ€™s built-up areas are mostly in the eastern part of the lake. A walk around the shore area is calm and peaceful during non-peak season.
Bled Castle
Bled Castle (Blejski Grad) is perched high above and has a commanding view over Lake Bled. The castle adds a dramatic effect to the scenic surrounding. While it requires a short trek on a pathway to get on top, it’s worth the effort. That’s because the view from up here is simply magnificent! Now if only the weather that day was cooperativeâ€¦
Ssh!! Human taking photo of us!!
The castle is protected by the Romanesque wall and other fortifications like towers and ramparts. There are also cafÃ©, chapel, and museum around the castle building.
Gostilna Pri Planincu
I had a splendid meal at Gostilna Pri Planincu after visiting the castle. The 100 over years old restaurant pub is well-known and serves traditional Slovenian cuisine. And I was recommended to try their homemade sausage – itâ€™s all great and tasty!! Furthermore, the soup was equally good too.
Bled Cream Cake at Park Hotel
And finally, thereâ€™s this dessert called the Bled Cream Cake (Kremsnita). Itâ€™s said that the original recipe was created by the head pastry chef of Park Hotel in 1953. Hence, I suppose Park Hotel seems like the place to try the popular light and soft dessert. And yeah, itâ€™s really nice especially the crispy crusts!!
Getting from Ljubljana to Lake Bled
This idyllic hideaway can be easily reached from Ljubljana. And according to my finding, itâ€™s probably better to visit Bled via bus than the train. Since Bled bus station is situated in the town area while Bled-Lesce train station is located 4km southeast. Therefore, one will need to change to a half-hourly feeder bus connecting to the town after the train ride.
There are computer booths at Ljubljana bus stations where you can check the timetables of buses and ticket prices.
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What are your thoughts about Lake Bled? Leave a comment and share it with me.
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April 8, 2016