Lake Bled, Slovenia

No Blood, Only Beauty:
Lake Bled, Slovenia

I spent two nights at Lake Bled in Slovenia. I took the 10:00 am bus from Ljubljana (1470 SIT [$8] plus 290 SIT [$1.50] for luggage storage) and arrived a little more than an hour later. Walk downhill from the bus station to get to the lake.

I had reserved two nights at Penzion Garni Berc. It was challenging to find and to check-in. [Check-in is in a different building from the rooms.] My room was €32 per night ($40). The owners responded quickly to all my e-mails.

This view of the lake was taken from town. It shows the island and the castle.

This was my pletna rower. He was so strong!!

Here are two pletnas docked at the island. While we were there, four people swam to the island!

There really are 99 steps!! I counted them!

After I returned from the island, I went to eat at Okarina Restavracija. It was the best meal I had on my entire trip!

I believe the waving man in this is the owner. He was very nice.

The inside of Okarina is non-smoking (yeah!!), decorated in an East Indian decor, and really interesting. It was also filled with Americans and Rick Steves readers while I was there.

The food was so good!! I had a great time at Okarina and recommend it to anyone going to Bled.

No Blood, Only Beauty: Lake Bled, Slovenia I spent two nights at Lake Bled in Slovenia. I took the 10:00 am bus from Ljubljana (1470 SIT [$8] plus 290 SIT [$1.50] for luggage storage) and arrived a little more than an hour later. Walk downhill from the bus station to get to the lake.
I had reserved two nights at Penzion Garni Berc. It was challenging to find and to check-in. [Check-in is in a different building from the rooms.] My room was €32 per night ($40). The owners responded quickly to all my e-mails.

Pension Garni Berc doesn't have air-conditioning or fans, plus I was in an attic room, so it was quite hot. They also don't provide bar soap in the room (surprising) or laundry facilities for the guests. I was also not offered a loaner bike (though I really could have used one on my four 35-minute trips to the campground). The mattress was excellent, though, and I watched a lot of World Cup on the TV. Guests are allowed to check e-mail (which I did). The continental breakfast was very good. It even included cookies!
I took this photo on the way to get my laundry out of the dryer. The island in Lake Bled is so cute!
	This view of the lake was taken from town. It shows the island and the castle.
On my second day in Bled, I took the tourist bus to Vintgar Gorge (bus is 700 SIT [$4] each way or 1260 SIT [$7] return; I did the return deal). The tourist bus leaves the Bled bus station at 10:00 am, leaves hikers at the gorge for an hour and a half or so, and heads back to Bled at 12:00 pm. Entry into Vintgar Gorge was also 700 SIT ($4).

Walking in Vintgar Gorge is like walking down to the Whirlpool in Niagara Falls, only it is nearly horizontal (not much climb or descent) and has a lot more water flowing through. It was just gorgeous!
That evening, before dinner, I took a pletna boat out to the island. I was on a boat with a couple from Scotland and four people from elsewhere (although they were very well-traveled). The pletna ride is 2400 SIT (€10 or $13) per person. I had to wait until a group wanted to go; they will not take a single person.
	This was my pletna rower. He was so strong!!
Here are two pletnas docked at the island. While we were there, four people swam to the island!

The island is pretty small. I went in the church and rang the bell (so fun!). I found the bris fresco, too! The bell tower (photo at right) was very pretty!
There really are 99 steps!! I counted them!
After I returned from the island, I went to eat at Okarina Restavracija. It was the best meal I had on my entire trip! I believe the waving man in this is the owner. He was very nice. The inside of Okarina is non-smoking (yeah!!), decorated in an East Indian decor, and really interesting. It was also filled with Americans and Rick Steves readers while I was there.

This was my "splurge" meal for my trip. I got the "Balkan menu" for €15 ($19). It began with a pitcher of tap water (yeah!), bread, and a vegetable plate. Note: never pick up a yellow triangle and bite into it, assuming it is cheese. It might be butter (as it was this time!). The first course was cream of while bean soup (excellent!). The tablecloth, candle, and speedy service all added to the overall good experience.
Next was the salad. After my sad salad at Plitvice, I was worried, but I shouldn't have. This salad was mixed greens with a wedge of tomato in a balsamic dressing. Delicious! It was the first time I have had balsamic vinegar to my knowledge. The presentation of everything was very pleasant.

The main course was a mixed grill. It had mushrooms, onions, red peppers, beef, and turkey, all in a good brown sauce. The potatoes on the side were also good. The baklava was good but definitely not the best I've ever had. I was stuffed when I left! A 10% cover charge was added to the bill, making the €15 meal actually €16.40 ($21). It was a surprise, and I don't like to be surprised. It was a negative ending to what had been an amazing meal.
The food was so good!! I had a great time at Okarina and recommend it to anyone going to Bled.
Notes on Lake Bled:
The very nice campground at the far end of the lake allows non-guests to use their laundry facilities. Bring your own detergent. Buy a wash token and a dry token (1100 SIT [$6] each) from the registration office. To wash a load takes 2 hours; drying a load takes an additional 2 hours. The pineapple Mercator soda is very good! The "citrus mix" soda from Mercator is not as good. Bled reminded me of Niagara-on-the-Lake. It even had horse-drawn carriages and a park with a gazebo!	There is a free swimming beach near the campground (handy for swimming while doing laundry☺) There are at least 3 Mercator stores around the lake. If using the Internet at Penzion Berc at night, have them turn on the light for you. I fell down the stairs in the dark (not fun). Do go to Šmon Slaščičarna for desserts! I had an awesome piece of cake there (took the place of my first dinner) I wish I'd planned more time in Bled; I would've taken one of the full-day adventure tours to go rafting, hiking, etc.