michael, thomas, tyler and i visited bled in slovenia from the 17th-19th april. this area is absolutely beautiful! it is situated at the foot of the julian alps which is a beautiful backdrop for such a lovely village.

we left zagreb around10.30. the roads weren’t busy, thank goodness. the border crossing was fairly quick and easy. the slovenians were nice this time. (or as nice as was possible anyway) it’s always an adventure to drive with michael; part mario andretti, part evil knievel. we made good time and were there by 1 or so. we only got lost once…and no gps this time!

we found our hotel (hotel jelovica) fairly quickly and it wasn’t bad for a 3 star…as tyler likes to let us know. we weren’t directly on the lake but very close. we could see the church and castle from our balcony. we left shortly after to find somewhere to eat and see the lake for a bit.

we ate at the youth hostel bledec restaurant.  i wasn’t impressed with anything but the salad which was unfortunate because the staff was very friendly.  they recommended the tourist lunch, about which we’ve been warned over and over in guidebooks but we did it again anyway.  don’t order the tourist menu!

we walked to the lake from the restaurant and started to look around for a way to get up the gigantic cliff to the castle.  after walking for awhile, the boys were bored so we took them back to the hotel to chill and michael and i walked around.  we fed the ducks (and swans) at the lake, walked along the pathway, shopped for a few souvenirs (michael always gets a pin for his hat, i always get a magnet for the fridge and we always buy postcards to send and scrapbook with) and then had a coffee at the art cafe.

we left the art cafe to walk around town.  the houses are just amazing in this village; probably built by rich austrians as summer houses in the last century.  we found an outdoor mall and each bought a new jacket since it was a bit cooler than i had expected.  we decided it was a good time to head back to the hotel…and it was drizzling a bit so it was necessary.  we had bought umbrellas so we’re ok….for a bit anyway.  it started pouring on our way back and the wind picked up and blew my umbrella inside out.  i was completely soaked – to the core – when we got back!

we relaxed for awhile, warmed up and dried off.  it was then to find a spot for dinner.  we ate at a little spot very near the hotel…it was a bar in front and restaurant in back.  the food was excellent and generous in portion.  the waiter was extremely friendly.  i highly recommend this place!!  (just have to find the name!) we had a great time and finished off our meal with a tiny glass of blueberry rakija which was wonderful.

now for a good nights sleep….