After a two-hour journey from Istanbul, we landed at Joze Plocnik airport. As Slovenia welcomed us with incredible rain, we took to the road in the direction of Lake Bled in the tiny car we had rented. I don't know how many trips we have been on, but I still can't describe my heart palpitations on this particular one. You ask why? Because my beloved husband, who knew that I wanted to go to this country just to open my eyes in Bled in the morning, had prepared a wonderful surprise for me.
While getting on the plane, I thought that we were only going to see the capital Ljubljana, but I later realized that my husband was following the signs toward Bled after leaving the airport. Although the drive seemed never-ending due to the excitement building up, it actually only took 40 minutes and soon we were in Bled. We parked the car in the parking lot of the villa we would be staying in and got out.
When we got out of the car and put our feet on the ground, the only thing we could hear was the sound of rain and it was dark all around except for the blue lights coming from the castle of Bled on the hill, where a princess was imprisoned by an evil witch. It was as if were actually staying in the castle rather than the villa. Even though we couldn't see in the dark, we could smell the greenery and earth.
Convincing myself of this dream that I had built in the blinding darkness, we entered the villa where we would be staying.
Arriving in the cities of my dreams at night and waiting impatiently but excitedly to see what kind of scenery awaits me in the morning is a feeling that I am really partial to.
What kind of view will greet me when I wake up in the morning? How does the sun rise here? Only able to make out tiny fluctuations in the lake due to the darkness, I wondered what the water would be like in the day. Was it really as green as in the photos I saw?
While adding new dreams to all the ones we already had of Bled until the first morning light with the questions in our minds, we were sure that what we would experience and feel here would be beyond what we could imagine.
True to that certainty, we woke up to a morning beyond our dreams. It was as if Lake Bled was under our feet, within view was the Bled Castle, which I wrote a tale about last night, the clouds that we could hold if we held out our hands, the smell of the green, the sound of birds ... It was another morning in which we woke up wanting to wake up... Another morning when we opened our eyes eternally grateful to not be hearing any sound other than nature.
Despite the silence of the night, it took us until 3 a.m. to go to sleep as we enjoyed the peaceful rain on the balcony. However, we had to watch the sunrise here. So, at about 5 a.m. we woke up and threw ourselves onto the balcony again. The sky was starting to lighten up. We watched the scenery become pronounced as the clouds of fog slowly cleared over the lake like the opening of a curtain.
We were looking forward to having our breakfast as soon as possible and immersing ourselves in the region's beautiful nature this morning, and we awoke to greenery that was even more beautiful than we had imagined. I would like to thank my husband once again for choosing the accommodation as it offered us this wonderful view as we started a new day. It was amazing to wake up both in Bled and in such a dreamy villa.
I should not go on without sharing the details of our accommodation as we had such a beautiful morning.
You can stay in Ljubljana and take a day trip to Lake Bled or you can choose to really start a new day here with great views. I really wanted the latter.
As you can imagine, accommodation in Bled is slightly more expensive compared to Ljubljana's hotels. There are three and four-star hotels in Lake Bled but also villa-style houses like the one we chose.
The villa we stayed in had a magnificent balcony right on the shore of the lake. Villa Adora was perhaps one of the best places I have ever stayed. Although it is a bit pricey, we think it is really worth staying here if you cut back a little on other parts of your trip or your next holiday.
On some travels, you want to go out and explore but also enjoy your accommodation. Once we lept into the lake's surrounding nature I made my husband promise me that we would come back one day and allocate a whole day to just enjoying the villa.
The first stop of the day was the small island of Bled, which is located in the middle of Lake Bled and looks like a teardrop.
By the way, did you know that this tiny island is Slovenia's only island?
To get to this tiny island you get on gondola-style boats by the lake called "Pletna." You spend a wonderful 60 minutes on the lake on the boat. After 30 minutes touring the island, you return to the lake shore on the same boat.
Alternatively, you can rent a canoe to get to Bled Island or hire a private boat for a little more.
When you arrive on the island, a snow-white church dedicated to the Assumption of Mary greets you.
However, to reach the church you have to climb 99 steps. I didn't count them, but of course, there is a story behind this too. In this church, which is very popular for wedding ceremonies, according to tradition, the groom must hug the bride and carry her up these 99 steps. Married couples visiting the island also perform the same ceremony to bring them good luck.
The church also houses a bell tower which makes your wishes come true when rung.
While watching the white snow yet to melt from the Alps, we completed our island tour accompanied by the beautiful sound of nature and water.
Next up was Bled Castle.
While in Bled, it is definitely worth going up to the castle, which overlooks the lake from about 130 meters (425 feet) above it.
At the same time, there is another thing that makes the castle definitely worth visiting: a wonderful cream cake specialty of Bled.
Kremsnita is the name of this delicious cake that has the wonderful consistency of pudding under its crunchy dough topped with powdered sugar.
After visiting the castle, we tried this wonderful dessert while sipping our coffee in view of Lake Bled.
There is a small museum in the castle, which was built in 1011, where hand tools from the Classical and Medieval periods and many items unique to those times are exhibited.
I had climbed up huffing and puffing as it is a bit challenging to get up there, and I descended huffing and puffing because I didn't want to leave.
It was a wonderful experience to look at the island from here and take in the unique view of Lake Bled and the Alps.
After visiting the castle and the island, we took a walk around the lake. While walking around the lake, we found a pier. From the end of the pier, we hung our feet in Lake Bled and lifted our heads to the sky.
The only question that remained in our minds on our only day in Bled, where had watched the sunrise, was how does the sun set in this magical lake.
We left Bled before the sun went down. Maybe we can find the answer to this question that remains in our minds by staying longer on our next trip.
