Sunday June 11th Lake Bled

Sunday June 11th

Lake Bled

We had beautiful views of the lake this morning at breakfast - no idea why I didn't take a photo immediately. I was probably too busy thinking about my choice of juice at breakfast. The choice was tomato juice, carrot juice, or beetroot juice. I just had to try beetroot juice, and I'm afraid it was a big disappointment. I love beetroot - plain boiled, with no vinegar - but this wasn't very nice. So tomorrow I'm going to try the carrot juice.

After breakfast and some emails etc., Paul and I set out to walk round the lake, which we had been advised would take us about 90 minutes. I'm afraid that was a bit of an underestimate, as we walked fast and it took a bit closer to two hours. Mind you, we did stop a lot for photos. The lake is absolutely beautiful. The colour of the water varies with the light, sometimes it is a deep emerald green and sometimes turquoise. 

The steep hillsides that surround it are covered in trees with dark green foliage. A stark white church with a dark narrow spire is prominent at one side of the town, and huge steep rocky cliffs above it are crowned by a medieval castle.

Walking round the lake gives you lots of beautiful photo opportunities, especially as you approach a small island at the far end which is almost completely occupied with another white church with a dark spire. 

You can visit the island by boat, and the lake is busy with lots of different boats. The most popular ferry to the island is a large rowing boat with a canopy to keep off the sun. The boat seems to hold 10 or 15 people, and is rowed by a very strong man who rows it standing up at the stern. 

There are lots of other boats on the lake though, as well as pedalos and paddle boards. There were also lots of sculls today too, since it seems Bled is hosting the World Rowing Championships and there were quite a few races going on. 

We didn't stop to watch though because it was rather hot and we were trying to stay in the shade.

It was lunch time by the time we had completed the circuit, so we went back to the hotel to rest and cool down. By 2.30 we were somewhat rested so we went out again with the intention of visiting the castle. The castle dates back to 1011, though various things have happened to it since then, so we expected it to be quite interesting.

We set off by walking part of the way round the lake towards the castle. It would have been possible to take a taxi up, but for some reason that never occurred to us. We climbed; first up to the church that dominates the town, and then up the very steep hillside. About 15 long flights of stairs lead up towards the castle, with steep paths between. A notice board at the foot of the stairs tells you the stairs will take about 15 minutes. I suppose there are people who can climb stairs for 15 minutes without stopping, but I'm not one of them. So it took me a lot longer with all the little rests at the top of each flight. 

At the top, more steep paths take you up to a path just below the castle and you cross through the castle gate on a wooden drawbridge. There is then a long and very steep cobbled path winding up to the ticket office. After that, there's only one more flight of stairs and you are stumbling into the lower courtyard.

The views over the lake are spectacular and you can see for miles. 

The castle print shop is housed in the lower courtyard, and views of the castle were being created by a most handsome young man in medieval costume using an old printing press.

The prints were for sale - sadly, the handsome young man wasn't, so I didn't buy anything.

We staggered up more stairs to the upper courtyard, where the most interesting place was the chapel. I'm not sure of the starting date for this, but it was altered in 1690 after an earthquake and was elaborately frescoed at that time. 

The frescoes at the back of the chapel look quite fresh.

Near the chapel is the forge, but the blacksmith was taking a break so we weren't able to see him making anything. He was quite a burly young man with a beard, and he was drinking a cup of tea from quite a dainty cup with a saucer. He was quite anxious to sell people wrought iron candlesticks and dragons but we haven't much room in our cases, fortunately.

There is also a small museum, which shows artefacts from the castle area that demonstrate that it was first inhabited by Stone Age hunters, and there are also bronze and Iron Age artefacts and Roman finds as well. 

The date of 1011 is the first date at which there is documentation about the castle, but there has clearly been occupation there from earliest times.

We staggered back to the lower courtyard to have a cold drink in the café there, and sat in the shade close to the well. The castle is too high for any spring, so the well is dug into the rock to make a cistern for collecting rainwater. It is 10 or 12 metres deep apparently, so it covered over now of course.

Once I had got some strength back from sitting in the shade drinking home made lemonade, I had to face the long climb down all the stairs. It was considerably quicker than coming up though. Once down, there was still part of the lake to go round, and the climb back up the hill to our hotel, where showers and rests were necessary. We managed to find a restaurant fairly close to our hotel for our evening meal, fortunately. Neither of us felt capable of much more walking!