If you’ve been following my blog then I’m sure you were expecting Part 3 of my recent series about why I’ve moved to Switzerland. But, we have to keep things in order here. There were some big things that happened between Tuscany and getting back to San Diego and I can’t forget about them.
In my last weeks in Slovenia I squeezed in as much as possible. With the discovery of my new found love of the Julian Alps during my Canyoning and Rafting trip, I wanted to spend most of my time outdoors. Luckily I had made some great friends to enjoy it with. The highlights of my last few weeks included a weekend stay near Lake Bled, a weekend hike at Triglav National Park, and another weekend in Bovec for some more canyoning.
My friend and coworker Monika invited me to stay with her at her mother’s house near Lake Bled. I couldn’t have asked for a better host and I still can’t believe how much we did in one single weekend. On Friday evening we visited the famous Lake Bled, a fairytale lake with a castle. There is an island in the middle of the lake with a small church and Monika said that the tradition is the groom must carry the bride up the church stairs. Once you see the stairs you’ll understand what a feat this is, there are 99 steps!
The next morning, we went on a beautiful hike that took us through the woods and across a hillside with a view of the countryside. After this I had a photo class that was held at Lake Bled taught by Ian Middleton. If you’re in Slovenia and looking to learn more about photography I highly recommend it!
On Sunday there was a lot to fit in since my photo course took up most of Saturday. I figured we’d visit maybe two places but Monika did not disappoint me. She was determined to show me everything. We woke up early and visited the Vintar Gorge. The gorge is filled with emerald green water and is surrounded by rock walls 50 to 100 meters tall. The walking trail which has been in place for at least 100 years is a wooden boardwalk along the wall edges and sometimes traversing the gorge by bridge. We got there early enough that we had a really peaceful walk down but the way back was starting to get packed with tourists. Regardless of the crowds it is one of the most breathtaking places I’ve been…much like most places in Slovenia. Next we drove to Kranjska Gora which Monika described as a typical mountain town. We visited some more emerald blue lakes (is all water this color in Slovenia?!) and drove up the mountain for a nice view of the valley. Then we headed to Lake Bohinj. The afternoon was becoming sweltering hot so it was a perfect time for some swimming. We stopped on the way at a traditional Slovene restaurant and I enjoyed some local trout. Once we arrived at the lake we realized we weren’t the only ones looking to cool off. We made our way through the crowded beach and found an area to lay out and take a nice swim in the cool water.
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