June 26 - Ljubjana to Lake Bled to Kobarid

Scene from Lake Bled.

We left Ljubjana on the bus just after 8:30. It was a short drive to Lake Bled. The weather was nice again - probably in the mid-70s. Our driver drove us around the lake for orientation. The views of the church on the island, the castle hanging off of the cliffside and the surrounding hills were breathtaking.

Our first stop at the lake was at the castle. We were told he history of it by Saso, our guide. Then we had free time to explore. It was a small castle with a chapel, an active wine cellar with a monk selling its produc, and ramparts which we could walk on and take photos of the surrounding countryside.

After the castle visit, we drove into the main village and were turned loose for three hours. Ann and Jane went swimming. The reported that the water was very warm and that big fish were lurking under the surface ready to take sample tastes of their toes. I wanted to take photos so I decided to walke around the lake on its very civilied walking path. It took me longer than expected but Ann was still waiting for me when I got back to the swimming area. We went directly to lunch. I was super hungry after my walk so I ordered the mixed grill. There was enough meat on it to feed Ann and me for a week back home. Ann was more conservative and had a salad. It was also very large.

By vote, our group decided to take the scenic route to our final destination. This included pausing by the house of "the inventor of Slovenian polka". It also included a stop at Saso's house. He lives on a narrow street in a quiet village. Nobody was home. The neighbors were surprised.

Back on the road, we headed for a twisty mountain pass. Our bus navigates up 24 switchbacks rising 800 meters in 12kms. We stopped along the way at a cafe for blueberry strudel. We also stop at a memorial to the Russion POWs who built this road after WW1. At the summit, we stopped so that Saso could give us all a taste of honey liquor and toast our successful mounting of the climb.

This area is known as the Julian Alps. It is not a spectacular as the other Alps, but the mountains are spectacular. Many of the peaks reminded me of the Dolomites.

Continuing on, our driver cautiously descended the 26 switchbacks on this narrow road stopping several times to maneuver around he corners and let cars pass. Switchback 44 was a particular challenge.

Our route continued down the Soča River Valley, a scenic drive into Kobarid where our hotel was located.

We got to our hotel later than expected. For that reason and for the slow Internet connection in our room delayed posting this blog until this morning. Our dinner lasted until 9:00. It was very good. We started with a small portion of carbonara followed by local trout. Our dessert was some kind of dumpling with vanilla ice cream. As an added touch, Saso give us a a dribble of pumpkin seed oil on our ice cream. It was amazingly good.

Please excuse my typos and incorrect iPad spelling changes. Being in a hurry, I didn't have a chance to proofread.