Lake Bled

We wake up in Bled, Slovenia, on Lake Bled, ready for a hike.

(below)  This is not the hike.  We found ourselves with the "foreigner's parking" for the National Park hike fully occupied, so we regrouped and went off to find bee-hives.  The hike will have to wait.

Some bee guy in Slovenia (Anton Janša (1734 – 1773)) invented the way human harvested bee hives around the World would forever be - a shape which allowed stacking.  They like to group multiples together here in such a way that bee hive and bee keeper are protected well from the weather.  The bees are cool tempered, so getting close isn't an issue.

They decorate the various hives differently with the thought it helps the various colony members to find their way back to the right hive.

Humans flying overhead while we checked out the bees.

Image from a wall back towards our re-attempt to find parking - how moles really dig those holes in your lawn.

Success!  We get a spot in the far parking area - it's a mile walk up to the actual entrance.  For some reason, the normal parking for us foreigners, maybe 3/8's mile from the entrance, is "broken".

We're staying down in the lower right (Bled), so it's a short drive to the northwest, parking below the Slovenian Parking spot at the blue "P", and walking the red-line, a boardwalk down a narrow river canyon.

---

Off we go - it's a bit crowded at first, but people quickly spread out for elbow room.

Now we get to hike back mostly through wooded areas, but with views along the way.

Mmmmm, time for Bled's special dessert:  kremma rezina (creme, vanilla custard, crust on top and below) - very good and very filling - luckily, it's time for another hike.

We set off to walk around Lake Bled - about 4 miles around.

With all that dessert in us, we have plenty of energy to even climb up to the castle above the lake.

Now exiting the defended main gate - there wasn't anything significant inside, but the trip up and down was "fun".

Down we go, back to the Lake Bled walk, continuing counter-clockwise around.

Lake Bled rower's club - the best have represented Slovenia well.

Left to right, flags of the European Union, Slovenia, and Bled.

Gerri, in blue, can't resist a dip in the lake.  As usual, the beach is pebbles and stones, but at least the water is warmer than the seas we've tried.

So many great views of this island, the only one in all of Slovenia.

The lake walk is ending - it's been a day of many steps - over 13 miles - whew, that's half a marathon.

Our pub view at sunset, before the last half mile to lodging.