Bled on the Web
The first place we stayed in Slovenia was the small town of Bled, located on a tiny lake in the mountainous district of Gorenjska. It was a short taxi ride from the airport, so it made a good first stop, and connections to Ljubljana — Slovenia's capital and our next stop — were easy by train or bus.

But the main thing that attracted us to Bled was its stunningly picturesque quality: the jewel-like lake, the tiny island with its bijou of a church, the castle overlooking the town from a high crag, the towering Alpine peaks in the background. We saw pictures like this one in guidebooks and on the Web. We weren’t as lucky with the weather as the photographers who took them. But the lake, under cloudy skies, had a soft and misty charm, and we found Bled a pleasant, friendly place to spend a few days. Two skillful guides showed us that this high corner of Slovenia is a place of many wonders, some of them culinary.

The menu below lists the four days of our visit. To open an item, move the cursor onto it. (If it doesn’t open, move the cursor off and back on.)

Lake Bled

Though not exactly jewel-like in the rain, the lake was lovely all the same. The sights included nesting swans and Tito's guest bathrooms.

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Narrative          Photos

Gorenjska

The district surrounding Bled, whose Slovene name means "mountain country," had plenty to see (and taste!) with Tina as our guide.

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Narrative          Photos

Mountains and Valleys

Sašo showed us the Julian Alps: we went up the Russian Road, over the Vršič Pass, down the Soča valley, and rode back on a flatcar. And, oh, yes, we paid a very short visit to Italy.

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Narrative          Photos

Bled Town

Bled, pleasant even on a rainy day, had further culinary delights to reveal. We're short of photographic delights, however, so there's no gallery; just a few pictures on the narrative page.

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Narrative & Photos