Lake Bled
I just got back from two days up in Lake Bled, a picture-perfect little lake up in the Julian Alps. Imagine a small, shimmering lake surrounded by rolling hills and jagged peaks off in the distance. Up on a cliff, overlooking a cute town, looms a fairy-tale castle, and in the middle of the lake is a teardrop island populated with a small church. It is an amazing combination of natural and man-made perfection. It's touristy and overpriced, but rightfully so.
My first day was spent hiking around the lake, hitching a gondola out to the island, and finally watching the sun set with a beer and an interesting random solo traveller to keep me company. At night, I decided to try my luck at the local casino. The casino, a tired, pitiful excuse of a "grand ballroom," was guarded by two grumpy old gnomes, one of whom took an immediate dislike to me. "You can't come in here," he intoned, wrinkling his nose. "Why?" I asked. "You are wearing shorts. We don't allow shorts in here." Insulted, I pulled my leg up on the counter to show him that I was wearing pants. "Oh, well you are wearing sandals. We don't allow sandals in here." "But the last fellow you let in was wearing sandals." "Ah, but it doesn't matter. You don't have the money to play here." "Aha. Well, here's $200. That's four times what that other guy cashed in for." "Are you sure? You will probably lose it all." "That's a risk I'm willing to take."
At first, it seemed his curse had followed me, as the blackjack dealer pulled improbable hand after improbable hand. Eventually, they cycled dealers, my luck changed and it was time for me to cash out.
"Hello sir. Remember me? I'd like to cash out for this gain. Thank you for paying for my stay in Bled and for your concern for my welfare."
Today I hopped on a bus to the neighboring valley, Bohinj. This was raw natural beauty at its best (and it certainly helped that most of the rowdy Italian tourists decided to give it a miss). 1500m limestone cliffs clung to the edge of the water, plunging into an emerald green, crystal clear lake in which you could see schools of fish toying with local fishermen. Behind the cliffs loomed craggy 2500m giants. Amazing. I hiked halfway around the 12km lake and then headed up for a waterfall in the mountains. It was a 5km walk and I had the path to myself. It was peaceful, picturesque, and calming. Imagine my shock when I rounded the last corner and came upon a carpark with a bus belching obese tourists. Furthermore, the "spectacular waterfalls" was nothing more than a 30ft dribble of dirty water. After their painful waddle up the 561 steps, the tourists were more than happy to take a picture of anything.
Overall, my trip to Lake Bled was extremely satisfying. I highly recommend it to anyone who happens to end up in Slovenia.
My first day was spent hiking around the lake, hitching a gondola out to the island, and finally watching the sun set with a beer and an interesting random solo traveller to keep me company. At night, I decided to try my luck at the local casino. The casino, a tired, pitiful excuse of a "grand ballroom," was guarded by two grumpy old gnomes, one of whom took an immediate dislike to me. "You can't come in here," he intoned, wrinkling his nose. "Why?" I asked. "You are wearing shorts. We don't allow shorts in here." Insulted, I pulled my leg up on the counter to show him that I was wearing pants. "Oh, well you are wearing sandals. We don't allow sandals in here." "But the last fellow you let in was wearing sandals." "Ah, but it doesn't matter. You don't have the money to play here." "Aha. Well, here's $200. That's four times what that other guy cashed in for." "Are you sure? You will probably lose it all." "That's a risk I'm willing to take."
At first, it seemed his curse had followed me, as the blackjack dealer pulled improbable hand after improbable hand. Eventually, they cycled dealers, my luck changed and it was time for me to cash out.
"Hello sir. Remember me? I'd like to cash out for this gain. Thank you for paying for my stay in Bled and for your concern for my welfare."
Today I hopped on a bus to the neighboring valley, Bohinj. This was raw natural beauty at its best (and it certainly helped that most of the rowdy Italian tourists decided to give it a miss). 1500m limestone cliffs clung to the edge of the water, plunging into an emerald green, crystal clear lake in which you could see schools of fish toying with local fishermen. Behind the cliffs loomed craggy 2500m giants. Amazing. I hiked halfway around the 12km lake and then headed up for a waterfall in the mountains. It was a 5km walk and I had the path to myself. It was peaceful, picturesque, and calming. Imagine my shock when I rounded the last corner and came upon a carpark with a bus belching obese tourists. Furthermore, the "spectacular waterfalls" was nothing more than a 30ft dribble of dirty water. After their painful waddle up the 561 steps, the tourists were more than happy to take a picture of anything.
Overall, my trip to Lake Bled was extremely satisfying. I highly recommend it to anyone who happens to end up in Slovenia.
posted by Ace at 10:32 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home