Day-trip to Bled

Ken and Yvonne are great tour guides.... we are going for a drive to Bled.... with the dogs!

We are having an early start - temperatures range from -5C to +9C... it is cold and there is frost.  I must say apart from the cold... it is quite beautiful!

It's a 190kms trip through absolutely amazing countryside....and via the capital Ljubljana.

 Outskirts of Ljubljana...

We stop off at Radovljica for a stroll and lunch.  It is a quaint little village on a hill with great views.

Radovljica (German: Radmannsdorf) is a town in in the Upper Carniola region of northern Slovenia. The municipality has around 18,000 inhabitants and an area of 118 km². It is located at the southern slope of the Karavanke mountain range.
The settlement around a church built  in 1296. In the 14th century it was held by the Carinthian counts of Ortenburg, was inherited by the Counts of Celje in 1418 and in 1456 fell to the Habsburg Emperor Frederick III.

 You find a lot of old fallen down or newish not finished buildings in this country... people don't care and don't have the money to fix...

 Our lunch stop.... we were actually allowed to take the dogs into the restaurant.  This place is also a hotel... and there was a dog show happening in a town nearby, and lots of dogs with their owners were staying in the hotel... so no problem... amazing!

 Typical, rustic type of traditional restaurant ... with harty meals!  Just what we need in this cold weather!

Slovenian cuisine is a mixture of three great regional cuisines, Central European cuisine (especially Austrian and Hungarian), Mediterranean cuisine and Balkan cuisine. Due to the variety of Slovenian cultural and natural landscapes, there are more than 40 distinct regional cuisines.
Slovenian national dishes include bujta repa, ričet, prekmurska gibanica, nut roll (potica), žganci, Istrian stew (jota), minestrone (mineštra), prosciutto (pršut).There is a variety of sausages in Slovenian cuisine, the best known of which is Kranjska klobasa.kranjska klobasa and žlikrofi.
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 And downstairs... the gingerbread factory.... lots of red hearts - traditional! - for love.....

And on we drive to Bled.  What an amazingly beautiful place... there is a lake with an island and a church on it (also known as the 'Taj Mahal' of Slovenia), a castle on top of the hill, surrounded by snow covered mountains... so very picturesque!

Bled (German: Veldes) is a town in northwestern Slovenia in the region of Upper Carniola. The area, within the Julian Alps, is a popular tourist destination.
After the dissolution of Austria-Hungary in 1918, Bled came under the rule of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and became a summer domicile of the ruling House of Karađorđević, a tradition that President Josip Broz Tito continued, when he built his residence here in 1947.
Bled is known for the glacial Lake Bled, which makes it a major tourist attraction. Perched on a rock overlooking the lake is the iconic Bled Castle. 
 Due to its mild climate, and it's reputation as a health resort, Bled has been visited by aristocratic guests from all across the world.
A small island in the middle of the lake is home to the Assumption of Mary Pilgrimage Church; visitors frequently ring its bell for good luck. Human traces from prehistory have been found on the island. Before the church was built, there was a temple consecrated to Živa, the Slavic goddess of love and fertility. One can get to the island on a traditional wooden row barge called Pletna. The island on Lake Bled has 99 steps.

We take the dogs for a walk around the whole lake.  It is busy and lots of people and other dogs... Leo goes nuts for some reason, and tries to attack the other dogs..... so we have a dog warning system... watch out dog oncoming.... hide!  hi hi hi.....

Once round the lake we decide to treat ourselves for coffee and a yummie, typical creme cake (Slovenia is known for)....stuff the calories, we deserve it!

Bled is also known in Slovenia for its vanilla-and-cream pastry called kremna rezina ("cream slice") or kremšnita (from German Cremeschnitte).

The sun is going down and it is getting really cold!  So we decide it's time to drive back home - it is a 1.5 hours drive....

What an amazing day!

S & D & L