Lake Bled, Slovenia Day 3

Lake Bled, Slovenia Day 3

Today, hiking was what we set out to do, and hiking is what we did. We got up, had a great breakfast, and headed out on a trip to the Vintagar Gorge. We could take a bus or rent bikes, but walking is free and that fits in our budget. Yes, it would have been cool to ride, but walking saved us 15 € a person. The bus trip would have been 6 € a person. The walk there was sweet. We passed lots of farms and gardens. Within the hour, we got to the entrance of the gorge. The parking lot had cars from about every country in Europe and many motorcycles. It was interesting to see all the different license plates. This gorge is a walled cut through the rocks with very narrow passages at times. It is nowhere as tight as Zion's Narrows, but very intriguing with the dense forest. The walkway is similar to Bushkill Falls in Pennsylvania on the New Jersey border. Katherine and I went to Bushkill Falls many years back and this place brought back some fond memories. In this gorge just north of Bled, back in 1898 people put in a walkway for tourists to see the grandeur the river has to offer. There is no way you could pass through at times without the supported walkway. Much of it was constructed with old railway steel which we have seen a lot of around here. Back in Brasov, the street guard rails were made of it and welded together which made a super strong barrier. About 2/3rds of way down the river trail, we started to get drizzled on. It was not bad, but the forecast of the day said that we would have sun and no rain. Oops. All that I had was a garbage bag for our pack. No rain gear. Everything went in and we were all good. The exit of the trail was at the bottom of the gorge and I knew we could get back another way. I wanted to avoid backtracking and make it a loop hike back to Bled. There was a little trail to the right of the lower entrance. We took it and it was spectacular! We hiked a bit through the forest following the signs to Bled. We passed a few squatters and saw some old beat up homes. The forest was thick and eerie. The homes had been overtaken by the forest and in a few more years, they will return to the Earth.

When we got back to town we got a bite at the Pizzeria Rustica. It was very close to our apartment and we had seen signs for it the day before. The food was just like brick oven pizza back home and some Austrian beer topped it off.

After that, we just went back to the apartment for a little nap and then got dinner. Yes, all we do is eat. Some time transpired, but we wanted to get to the grocery store before the other tourists ransacked it. You have to be pretty creative in these little places, especially while trying to make good food. You might not have all the pots and pans you need and have to go with the flow. This time we had a microwave, but no oven. There were plenty of plates and silverware and even a refrigerator. You have to be careful not to buy too much stuff that you can not take with you. So far, I have been carrying a bit of olive oil and some garlic powder which we use in most meals. Salt and pepper are a must too. I broke down and had to get a knife since most of them are dull and worthless. I will just check the bag on the way back to the USA to pass through security. It has been well worth it.

This time, the man of the night was in film form. We came across some Sharpe movies that must have been left in the apartment. This series is from the 1990's and is very popular in England. The main character, Sean Bean, plays an English soldier in the 1880s with events happening in France and Spain. I only knew the actor from The Lord of the Rings and James Bond in Goldeneye. We had a great time watching since we did not plan on it and the character came across as a Chuck Norris with an English accent. It seems to be a good series and I will have to check it out later in the States.

We have not had too much social interaction with locals or tourists around here, which has been kind of nice. The place where we have been staying allowed us some needed privacy and the party hostel environment drains you after a while. The locals seem to be extremely nice and patient. Slovenia is a hidden gem with only about 2 million people in the entire country. Once again, I would love to come back and spend some time in the mountains. They are truly beautiful!