Lake Bled

On day two of our visit to Slovenia we ventured north to the small mountain resort town of Bled, famous for its lake - curiously called Lake Bled.

When we checked into our apartment, the owner mentioned that Lake Bled was hosting the 2011 World Rowing Championships.  We were a little concerned the small town would be overwhelmed with fans and teams, but in actuality the city was alive with excitement and energy to be hosting the event.

The area is just an amazing sight.  The beautiful glacier lake, the castle on the hill and last but not least the lake's small Island boasts an ancient church ripe for tourists' photographs.

We rode on a large gondola from the bank to the island.  The trip was fun because the races were literally right beside us.  The day we were there actually turned out to be the final day of competition and we experienced the medal rounds.

The kids enjoyed the powerful but silent teams as they quickly passed us by.

The island has a large single hill.  Legend has it that a Groom should carry his bride up the 99 steps on his wedding day to ensure a long and happy marriage.  The kids enjoyed counting the steps (but none of us came up with the same/correct number - maybe 99 in Slovenia is really just 90).

For a small fee you can pay to visit inside the church and pull the rope tied to the bell in the tower.  The kids all enjoyed giving it a try.

Even Lucy wanted a turn.

The island has hosted a church since the 1500's but the current structure dates only to the 1700s.

We also found this on the Island.  Sometimes you just need a reminder that Europe has some amazing sights.  Many of them leave you in complete awe - we chose not to capture the front side of this - that image is still burned in our memories though.

After riding the lake we found another toboggan run.  This one was much more steep.  We felt less secure, but that is because the sleds were so small so you really felt the speed as you went down the hill.

The top of the mountain provided amazing views of the lake.

Here's a closeup of the castle from our perch up on high.

We did not visit the castle, we'll just have to make a second trip. :)

Another must do in Lake Bled is the local dessert.  Kremna Rezina.

Many restaurants and cafes posted large signs  - saying they had the original creme cake.

It was amazing!

The kids also tried some other desserts.  Here's a shot of Lucy trying to enjoy a crepe filled with chocolate.  I say try because you might notice the crepe has just fallen off the fork and a millisecond later she was covered in chocolate mess.

Along the walks around the area we found this cool castle park and Cory showed off his flying skills.

Day two - we sure felt the sLOVEnia.