Lake Bled

Next stop was Lake Bled and considering the weather forecast was for rain and thunderstorms we were thrilled to see the stunning turquoise lake shimmering in the sunshine. Situated near the Julian Alps it is a tourist destination adjoining the town of Bled.

Lake Bled looks like it would be a fabulous place to relax on the green grassy slopes in the sunshine followed by a swim or a row boat ride on the beautiful lake. We were wishing we had brought our togs with us. With so many water activities available it is easy to see why people enjoy this area so much.

Our tour included a boat ride on a traditional wooden boat known as a pletna, meaning flat bottomed boat. Some sources claim the pletna was used in Lake Bled as early as AD 1150, but most historians date the first boats to AD 1590. Similar in shape to Italian gondolas, they are still to this day made by hand and are propelled across the lake by an oarsman using two long oars. In 1740 only 22 local families were granted exclusive rights to ferry people across the lake and the rights are still restricted today with many of the modern oarsmen descend directly from the original 22 families.

Our boat ride took us to Bled Island which has several buildings, the main one being the pilgrimage church dedicated to the Assumption of Mary, which surprisingly we chose not to enter. Instead we chose to admire the church and tower’s exterior and had a pleasant wander around the island before returning to shore.Leggi altro