Trip to Lake Bled and Ljubljana, Slovenia (June)...

Lake Bled:       Lake Bled is a beautiful small lake at the skirts of the Junior Alps capped with white snow.

It has a small island in the middle of the lake where a castle and a cathedral are located. There are 99 steps from the lakeside to the cathedral. The legend says that, if a bridegroom carries his bride up the 99 steps, their marriage will be happy.

To reach the island, you need to use a boat that a sailor maneuvers rowing sticks.

Unfortunately, we did not have time to go to the island, but the scenery was breathtaking. I borrowed a photo from Google Images.

On the way back to the coach, we saw a church that fit perfectly well to the scenery. 

Ljubljana:         When Kristin and I visited Ljubljana a few years ago, we fell in love with the city. It is small with 300,000 people including 95 thousand students, but filled with charms: river, cafes and restaurants, the Junior Alps, rich culture, pedestrian-friendly environment and colorful flowers and fruits. No wonder Ljubljana has been selected as one of the most livable countries in Europe.

This year, we had an opportunity to visit this charming city again. Our impression remained unchanged. The riverside cafes were ever romantic and relaxing. We explored the old city a bit more this time even in the rain: love-lock bridge, sculptures, a cathedral where a steel door was dedicated to a visiting pope.

We were able to taste chocolates sprinkled with salt and blueberry drinks during the walking tour. Slovenia is known to have lot of wineries that translate to one winery per 73 people for a total population of 2 million. The local tour guide, Sabina, taught us how to dance Slovenian Polka and I was picked as a random partner.

Ljubljana remains one of the countries where we want to live for a few months. - Jeffrey