Day at Lake Bled

I try and sleep in but fail. Carol is more successful until I can not stay still any longer and nudge her out of bed. We have an included breakfast and go down to check it out. There are scrambled eggs, hard boiled eggs, and little hot dogs. The usual cold cuts, cheese, bread, and croissants. It is very nice and we take our time, in no real rush today.
When we finally go out, we walk back to the train station to catch a bus to Lake Bled. This is our destination for the day. We wait about 25 minutes for the bus and talk to a young girl from Finland, who is traveling about. The bus arrives and we notice along the way that there is a bike and walking path the whole way. It turns out to be about a 3 mile bus ride.

On the Trail Again

We start our day at Lake Bled climbing to St Martins Church. The primary reason for the climb is that there are trails up to a castle from there. Since the church is open, we check it out. It is small but beautiful, with several nice paintings on the walls. We exit and walk up the road to the trail to the castle. It is all uphill and we walk to the castle entrance. 11 Euros to go in and it is mainly for the view. The castle itself is not touted as much. We save our money and look for a trail, I saw on a map that basically will give us the same view. We look around the parking area and can’t find it at first. Carol spots it hidden away in the corner. No signs pointing the way, probably because they want everyone to pay up above.

From Our Perch

We walk up steeply and get a beautiful view of the Lake and Otek Island. Otek island is a small island in the lake with a church on it. 99 steps lead from the dock to the doors of the church and it is tradition for new grooms to carry their brides up the steps to prove their fitness for marriage. From our perch, we start on down a path and come to a nice bench, perfect for a lunch break. Cheese Burek that we bought yesterday. It is very good, I think maybe a Cottage type cheese baked into a bread.
After lunch, we continue on down the path, to the lake front and then spend the rest of our day strolling leisurely around the large lake. We stop at a market and get a cold beer and a water. Then we find a nice place where we can sit on a wall, put our feet in the water and enjoy our refreshments. This just makes me want to go in, so off come the clothes, and in I go.

Swimming Across

It is mountain fed water and cold but nowhere near Colorado cold. Very refreshing, Carol is not convinced and happy with just her toes in the water. We eventually finish our lake walk and find a bakery that specializes in Kremna Rezina, the local fresh Cream cake. We get two, find a table and enjoy the tasty treat. Very light and airy, perfect after a long walk.

Kremna Rezina

The cake inspires Carol to decide that we should walk back to Lesce. I agree and we head out of town, actually walking faster for a while, than the traffic leaving the area. The walk is very pleasant and the temperature is perfect with a mostly cloudy sky cover. When we reach Lesce, we stop at the market, pick up some wine for tonight, and a few essentials for Carol. Then we check out a restaurant, that I had written down. Restaurant Lescan looks nice so we take a seat outside on a covered patio. We order grilled squid ( my choice), a pasta with Gorgonzola and spinach, and a large mixed salad. Don’t forget the local draft beer, two please. Dinner is excellent.

Grilled Squid Platter

On the way back, we take a small detour to the town church. Outside, the graves in the cemetery are decorated with votive candles in mostly red jars. The inside of the small church has a nice pulpit and alter. From there, it is a short walk back and since it is only a little after 1800, we have time to relax and sip some wine on our balcony. A nice ending to a relaxing and beautiful day.
Expenses
Bus from Lesce to Bled 2.6E
Beer and water at market 1.45E
Kreme Rezina 5.4E
Wine and Carol stuff at market 10.97E
Dinner and Beer at Restaurant Lescan 27.90E
Hotel Krek 80E
Walked 11.6 Miles