When we went to our room we walked out on our balcony and the town spread out below us like a porcelain village under a Christmas tree. Although the view was fantastic, I was disappointed because I had wanted a view of the lake. We checked at the desk and discovered that we could move to a room facing the lake for just $10 per night extra.
So we moved, and the second view was absolutely incredible! We both agreed that it was the most fantastic view we had ever had from a hotel. Directly across from us was the lake, and high above it on a high cliff the Bled Castle stood guarding the town. Perched on a craggy hill to the right of the castle stood St. Martin's Church looking like a toy among the green of the leaves.
During the middle ages, the owners of the land built their fortresses on the highest hill for protection and as their homes. The land lords provided their serfs, or tenants, with land to cultivate in return for protecting them in times of siege and offering them shelter within the walls of the castle. In return the serfs gave most of their crop to the lord of their land. And from our hotel room we could see just how the system could work. How could an enemy even imagine conquering that castle?
The employees of the hotel were a wonderful lot. When we discovered that there were no tours available in the off season, one young clerk helped us arrange for a car rental at a reasonable rate and gave us instructions to interesting places all over the country. The manager of the hotel actually gave me an English guide book to Slovenia. They were wonderful ambassadors for their country.
Below our hotel was a shopping center with a patio. Shoppers pausing for a refreshment break at the outdoor cafe there were able to enjoy the incredible view. It was there we first saw the unusual Bled trash containers in the shape of a frog.
One day we decided to walk around the lake. Although the jewel like body of water looks tiny, the route around it was a long hike. We walked along a path through the town. Most of the way was surrounded by flowers.
Along the lake gondolas would wait for people to take to the island in the center of the lake. Three dollars pays for a round trip to the island and a half hour stop there to investigate the church. No motors are allowed on Bled Lake, only hand rowed boats, and the drivers would wait until they had enough people to make the trip. I saw a gondola driver sitting on the back of his boat awaiting customers. When I started to take his picture he jumped up and posed for me. Although we wanted to take the gondola, we never got around to doing it because there were so many other things to do.
Even though the tulips and other spring flowers were in bloom, the air was nippy, and Carlos bundled up as if he were at the Arctic. At one point along the shore Carlos found a school of fish living happily in an empty boat slip.
At one point we passed an old villa that had been converted into a hotel. A stop in the restroom there showed me the tiniest sink I have ever seen in my entire life. I took a photo with my sunglasses on the edge to show just how narrow it was..
Everyday the sky would cloud up and the rains would come for about an hour in the afternoon, and with the wonderful view that we had, I took many photos from the balcony.
Click a picture to see a larger view.