Worth The Wait

Bled, Slovenia

“Patience. You can have and do it all, just not at the same time.” Me

If you've been following the news, you have probably seen the reports of the devastating flooding in Europe. Sadly, many people are suffering, so keep them in your thoughts. Zagreb/Croatia has had a lot of rain but thankfully, no flooding.

Croatia is in a great position regarding location. Visiting many other countries is a fairly short drive or a cheap flight away. It takes the same amount of time for Maja to drive to Prague (7 hours) as it does for me to drive to the Colorado border from Kansas City. During my travels I would remain in the same state while she would have been in three different countries with three different languages, histories, and cultures. Crazy.

The rain has kept us from doing many outdoor activities so Maja and I took advantage of the first sunny day in a while to enjoy a two-hour road trip to Bled, Slovenia.

Okay, truth be told, I talked her into it. It was easy to do though since she has never been to Bled either. Plus, I offered to pay for the gas and lunch. It’s the least I could do to check another box on my bucket list. I've wanted to see Lake Bled for some time now and we are so close. It’s a win-win for everyone.

Here is a lovely description from the internet about the town: Bled, a Slovenian resort town in the foothills of the Julian Alps, is set along the glacial Lake Bled. On a cliff overlooking the lake is the 11th-century Bled Castle, which houses a museum, chapel and printing press. Atop a small island in the lake's center is the Pilgrimage Church of the Assumption of Maria, with its steep staircase and bell tower.

As we drove along the highway, we could see the Julian snow-capped Alps getting bigger and bigger. A telltale sign that we were getting close to Bled and my excitement was building!

The first time Bled (and Lake Bled) was in my awareness was years ago when I was dating a Russian guy whose parents would go there on holiday. His dad would show me gorgeous photos of their trip and I promised myself that I would see it for myself someday.

Well, after eight or nine years, I have finally made it.

See what I mean? Stunning, right? Add this baby to your bucket list.

Our first stop was for lunch a Kavarna Park (Cafe Park). My friend Tony from Italy (I've written about him before) used to live in Slovenia and still has some connections so he put me in contact with Luka, the General Manager of the Park Hotel and Restaurant.

Luka set up a reservation for us at a table with a view of the lake. Sadly, he was in meetings during our visit so I didn't get to meet him and thank him properly but his kindness and generosity of hosting us, complete strangers, is greatly appreciated.

The place was packed so I've pulled a couple of photos from the internet so you can see this gorgeous restaurant without the crowd.

I knew we would be taking a walk around the lake so I ordered a light sandwich and skipped the famous Bled cream cake…which I've regretted this decision ever since. EAT THE DANG CAKE.

After lunch, we took a stroll on the six-kilometer (3.72 miles) walking path around the lake. The views got better and better with each step. Here is a photo of Bled Castle.