Day Four: Lake Bohinj and Bled

 On day four, our weather luck ran out — we awoke to a downpour. Oh well. At least we got the beautiful photos of Bled the day before.

A short drive from Bled is Lake Bohinj, known for being a quiet alternative to Lake Bled. It lived up to the hype — it had all the beauty of Lake Bled (sans the lakeside castle and perfect church-dotted island) without the crowds. There were several campgrounds on the lake’s edge, and most of the people here seemed to be looking for a low-key getaway with few frills.

Bled and Radovljica

 Afternoon refreshment: kremna rezina, or cream cake. Funnily enough, I had dined on its Croatian counterpart, the cremšnita, just a few weeks before.

A 10-minute drive from Bled is the town of Radovljica, so we drove up to check it out. While most of the museums and attractions had closed by the time we arrived, it was certainly a pretty town with some nice cafes and cute shops. 

 After leaving Radovljica, we drove back to Bled and visited Bled Castle for the view over the lake.

 It certainly did not disappoint.

Bled and Radovljica

 There is no motorized transportation on Lake Bled. If you want to get to the island, you’ll need to row!

 Peter rowed there. I rowed back. It took about ten minutes each way.

 Of course, the distance is short enough that you can swim if you want to. These teenagers did!

In fact, Peter loved the idea so much that he swam back!

Day Three: Bled and Radovljica

 
A full day in sumptuous Bled, the most beautiful place in Slovenia — and thankfully the weather cooperated! A cloud-streaked blue sky made for a bright teal lake and magical photos.

 Coming down to the shore, this was my first view of Bled Castle across the water.

 Next came the ultimate view of Lake Bled: the church-topped island with the castle in the background.

Kurentovanje Ptuj, Slovenia

 But Ptuj is worth visiting at almost any time of year. One of the many excellent museums in Ptuj Castle gives an excellent overview of the Kurent tradition, with a full room of masks, costumes and other ephemera from various centuries.

Other museums tell more about the history of Ptuj, which was settled in the 5th millennium BC. During Roman times, the city was bigger than London.

Ann Abel (to be continued) 

Ptuj, Slovenia Kurentovanje

 It was perfect weather for a street party, one with hundreds of costumed dancers and thousands of spectators. Tradition holds that women tie scarves or ribbons onto the staffs, and are spun around in a dance in return. I felt a bit dizzy by the end.

 It was all terrific fun, and I’m grateful to Ursula Kordiš of Wanderlux Journeys for taking me there as a post-script to days of exploring the Slovenian Alps in winter.

Ann Abel (to be continued) 

Kurentovanje, Ptuj, Slovenia

 As one might imagine, it originates in paganism; a centuries-long belief that masks could be used to connect with the spirit world. In this case, they were used to perform fertility rituals and to drive the fading winter away. (Understandably, the Catholic Church wasn’t thrilled with all of this, and the festival became part of the Carnival-Lent-Easter religious season.)

The cowbells certainly make quite a clanging, even though when I visited on an unseasonably warm February weekend, winter was nowhere in sight.

Ann Abel (to be continued)