Bus Ticket to Bled was €4.80

Tip: Get to the bus early! And in line. I got there early but not in line and there were easily 2 busses worth of people. The people who didn’t make it had to wait an hour for the next one. I was the last one on, barely made it! Crazy! Though I left my bag outside and hope it made it on. I didn’t see it by the bus so maybe someone shoved it on. Kinda scared about that. SO glad I have my wallet and charger. Oh crap not my passport though. That’s the main thing my luggage has that I cannot replace. Jeez. If need be I’ll go back to Ljubljana bus station and see if anyone turned it in to lost and found? I’m 80% positive it’s on the bus storage. Oh well.

We got there right on time despite leaving later! 9:40. Bus system in Slovenia is still fantastic. I sat next to another solo female traveler. I looked around- a lot of moms and daughters and old retired couples. Strange, there seems to be very few solo male travelers! It makes me feel safe, especially to see other solo female travelers on my journey.

This is Slovenia’s only natural island!

To get to it, you have to row yourself (Runs about €20 to €30 per hour depending on the dock, sometimes cheaper for the first hour with a reduced rate for extra hours, some docks: first hour €15 to €18, additional hours a bit less)

OR take a €20 euro plenta boat with a guy that HAND ROWS you across the lake! He rows standing up, which is a tradition passed down through local families for generations. How cool! Motorboats are banned on the lake, so it stays quiet, which is great.

I’ve also seen kayaks on the lake so you can get those too from the local hotels surrounding the lake. I saw they were about €15 to €20/hour.

€20 per adult round trip, €10 for kids, cash only, paid directly to the “pletnar” (the oarsman) at the end! We had about 45 minutes of free time on the island (lame imo- I wish it was at least an hour), and I ran back just in time to pay and get back on. This is strange to me, because on our way back, a few people did not make it and so our plentar didn’t get paid for all his sweaty rowing.

Honestly? I WOULD DO THIS AGAIN! I was at first affronted by the outrageous price ($20 even felt like a lot, and this was in euros so in my head I had to calculate a bit more) AND you have to pay the stupid €12 fee to see the church/ring the bell and see the museum and bell tower, so REALLY it’s €32 (shudder) in a tight 45 minute window.

BUT!

It genuinely is worth it to me. I loved the ride over with the lake views (I almost wanted to tip the guy for all the rowing- seriously, I sat right next to him, and it did not look easy), and the island is gorgeous. Plus, I adore the good luck ringing of the bell, and I learned a lot about Slovenia and its national anthem on the island. Hate to admit it, but, yeah, I’d do this again. But maybe only once more.

I chatted with three other Americans- a retired couple from Idaho and a woman who was traveling with her sister who didn’t want to go to the island. We chatted about everything and nothing on that journey back (about 25 minutes each way). It felt so relaxing to the mind to speak English. Yes, everyone in Slovenia does, but maybe it was because of the cultural similarities. We spoke about weather, of course, the heat wave, Costco, manchego cheese. We didn’t exchange names or anything, this was just friendly idle chatter. It felt like a little slice of home. We all went our own separate ways, excited for the rest of the day ahead. 

I wish I heeded my instinct to not keep going. The hike was most certainly NOT 10 minutes (thanks, Google)- it ended up being a 50 minute detour of winding, steep, rocky terrain up to an admittedly nice view of the lake and the church garnished island. It was fine at first, but it just kept going. I mentally encouraged myself by saying: it’ll be just around this bend! I kept refreshing the google map to watch my little map go up and up and up- how was this supposed to be 10 minutes, I wondered? I constantly thought of myself as that miner meme, with the miner who turns away just before he strikes at diamonds. Just keep pushing…

Took me 30 mins to hike to the top of the viewpoint- though, there was somehow still more wraparound trail that looped above the bench upon which I sat. I made up my mind: Not worth it imo. Incredibly steep and hot. Maybe if you went in the morning and brought lots of water and hiking boots. Though, kids were doing it, and families, and I consider myself a hiker. I think I was just hungry- no food since my aldi peanut butter waffle concoction at 7:00. I’m heading back for a swim and bled cake. Hope it’s not 30 minutes back down. 

It ended up being 20 minutes back down! I skidded down one part, slamming my hands down on the rocks, adding insult to injury. I was elated to see the signal sign to the trail, and was grateful to just walk around the lake again.

I stopped by a little tree on the shore of lake bled. Luckily, I had the foresight to change into my swimsuit under my clothes at the island, so I just had to shuck my skirt and top and swam in! The water was temperate and so refreshing. Little fish swam nearby. A family, speaking a language I could not identify, played in the water maybe 50 feet away from me. The water is clear and turquoise, and a balm on my sun warmed skin and aching bones after my goat like adventure up adjacent-to-the viewpoint. 

Refreshed, I sat on the trunk of the gnarled tree, poised like a hand above the water, and I breathed in deep the sounds of the water splashes far off and the birds in the flickering trees. I used my shirt to mop off my feet, and, repellently, put my socks back on and laced up my hiking boots. I pulled the shirt over my head, affixed my distinctly reflective blue sunglasses, and set off again on a 20 ish minute walk to the closest restaurant above a 4.0 rating. I kept checking the estimated walking time on my google maps, and my shaky legs felt like they could hardly make it to the next stopping point.

Bled is famous for kremšnita (cream cake), a vanilla custard and whipped cream pastry invented locally, with something like half a million sold in the area every year.

The bled cream cake was so good! Very custardy-spongey texture (very much like the oreo cream pie jello cake we used to make) with a ton of whipping cream and a flat crust on top and bottom. The crust tastes like cannoli. Very light in sweetness, with a slight vanilla flavor. And they give you a ton! I don’t think I would eat a lot of this at home, but then, I’m not a huge dessert person anyways.

I mentally tap my pen into ink and set it upon the parchment: let’s plan. Tomorrow on the docket is to visit bled castle nice and early, then either toboggan or take the bus 20 minutes to see vintgar gorge. I try to not give myself more than two tasks a day so I have time to relax and enjoy actually being there rather than rushing through. I love a good nature walk, but I’m reluctant to sit another bus, especially as I have a tour booked the next day (gulp).

I mentioned this to my host, and she said that oh yes her guests have done that triglav tour and they always leave early and come back late. I was already apprehensive about the length of the tour (7:40 pickup time to whenever they drop us off…). Even if it’s a 10 hour tour (jeeeeesus), it should be over at 5:00. 7:00 at the latest. That’s good. My brain cannot handle full crazy activities for 12 hours, man.

And OMG, strawberry moon in Capricorn! It’s not full until tomorrow night, but it was so cool to see this building up! It marks the peak of the wild strawberry harvest. “Spiritually and astrologically, this moon symbolizes abundance, gratitude, and the sweet rewards of hard work” according to my YouTube tarot reading lol. Perfect timing, because I saw strawberries growing at my Airbnb and around Bled lake!