Beautiful sights of Slovenia, Lake Bled, Ljubljana and the castle of Predjama. I fell in love with Slovenia the first time I crossed it, though it was only transit. Nature is wonderful, and on the way are revealed reminders of Switzerland, overlooking bright green pastures, fields sown with corn or small towns with sharp churches, drawn in a children's book with fairy tales.
The first to see in Slovenia is that it is a rich country. It is undoubtedly the most prosperous of the former Yugoslav republics and early membership in the European Union has contributed to its well-being. The roads are very good, everything seems clean, neat and well-arranged.
It is not surprising that prices are also European - do not give in to those in Italy and even chase Austrian. Our visit to Bled was divided into three stages: boating to the island, exploring the medieval castle and eating the famous pale cream cake.
Our program was filled with events and I wanted to have more free time to enjoy the wonderful views. Bled is one of the most famous resorts in Slovenia. The state has a symbolically small coastline on the Adriatic, but this place, in my view, compensates for the lack of a variety of seaside resorts.
Lake Bled is extremely picturesque and after seeing it live, I dare say that the pictures can not fully surrender its charm. The famous island with the church in Lake Bled and the medieval castle, perched on a 130-meter rock. The use of any motor vehicle is prohibited in the lake. The Slovene decision to preserve the cleanliness and tranquility of the place.
Tourists are only navigated by rowing boats. Today there are several buildings on the islet, which are reached by a steep staircase with ninety stairs without rest areas. There is a bell in the church that comes true and has to hit three times. It is not visible, but its rope is drawn through the ceiling and descends to the middle of the room in front of the altar.
The second stage of our program was the Bled Castle, which really deserves to be considered. It is one of the oldest medieval castles in Slovenia and is mentioned for the first time in 1004. It is massive and even has something like a small moat with a bridge over it, but today it is almost level with the ground and irretrievably dry.
The Bled Castle houses a wine cellar, a souvenir shop and a museum section, which tells the story of the inhabitants' lives and the surroundings. It is interesting to look at the chapel, which is tiny but painted with beautiful frescoes that seem to attempt to visually enlarge the place.
This time we did not get to the fortress in the center, because on the previous visit I did not impress with anything but the view of the city. Instead we walked by the river. One of the most famous bridges is the Dragon, which at both ends is decorated with sculptures of the Ljubljana symbol, which is also on the coat of arms. A popular attraction in Ljubljana is a boat trip along the river, but we did not have time to check how much it costs and what this pleasure involves.
In the center are the three bridges, where was the place of our meeting. Several streets leave, leading to different parts of the center. Another square I recommend is the square in front of the Town Hall. It is located on another extremely picturesque street, which is worth considering in both directions. The building itself is very interesting as architecture.
The next day, the weather met with a fog and a threat of rain. First, we went to Prejama Castle, which was not officially included in the program, and so we showed it only from outside. Yes, its appearance is extremely impressive and exotic for pictures, but if someone tells you there is nothing interesting to watch inside, do not believe it. This there was no time for deepening his story, but I added my impressions by looking at a curious tree near where we stopped.