A Thing About Castles....... Bled

Perhaps I have a thing about castles. This one in particular, suspended above Lake Bled completely captivated me. Bled is situated in the northwestern part of Slovenia, and in 2004 turned 1000 years old. On Saturday, my new friend Vera and her family took me to Bled, and we walked around the magical lake admiring the views from all sides. The Bled Castle itself dates back to the 11th Century, but it’s present appearance dates to the 17th Century.






The walk around the lake is about 4-5 km. (or 3 miles) The only island in Slovenia is located in the middle of the alpine Lake Bled. This small island in the middle of the lake is home to a church; visitors frequently ring its bell for good luck. The island on Lake Bled has 99 steps. A local tradition at weddings is for the husband to carry his new bride up these steps, during which the bride must remain silent. (I wouldn’t last!)





People get to the island by way of boats. The traditional boat is called the Pletna, which is 7 meters long and 2 meters wide and gets it’s name from the wooden boats that still carry guests on Austrian lakes. First mention of these boats are in the church notes going back to the middle ages of the 12 century. At that time the poor farmers of the village Mlino on the south coast of Lake Bled paid their taxes by transporting pilgrims to the island. Over the years the Pletna has taken the size and shape that it is today.




The other thing that Bled is known for is for its vanilla-and-cream pastry called Kremna rezina or kremšnita. This is dessert of vanilla and custard between layers of filo pastery. Between the kremna rezina and the freshly roasted chestnuts, the delightful company of my hosts and the stunning scenery it was a wonderful afternoon despite the rain!