July 5-6, 2015
Bovec was our last stop before heading back to Italy. We made a quick stop at Lake Bled to check out the castle before heading lakeside to sit and eat. PJ and I visited Lake Bled back in April of 2013, but it was an overcast, cool day back then so we stuck to the area closer to the train station, only visiting the small island and the castle. This was Zach's first visit so we were sure to check out the castle and sit by the lake.
Lake Bled was once a tectonic basin that was later carved by the Bohinj glacier. Water filled the basin when the ice melted from the glacier, creating a 2.12 km by 1.30 km wide lake. The max depth is 30.6 meters which is great for diving exploration.
The island in the center is Bled Island and contains the church dedicated to the Assumption of Mary, which is decorated with Gothic frescoes from the 1400s. There is a baroque stairway with 98 stone steps leading from the docks to the building. A legend states that it is good luck if the groom carries his bride up the steps the day of their wedding before the bell rings; however, I think PJ may have died if I had made him do that, which I personally wouldn't consider good luck.
Bled Castle sits atop a cliff that rises 130 meters above Lake Bled and is a symbol of both Bled and Slovenia. In my opinion, the best part of the castle is the amazing view over the lake and mountains. The history dates back to 1004 when only a Romanesque tower existed on the present day site. The first castle was built around 1011 and in the late Middle Ages additional towers were built. An earthquake damaged the castle in 1511 and it was restored into what appears today.
The Gothic Chapel is one of the best preserved buildings in the castle complex and is located in the upper courtyard. It was built in the 16th century and was renovated into the Baroque style around 1700. Illusionist frescoes were also painted around that time.
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| Bled Island |
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| At Bled Castle |
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| PJ and Zach |
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| The Chapel |
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| The Chapel |
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| The Chapel |
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| Alpine slides on the hill to the right |
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| Bled Island |
Hotel: We stayed at Apartments Rupnik in Bovec and had a great night. There is no ac but the window upstairs let in a nice breeze. It has two floors but the stairs are extremely steep. The owner is great and the location was perfect.
Restaurants:
Gostilna Sovdat - Delicious food right in the center of Bovec. I had the pineapple chicken and it was great. PJ and Zach seemed to really enjoy their dinners as well. It is also worth ordering the house wine.
Črna Ovca - I don't know if they serve food but it is a great spot for after dinner drinks. It has a large outdoor area to sit and is apparently attached to a sports complex. They have some tasty homemade schnapps.
Currency: Euro
Dog Friendliness: High. Our apartment was dog friendly and the owner enjoyed meeting her. We sat outside at the bar and Reesey was welcomed there as well. I am sure it is common to bring pets due to there being lots of hiking and camping in the area.
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| View from the upstairs window |
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| Bovec |
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| Bovec |
The main goal of this location was to check out the Soča River Gorge. I don't know how I stumbled upon this area but I feel like google is the mastermind of my travels and somehow flashed an image of this river so I decide that I needed to go there.
Apparently Bovec is popular amongst outdoor enthusiast due to there being plenty of hiking, rafting, kayaking, canoeing, skiing and climbing adventures in the area. The town of Bovec has a plethora of outdoor adventure stores and tour groups so it would be a great place to look if you are ever in need of adventure. Our plan was to find the gorge, walk along it, and maybe cool off in the river.
The river is a beautiful bright turquoise color and runs throughout western Slovenia. We went to a small gorge area near Bovec; however, there is a larger gorge called Tolminka Gorge further south near a waterfall called Slap Kozjak, which looks like it is worth a visit.
To go to the gorge area that we were at you want to type in 46.336288,13.646131 into the gps and park along the road. Then head east along the water. It was tricky to find and we ended up not having enough time to walk the full thing so hopefully this helps.
The water was chilly, which seems obvious as it comes from the mountains, but it was refreshing. Families were swimming and jumping into the water so of course PJ had to join them. He even managed to get Reesey to go in for a swim, although she did not like watching him jump from the rocks!
We made a stop at Napoleon Bridge [below] on our way back into Italy. It is located near Kobaid, Slovenia and runs over the Soča River where the gorge is at its narrowest. Originally there was a wooden structure, but in 1616 the Venetians destroyed it and in 1750 a new bridge was built in stone. This is where Napoleon marched his troops on the way to Predel Pass. Three more bridges were built and destroyed at this location, until finally this one remained.
Slovenia is such a great country and has so many nooks and crannies to explore. I already have a few more spots that I want to check out before our time here is through. I am not too worried though, as PJ has assured me that he intends on retiring to Slovenia! Beautiful landscape, great capital city, close to Croatia and Italy [and many other countries we have fallen for], friendly people, lots of outdoor activities…whats not to love!
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