Efter slappedagen var det mores tur til at vælge udflugt og den stod på ‘Slovenien’. Der er ikke langt til grænsen og vi havde haft kigget på noget nationalparks område og læst mange anbefalinger om at se Bled, så afsted med os. Ved Soteska Vintgar skulle man betale (ikke dyrt) et beløb for at gå ruten langs floden. Det var i sig selv ikke et problem, men det var lidt en streg i regningen at den var lavet ensrettet, så man kunne ikke selv vælge hvor lang turen blev. Eller rettere, det kunne man godt, 5-10 km retursti på den ene eller anden side af floden i det bjergrige landskab!
Vi kastede os ud i det. Utroligt smukt langs floden, hvor man kunne fornemme vandets kraft, der trak alt med sig på sin vej. Der var lavet en sti/træudhæng i 1,6 km, hvor man fulgte klippesiderne og skiftevis gik på den ene eller anden side afhængigt af, hvor de lettest har kunne lave en fremkommelig sti. Vandet var bjergvand, så det var ret koldt at gå der selvom lufttemperaturen ellers var over 20 grader og der måtte deles lidt tøj… Utroligt flot. Forenden af betalingsafdelingen var en lille bro, inden der ventede noget af en stigning for at påbegynde retur ruten. Ved den bro var der pga det sprøjtende vand og solens stråler vildt flotte regnbuer at skue, helt tæt på.
Vi kæmpede os op af bakken og så med glæde en lille gårdcafe, hvor der kunne købes is, vand og et smagsbrat af 4 lokale øl. Det måtte prøves. Ikke alle øl smagte os, men vi var alle fire glade for den lille pause i skyggen inden den gik de ca 3 km tilbage til bilen. Der kunne findes vandrepinde i skoven, samt et par brombærbuske undervejs, hvilket gjorde turen til en fornøjelse.
Klokken var blevet noget mere end forventet, men der var kun 10 minutters kørsel over til Bled Castle, så der kørte vi over efterfølgende for at få lidt mere mad i de sultne maver end de boller der var blevet smurt hjemmefra kunne klare. Her måtte vi dog konstatere at restauranten, med den smukkeste udsigt over søen, havde lukket mellem 15-18… vi delte en ussel sandwich fra kiosken og brugte ellers et par timer på at se udstillingen på museet og nyde den imponerende udsigt. Børnene var fint tilfredse med det hele, men vi ældre ville måske anbefale ikke at betale indgangen til slottet og i stedet gå eller sejle på søen. Virkeligt smukt område, hvor man kan forstå populariteten.
Aftenen stod på hjemmehygge og Fredagstamtam for de mindste og en ‘voksenfilm’ til de ældste, men en helt perfekt afslutning på en skøn dag i Slovenien. Her må vi tilbage en dag og se noget mere :-)
After the rest day, it was mom's turn to choose the excursion, and she decided on "Slovenia." It's not far to the border, and we had been looking at a national park area and read many recommendations to see Bled, so off we went. At Soteska Vintgar, you had to pay a small fee to walk the route along the river. The fee itself wasn't a problem, but it was a bit of a setback that the route was made one-way, so you couldn't choose how long the hike would be. Or rather, you could, a 5-10 km return trip on one side or the other of the river in the mountainous landscape!
We decided to go for it. Incredibly beautiful along the river, where you could sense the power of the water, pulling everything in its path. A 1.6 km path was created, following the cliffs, and alternately walking on one side or the other, depending on where they could create a passable path. The water was mountain water, so it was quite cold to walk there even though the air temperature was over 20 degrees, and some clothes had to be shared... Incredibly beautiful. At the end of the paid section was a small bridge, and then a fairly steep climb awaited to start the return route. At that bridge, due to the spraying water and the sun's rays, there were incredibly beautiful rainbows to behold, up close.
We struggled up the hill and happily saw a small farm cafe where you could buy ice cream, water, and a tasting of 4 local beers. It had to be tried. Not all the beers suited our tastes, but all four of us were happy for the little break in the shade before tackling the approximately 3 km back to the car. Walking sticks could be found in the forest, as well as a couple of blackberry bushes along the way, which made the trip a pleasure.
The time had become much later than expected, but it was only a 10-minute drive to Bled Castle, so we drove over afterward to get some more food in the hungry stomachs than the sandwiches that had been prepared at home could handle. However, we had to realize that the restaurant with the most beautiful view of the lake was closed between 3-6 pm... We shared a measly sandwich from the kiosk and spent a couple of hours at the museum and enjoyed the impressive view. The kids were perfectly content with everything, but for us adults, we might recommend not paying the entrance fee to the castle and instead walk or take a boat on the lake. It's a truly beautiful area where you can understand its popularity.
The evening was spent relaxing at home with a Friday movie night for the little ones and an "adult movie" for the older ones, making it a perfect ending to a wonderful day in Slovenia. We'll have to come back one day to see more :-)
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