Slovenia

(6-28-06)
When we got to Ljubljana around 11:00 yesterday morning, for the first time since arriving in Europe I reached a point where I had no list of things to do, no agenda, and really no plan other than to pick up Jackie in Klagenfurt and find our way back to Lake Bled. Since neither Sam or I had any clue how to navigate around the country, we made obtaining currency and a map our first priority. This turned out to be relatively straightforward--even though I was nearly as far from home as I had ever been in my life, just about everyone spoke English. This was very helpful since we had nothing but a street address from which to locate our car rental. When we finally located the rental car company, we were told that our economy sized vehicle was not available, but for no extra charge we would be given a brand new Euro-station wagon. Perfect for transporting 3 people and all of our luggage. As we made our way north into Austria, we were surrounded by the beauty of the Julian Alps. Even though I spent some of the most formative years of my life living in some of the most beautiful mountains on the planet, I was still amazed by the breath-taking distinctiveness of southern Austria. The occasional church steeples poking out over the landscape were a constant reminder of the history that surrounded us. As we returned to Slovenia after picking up Jackie, I became acutely aware of my good fortune in having 2 travel partners with so much experience. As I handed our passports over to the border patrol, I realized that the two of them had stamps from countries that I had never even heard of. After driving for about an hour through terrain that could have been used for the set of a Peter Jackson movie, we finally arrived in Lake Bled. The first glimpse of the lake with its castle overlooking from a cliff and historic churches on its banks and island were enough to convince me that this was truly one of the most unique and beautiful locations I had ever been to. I am still scratching my head as to why anyone would waste a trip to Europe visiting the Tower of London, the Vatican, or the Eiffel tower and miss out on seeing this unvelieveable sight. Lake Bled is literally one of the world's best kept secrets. Being here gives me a feeling that I have only had a couple of times in my life during trips to the crater in Tanzania or diving in the underground Sinoras in Cancun where you realize that you are taking part in something very special that most people will go through life and never see. Our bed and breakfast overlooked the lake, and after checking in we immediately set out to explore the city. Many gigabytes of memory were wiped out in the space of the first hour taking pictures. We eventually found our way into town, where we stopped for a pizza while watching the France/Spain game. Jackie had a vested interest in the outcome, having just scored tickets to watch the winner take on Brazil back in Germany. On our way back to the Bed and Breakfast, we witnessed a spectacular lightning storm just behind the Bled Castle up on the cliff across the lake. Sam and I slept in a little the next morning, and then the three of us went down to a cafe for breakfast and a cappuccino. We then piled in the car and headed for Bohem. We took a gondola there to the top of one of the ski resorts, where we spent the morning hiking, having lunch at the top of one of the peaks. We then drove back to Bled, where we drove up to the Bled castle overlooking the lake. The views from the top were nothing short of spectacular. After that we hiked along a gorge to a waterfall nearby, which was remniscent of something from Lord of the Rings. We made it back just in time to catch the sun setting over the lake. We enjoyed dinner at a very nice restaurant that was right on the waterfront before turning in for the night. Although we had all fallen in love with Bled to the point that we never wanted to leave, the next morning we decided that with the rest of Slovenia unexplored and another day on our rental car, we really owed it to ourselves to venture out to the south. Before departing, we visited a beautiful church that was perched overlooking the water. The inside walls were covered with a beautiful series of paintings that depicted various elements of the Lord's Prayer. It was pretty money--reminded me a little of the Naval Academy chapel where the stain glass windows all have a maritime theme. We then hopped in the car and set our course for the Predjama castle. This castle was originally built in the 12th century and was constructed directly on top of an elaborate cave system. The building literally merges with the face of a cliff which contains the numerous hidden passages. I don't know if Tolkein ever visited Predjama, but it is inconceivable to me that its legend didn't in some way shape his creation of Helm's Deep. Historically, the castle's most famous inhabitant was Erasmus the loyal follower of Hungarian king Matthias Corviscus, who rebelled against the Austrian Emperor Frederick III. Erasmus withstood a year and a day of attacks against the castele walls before being betrayed by one of his servants, who tipped off the imperial troops by shining a light on the target for the catapults--the room where Erasmus was taking a squat. We returned to Ljubljana after finishing our tour of the castle, only to find that our reservations in the hostel (famous as the sight of a former prison where each room is a cell previously inhabited by an inmate) had been screwed up by the tourism office. Fortunately, there was a 3 bed private room available in a hostel down the street, so we dropped off our things there before setting out to explore the city. We were not disappointed. We climbed to the top of a hill that overlooks the city and wandered around the castle that was built there. After taking some pictures of the sun setting behind the mountains that surrounded the city lights, we climbed back down to the village below, where we had dinner at a Greek restaurant. The city was booming with acivity, with street performers and outdoor seating from the many restaurants that were packed full. It was impossible to confuse this Eastern European flavor with any city I had ever visited before. Eventually, we returned to the hostel to catch a few hours sleep before catching an early morning train back to Budapest.