ON THE WAY TO LAKE BLED

Today’s destination comes with another mountain to bike over. It is a really lovely day with mostly easy climbing and great views, and there is lots to look at. I notice how perfectly firewood is stacked to dry in this area. The same wood drying contraption is also used to dry hay. I appreciate a ‘place to pray’ statue located just before a 17% grade! There is a church, way off in the distance, that before long is an attainable goal.

Slovenia supports bicycling with many bike paths. On this route they have creatively turned a 2 lane road into a one lane road with bike lanes on either side. That is helpful as it is Sunday and sections of the road are very busy with cyclists and hikers.

BLED

In the town of Bled, one immediately notices a Church (of the Mother of God) sitting on an island in Lake Bled. I learn that before the church was built, the island was an ancient Slavic cult site. Now it’s another pretty church. On the other side of the lake is the medieval Bled Castle, which is the oldest and most popular castle in Slovenia. I spend a couple of nights at Youth Hostel Bledec, which is a great base for day trips. This beauty of this area makes it a major tourist attraction!

LAKE BOHINJ & SAVICA WATERFALL

This is a perfect day for a trip from Bled to Triglav National Park. I take a bus, and am one of the last two people to get off at the last stop in the park. I am planning on walking the 5 miles to the Savica Waterfall. I meet Ana, the other last bus rider, we hit if off and decide to walk together.

The road is busy and there are lots of vehicle fumes. We see a path that turns off into the woods. We check the Gaia GPS app and it looks like the path meets up with another path, and will get us through the woods and to the waterfall. In theory at least. After a bit the path disappears and we are looking around for another possible path when we hear voices. We shout, they shout. We meet. Sylvia and Ralph who are from Germany and staying at the local RV park. They followed a path that also disappeared. We combine efforts and have fun finding our way back to civilization! We eventually reach the famous Savica Waterfall after climbing up a lot of steps. It’s a stunning highlight worth all of our efforts. Ana and I continue along the lake, catch a bus back to Bled, and appreciate both the solitude and spontaneity of our adventure.

VINTGAR GORGE

Another day trip takes me from Bled to Vintgar Gorge in the Julian Alps. This is known as one of the most beautiful gorges in the world. I get lucky and light rain showers give the gorge a very misty look, while the wet weather keeps the tourists in town. There is nothing to disturb one’s appreciation of the power of the rushing water as it weaves its way through twists and turns of the gorge. I miss my ride back, and end up on a lovely wet walk through the woods and along a sheep path to a bus stop.

SOCA RIVER

The Soca River is a striking green color and nicknamed ‘The Emerald Beauty’. The distinctive color is attributed to limestone derived ‘rock flour’ particles suspended in the water that reflect light. I take the great bike path from Tolmin to Solkan that runs along the river. I stop for a snack and up rides Helen, who is a very cool adventure bicyclist from Scotland. We connected a couple of days ago while staying at the same hostel. Yesterday, we ended up on the same train and bus going to Bovec - avoiding the rain and vehicle traffic on a narrow road. Helen lives in Cairngorms National Park and is using this trip to think about her next career moves.

I left the hostel in Bovec before Helen, and was pleasantly surprised to see her again. She is with Uros, a local she just met on the bike trail. We all hit it off and agree to continue our conversation at the pizza place in town over dinner. We have so much fun with Uros’ ideas and with our upbeat server. Uros is an engineer, innovator, best selling author, coach and a student of Human Design. He shares insights with Helen and I about our strengths and future paths within the Human Design framework. I look it up later and Uros is spot on: I’m a Generator type who’s purpose is to lift the energy of the world and who makes decisions by listening to my gut.