Lake Bled

"We lucked out upon arrival at Lake Bled. We found street parking right by the lake. It was limited time, though, and we wanted to explore. On our last trip to Europe, we had rented a few boats and the boats in this majestic blue glacier runoff lake were calling to us. We chose the self guided paddle boat and road across the lake. At the island, we disembarked and set a timer so that we'd know when we needed to be heading back the other way. Back on shore, we stopped at a stand and got unique sodas. The 10 year old had already realized that each country has unique flavors of Fanta, so it became a goal to try one in each place. I was not satisfied, though. I wanted to get in the water. We asked the woman a the stand and in addition to teaching us how to say thanks in Slovenian (Hlava), she directed us to where we could go swimming. On the way out of town, we picked up ajvar spread, cheese burek, and Donat mineral water."

"Lake Bled (Blejsko jezero) is one of the most beautiful spots in Slovenia. The glacial lake is in the Julian Alps, in the northwest corner of the country. It has a small island in the center. The town of Bled surrounds it. So do forests and mountains as far as the eye can see. The lake developed as a health resort in the late-19th century. Tito, the revolutionary who ruled Yugoslavia, even built his summer residence here in the 1940s. Since then, it's become Slovenia's playground. People come for the turquoise water, the mild climate, and the gorgeous scenery. They stay to ride a pletna (a wooden boat with a colorful awning), climb up to the church on Bled Island, and explore Bled Castle. Then they return to climb, hike, and ski in the nearby forests, gorges, and mountains. Soon you'll be enchanted, too."

"If I learned correctly, Lake Bled is the warmest Alpine lake. On hot summer days, it reaches a temperature of up to 26°C (on the surface), and it maintains a temperature suitable for swimming (18°C) even until the end of October. In cold winters, the lake freezes and is a real paradise for all lovers of ice skating and activities on the ice. With an area of 1.45 square kilometers, this is the 2nd largest permanent natural lake in Slovenia. It is slightly more than 2 kilometers long and almost 1400 meters wide. Its depth, in the deepest part, exceeds 30 meters. Of course, the lake is also suitable for swimming and other joys on and in the water."