Bled | Slovenia's beauty of nature

BLED

As a Slovenian, I feel that it is only right to post about Bled as It is the symbol of Slovenia’s beauty. Bled is a town on Lake Bled in the Upper Carniolan region of northwestern Slovenia. It is most notable as a popular tourist destination in the Upper Carniola region and in Slovenia as a whole, attracting visitors from abroad too. Bled is known for the glacial Lake Bled, which makes it a major tourist attraction. Perched on a rock overlooking the lake is the iconic Bled Castle. The town is also known in Slovenia for its vanilla and cream pastry (Slovene: kremšnita, kremna rezina).

LAKE

The lake is 2.12 kilometers (1.32 mi) long and 0.5 to 1 kilometer (0.31 to 0.62 mi) wide. In summer, the surface water reaches 25 °C (77 °F) and retains a temperature up to 18 °C (64 °F) until autumn. As such, it is suitable for swimming. In colder winters it freezes and is used for ice skating.

A small island in the middle of the lake is home to Assumption of Mary Pilgrimage Church; visitors frequently ring its bell for good luck. Human traces from prehistory have been found on the island. Before the church was built, there was a temple consecrated to Živa, the Slavic goddess of love and fertility. One can get to the island on a traditional flat-bottomed wooden boat (Slovene: pletna). The island on Lake Bled has 99 steps. A local tradition at weddings is for the husband to carry his new bride up these steps, during which the bride must remain silent.

This place is realy worth visiting ! I' ve been there several times and I am enjoying the visit every time as much as the first time.