Slovenia – Lake Bled and the Soca Valley

Kind of a drizzly morning for part of my early morning drive, and an uneventful crossing into Slovenia — because there was no border guards! 

I also had heavy fog as I cruised past Ljubljana (pronounced: loo-blee-AA-nuh), capital of Slovenia.  However, as I got north of Ljubljana, the sunshine broke through and I could see the snow capped mountains ahead. 

There were several beautiful ski areas in the stunning Slovenian mountains.  It looked very much  like Colorado. The mountains around me as I headed up the pass were nearly vertical. Not sure why, but all the switchback turns on the road were all made of cobblestones, with regular paved blacktop at either end.  There were even a few crazy bike riders heading up the unbelievably steep mountain switchback road.  I think I would rather hike and there were a few of those nuts, too!

At about 6,000 feet, I crested the pass summit where there was more than a foot of snow.  The surrounding mountains are at least a thousand feet higher than the pass I navigated.

The Soca Valley is very narrow with huge mountains lining the sides. The beautiful Soca River runs through the center.

I drove through part of northeastern Italy on the way back south to Lake Bled.

I arrived in Lake Bled, Slovenia, my stop for the day, at around 1:00 pm. After checking in, I hiked the loop around the lake on a beautiful afternoon. Spectacular scenes from all sides of this famous and beautiful area.

Lake Bled is of glacial origin. It is small lake measuring only 7,000 feet long and 4,500 feet wide. The walking path around the lake is about 4 miles long. Bled Island is the only natural island in Slovenia.

My B&B is right on the lake. It’s a nice room and spectacular view of the island in the lake.

Another excellent dinner of local bread, sausage, and potatoes, with mustard and horseradish. Really good!

Before you go…

I ordered a chicken and an egg from the internet. I’ll let you know.