Bovec

We got off the bus in Bovec in the early evening and set off in search of an information office where we hoped that they would help us in finding a place to stay. We quickly found the information office but there we received some bad news: that the town was almost completely full and they only knew of one place still available. So we set off in search of the one place still with rooms available and upon finding it reluctantly agreed to pay their fairly expensive price (although the room was quite nice). Setting down our bags we then set off to explore the town a little, buy some groceries for dinner (our room was more like an apartment) and book a rafting trip for the next day. After accomplishing all of those things the evening was spent making dinner and relaxing in our apartment before bed.

The next morning we got up and had a few hours to kill before we were going rafting that afternoon. So the morning was spent wandering around the town and sitting in the local library using the internet. At 1pm we arrived at the rafting agency office and were quickly outfitted with wetsuits, paddles, helmets and booties before setting off to the put in point. Reaching the starting point of the rafting trip we were split into 2 rafts where we received our safety instructions (we were with a group of Polish tourists who spoke no English so we got to hear the safety talk in Slovenian and English). After the safety talk we finally pushed off into the water to start our trip down the river. The first half of the river was fairly quiet with only a few sections of rapids and was considered more of a warm up for the bottom section which was supposed to be the real fun part. Arriving at the halfway point of the trip we pulled over for a short break and an opportunity to jump in and swim in the icy cold water of the river. It was here that we watched as one of the Polish ladies from our group jumped into the water only to discover that she couldn't swim! Screaming and panicking from the river she splashed around for a few seconds before our guide managed to get to her and pull her out of the water. After this incident the guide tried extremely hard to talk her out of continuing the trip but her stubbornness kept her in the raft and so after that short argument we set off again only this time with our guide looking quite stressed out. The bottom half of the river was a lot of fun although our guide was doing everything in his power to steer the boat towards the easiest sections of the river so we missed out on some potential fun (although this was good considering what could have happened if the raft flipped). Eventually we arrived at the end of the river unharmed and after quickly loading the boats back onto the van we set off back to Bovec. Returning to Bovec we made our way back to our hotel where we relaxed for a short period then returned to the main square to watch a performance of some traditional Slovenian dancing. After the dancing performance we again returned to our hotel to cook a late dinner and eventually went to bed.

The next day we got up early and decided to take the bus back up to the Vrsic pass to do a bit of hiking. Reaching the pass we wandered around near the road a bit looking at different trail maps before deciding on a route to take. So we set off in search of a sight called a Natural Window and along the way we enjoyed a beautiful hike as the trail started up so high that we were afforded some great views. Additionally near the start of the hike we saw a natural formation called "the girl's face on the rock" where it appeared as if a girl's face had formed on the cliff face. The rest of the hike up to the Natural Window was also spectacular and when we reached the Natural Window we got to gaze through a huge natural tunnel in the mountain. Sitting here we watched several groups of climbers climb up through the window and continue to the summit of the mountain while we enjoyed our lunch. After lunch we had to turn around and descend in order to catch the bus back to Bovec which we thankfully just caught. Returning to Bovec we again just returned to our hotel where we enjoyed a home cooked meal that evening.

The next morning we got up and checked out of our hotel as we were heading back to Ljubljana that afternoon. Since we still had the morning in Bovec we went for a nice walk down to the Soca river (the river we went rafting on). Reaching the beautiful blue Soca river we wandered along a path on its side while watching a few kayakers paddle past for a couple of hours. After that we made our way back to Bovec where we picked up our bags and went to the bus station to catch a bus bound for Ljubljana.

Arriving in Ljubljana we quickly returned to the same hostel we stayed in previously and then went to organize transport into Hungary for the following day. After getting our train tickets to Hungary we enjoyed an early dinner and wandered around downtown Ljubljana one last time before returning to the hostel and bed.

The next morning we got up and made our way to the train station where we quickly boarded a train bound for Budapest (although we weren't going that far). After a few transfers we found ourselves in the small town of Ukk in Hungary where after searching in vain for an ATM we boarded another train bound for Keszthely, our next destination.









A picture of the cliff face with "the girl's face on the rock" hopefully you can see it.



















Lianne applying some sunscreen during a break in our hike towards the Natural Window.




















A view looking down through the Natural Window.




















A view of the beautiful blue colour of the Soca River. Unfortunately we didn't get any pictures of the rafting trip so the only pictures of the Soca that I have were taken on our last morning there.

Bled

Leaving Ljubljana we arrived in Bled around noon and set off in search of a hostel to stay in. Being turned down in the first two we found we finally found a room in our third choice which turned out to be one of the best hostels in Bled apparently.

After dumping our bags in the hostel we set off in search of an ATM as we were down to our last 20 euros. After a frustrating 30 minute walk through the city we came to the realization that either no machines would accept our cards or those that would were out of cash until they could be replenished on Monday, the next day. As a result we had to spend the day fairly cheaply so we started off with a walk around the beautiful turquoise blue Lake Bled. The lake was absolutely gorgeous with the town situated at one end, a castle perched high above it next to the town and an island containing a church close to the far end. To add to the beauty of the lake there were gondolas paddling tourists around the lake. Half way around the lake we found a trail that climbed up to a view point overlooking the lake and the island containing the church after a 20 minute climb we emerged at the top with a fabulous view. Taking a break here we soaked up the great view of the surrounding area for a few minutes before eventually heading back down to continue our trip around the lake. At the completion of our wonderful walk around the lake we emerged back in the town of Bled and decided to enjoy the music from the nearby festival while relaxing in the park next to the lake. Thinking that we could enjoy the festival the next night and since we didn't have very much money we decided to skip enjoying dinner and a beer there but just enjoyed a cheap take away meal while sitting by the lake before heading to bed.

The next day got up and immediately set off in search of money. After having success and no longer feeling poor we then went to check out potential rafting trips and other extreme sports activities as Bled is a great place to give these a try. After talking to a couple of companies we quickly found that the rafting offered from Bled wasn't very good but the canyoning was apparently great so we decided to sign up for it the next morning. The rest of the day was spent lounging around the parks in front of the lake but sadly without the music from the festival as the previous day was it's last. That night we enjoyed cooking dinner at the hostel before heading out for a few beers with the largely Irish group that was also staying there.

The third morning started off with us heading off to go canyoning. We jumped into the back of a van at 9am and 15 minutes later we were in the middle of nowhere putting on wetsuits and harnesses to slide, repel and jump off waterfalls. After a short walk we found ourselves at the start of the canyon and after a quick safety talk we were underway. The first section was really just a warm up but jumping/sliding into the freezing water was more of a shock than a warm up we thought. The second part started off with a short slide down a waterfall before a zip line and then the rest of the trip was filled up with really fun and steep slides and sections of repelling down waterfalls. A very enjoyable morning after you got used to the extremely cold water. Unfortunately the canyoning only lasted half a day and we were back in Bled around 1pm where we spent the rest of the afternoon using internet and organizing transport for the next day. That night we again enjoyed a home cooked meal and a few drinks before heading to bed.

The following morning we got up and slowly packed our bags to check out of the hostel. After getting a quick bite to eat we made our way to Vintgar Gorge which was located just 4km outside of Bled. Arriving at the gorge we set off to walk through this extremely beautiful gorge along a great wooden walkway that had been constructed along its entire length. After enjoying the hike through the gorge we returned to Bled where we sampled the famous local cream cake before grabbing our bags and making our way to the bus station where we boarded a bus bound for Bovec, the town that would allow us to do some great rafting. The bus trip to Bovec was pretty spectacular as well as the bus went over the 1611 meter high Vrsic Pass which afforded some great views of the surrounding mountains. A very scenic and great trip before dropping us off in Bovec our next destination.









Lake Bled with a gondola paddler in the foreground and the castle perching over the lake in the background.



















Lianne standing up at the viewpoint overlooking Lake Bled with the island visible and the town of Bled in the distance.
















A view looking back up the Vintgar Gorge with the wooden walkway crossing over the river.


















Lianne standing on the side of Vintgar Gorge.




















A hay drying rack which you see all over the Bled region as historically the area was too wet for the hay to dry on the ground so had to be dried on special racks. Today though they are rarely used as the region has become dryer.










Unfortunately I've already mailed home the pictures from the canyoning trip so you'll have to wait until I get home to see those.

Ljubljana

Arriving off the train from Zagred in Ljubljana we made our way towards a couple of hostels we hoped to find a room in. The first one which was a converted mental prison sounded pretty cool but unfortunately everyone else must've thought the same thing as it was full so our next stop was a student dorm which were happy to let us stay in.

Dropping our bags off in our room we quickly set off to explore the city. The first thing we saw on our way to the old town was one of the two famous bridges there: the dragon bridge. This bridge was fairly normal except that it was guarded by 4 very detailed dragon statues (2 at each end) and was pretty unique to see. Following the river up we quickly came to the second famous bridge, the triple bridge, and the main square. The triple bridge is actually 3 identical bridges set right next to each other and are located in a beautiful area right at the start of the old town in Ljubljana. From here we quickly found a place to grab a quick bite to eat before heading to one of the many museums in Ljubljana. After lunch we spent the majority of the afternoon in the fairly well done city museum of Ljubljana and learning all about the city's history for the past 4000 years. Lianne especially enjoyed the interactive (read children's) exhibits explaining the city's history. From the museum we casually wandered back through the wonderful streets of the old town towards our hostel where we took a short break before heading out for a delicious Mexican dinner.

The next morning we set off nice and early to climb the hill up to the Ljubljana castle. Here we were afforded some nice views over the old city while we were able to wander around the grounds. Unfortunately most of the rooms in the castle were closed so all we could see were some small art exhibits and the great views. Descending back down to the city we then made our way over to the museum of Contemporary History which was again a fairly interesting museum which gave a very in depth description of the different regimes that ruled over Slovenia before it gained its Independence. The displays here were really well done and by the end both Lianne and I were overwhelmed by the amount of information we read. By the time we finally left the museum of Contemporary History it was already the middle of the afternoon so we just enjoyed our lunch and had a rest at our hostel. From our hostel we went back to the main square where we enjoyed an evening drink outside in a beautiful setting with what seemed like all of Ljubljana passing by. This is how we spent the rest of the evening before returning back to our hostel for bed.

The next morning we woke up extremely early to catch a train bound for the Skocjan caves which are a UNESCO world heritage site. The cave network contains the highest cave hall in Europe, a massive gorge, waterfalls and tons of stalagmites and stalactites. We had to get a tour through the caves but it was definitely worth it as we started through the upper "dry cave" which was full of stalagmites and stalactites and very beautiful before entering the lower "wet cave" which had a river running through it. After our thoroughly enjoyable tour through the caves we made a short visit to the cave museum where we hoped to see the human fish; a "fish" that had lungs and gills, skin instead of scales, was blind, could live for 100 years without food, and had no colour to its skin. We were told there was a dead specimen in the museum but all we found was a picture of one unfortunately. After the museum we made our way back to Ljubljana on the train and again spent an early night enjoying dinner and wandering along the beautiful riverfront on the edge of the old town.

The next morning we gathered our bags and made our way to the bus station where we quickly caught a bus bound for Bled, our next destination.









Lianne standing next to one of the dragon statues guarding the dragon bridge.


















A view of the triple bridge with the main square and one of Ljubljana's churches in the background.













A view of the old town in Ljubljana with another church in the background.




















Lianne standing in front of the main church in Ljubljana located at the central square near the triple bridge, I think it's called St Nicholas Cathedral.


















Lianne standing in the enormous entrance to the Skocjan cave. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take pictures in the cave so this is about the only picture of the cave I have.