We traveled to Slovenia along with our friends the Hustons over the six-day Easter break. The weather was more like winter than spring, but it didn't stop us from enjoying the beauty along the way.
We enjoyed walking the six kilometer hike around Lake Bled, getting great views of the Bled Castle on top of the bluff and the Assumption of Mary Pilgrim Church on the island in the lake. We hiked in the Vintgar Gorge even though it was technically closed because of all the snow. The pension hostess said that they had had over 16 feet of snow this past winter.
In this photo, the castle is on the left, St. Martin's Catholic Church is on the right.
This is the Assumption of Mary Pilgrim Church on the island. To get there you have to rent a row boat, or hire a boat that is rowed for you.
On one of the days that it was not precipitating, we drove to Lake Bohinj, about 35 kilometers west of Bled. While we ate lunch beside our rental car, the sun briefly peeked out of the clouds. At the far end of the lake is a trail that leads to a view of the Savica Waterfall. The packed snow on the trail was at least four feet thick, because the hand railings were at the level of our feet. But the vista at the top was stunning!
The morning of our hike into Vintgar Gorge was misty and cold--in the 30's. After rounding each corner on the trail, another wonderful view would be before us. It was truly amazing to see plants flowering in this very cold climate; Cindy enjoyed taking a few pictures of the plants that thought it was spring! Once we reached the point where the trail was in disrepair, from fallen trees and chucks of ice, we turned back and headed to the warmth of our car.
On Good Friday we checked out the church of St. Martin. As you can see from the photos, there are many paintings on the walls depicting scriptural themes. We also walked into the church souvenir shop, when actually looking for a toilet, and met the priest who invited us to return for mass on Sunday. The "Hallelujah Chorus" was the real draw! We did return for mass on Easter Sunday, which of course was almost completely in Slovenian. But at the close, the priest said, "He is not here; He is risen as He said" in seven different languages, including English. We really appreciated that! What we really had a hard time appreciating was the temperature in the sanctuary; it had to be around 40 degrees!
On Easter Sunday night we went back to the St Martin's Church to hear a concert featuring a concert accordionist and a soprano. Here is a video from that concert.
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