Slovenia Days 1 & 2

I once saw a picture just like this one.  I was instantly sold on visiting wherever this was without even knowing anything about where it was.  It's Lake Bled in the Julian Alps of Slovenia.  Sounded like a great place for a fun, outdoorsy, summer holiday.  It was great to have this kind of alpine experience in a brand new country.

We flew into nearby Zagreb, the capital of Croatia (flights were cheaper and otherwise better than flying into the closer Slovenian capital, Ljubljana).  I have to pause for a moment to mention that when I touched down in Croatia I officially hit 40 countries.  Two hours later after crossing the border into Slovenia I was at country 41!  And what's even more remarkable is that when we crossed into Slovenia both Dallin and Madeleine hit their 30 country mark.  At ages 10 and 13 to have visited 30 countries is kind of unbelievable to me.  I hadn't ever left the US at those ages, and didn't until I was 21.  (Trevon isn't far behind at 28, and Scott's at around 37 I think.)

We spent a week on and around Lake Bled, and then a day in Ljubljana and a couple of days in Zagreb, Croatia before flying home.  The best part of this trip was sharing yet another wonderful holiday with our dear friends whom we traveled to Morocco with last year.  They are some of our favourite people and we feel lucky to call them friends, and even luckier to get to have these experiences with them.  We just love their family!

 We began our Lake Bled stay with a stroll around the 3.5-mile perimeter of the lake.

 We arrived to a massive heat wave, and after making it halfway around, and without intending to take a dip just yet (lots of that was planned for subsequent days), some of us succumbed to enticing waters of the lake.

The whole group!

 Clothes still on, and it wasn't long until the girls were in!  It was that hot!

 Gorgeous island in the middle of the lake, hard to stop taking photos!

 We concluded our sweaty stroll around the lake with an even more sweaty hike up to this castle for supreme views over the lake.

 Chris and Becca

 All the kids

 A beautiful evening meal over the lake

 Day 2 we hit the trails of the Vintgar Gorge.  Not far from Lake Bled this beautiful gorge is filled with spectacular scenery on a naturally air-conditioned trail.  It was magnificent.

 Back at the lake for an afternoon dip and picnic.  The lake was just the right level of chilly for the hot temperature, and some of the cleanest, purest blue water I have ever seen.

 That night we left the big kids in charge while the adults had a nice dinner out at a beautiful restaurant overlooking the lake, which I didn't photograph.  Great first two days on Lake Bled!