A new day, a new country and a new place. Today it's about moving from Rijeka to Bled, Slovenia.
Bled
The morning of a new day starts dramatically. During the night we received the results of PCR tests, which were negative for all of them. But they didn't send us the certificates, without which they won't let us go to Slovenia. We have no choice but to individually email the lab and hope that they will make it in time for the train that was supposed to leave at 11:50. The response time was something like 2 - 3 hours, so we were on edge all morning about whether or not they would make it. However, we cut the time short by packing up, leaving the apartment and me, Zanet and Ala went for a swim in the sea again at Kantrida beach, while the others looked after our things at the bus stop, from where we were supposed to go to the station. Although we would be in the Balkans for less than three weeks, our next swim would not be until two days before our departure in Albania, so we wanted to take advantage of that one last time. In the meantime, all the certificates had arrived so we knew we wouldn't end up in Croatia. The bus arrived as scheduled. It was about a 10 minute ride to the train station. There we go straight to the ticket office saying we wanted 6 tickets to Ljubljana. We receive these and go straight to sit on the train which has already arrived.
Rijeka - Main Railway Station
Rijeka - Croatian made unit series 6112
Direction Ljublana
The track, as far as the view is concerned, is not as interesting as the one we came on yesterday, and it is in a pretty dismal condition, unlike the Slovenian side, which has it nicely reconstructed. You can immediately tell when you have crossed the border of both countries. Otherwise, the Croatian control takes place at the station Šapjane. The Slovenian one is in Ilirska Bistrica, which is about ten minutes away from the border. We're having a joking discussion about whether we'd rather hop off the train while driving to get to Slovenia. The border check was detailed, but they didn't make any problems and we all passed. So we still had about an hour's drive to Ljublana.
Ljublana - Main Railway Station
Ljublana - Locomotive series 363
Ljublana - Stadler Flirt and Siemens Desiro
There is a main bus station near the station, but we are not going to Bled yet. It's lunchtime. I remember from long ago that there was an excellent bistro opposite the station where they made local Balkan dishes. Strangely enough, it was still there. It's been renovated over that time, but they still had the basic Balkan menu. The bistro is called Fast Food Ajda.
Ljublana - Pljeskavica
After a hearty lunch we go to the bus. Bus connections can be found on the Slovenian Arriva website. The only thing that never sat right was the price. The one today with the driver was about 40 CZK, although the official one on the website was much higher. The journey to Bled takes between an hour and an hour and twenty, depending on whether it is essentially a direct connection or one that sweeps through several villages along the way. While we're on the road, an article came out on Seznam about Czechs who disappeared in Albania twenty years ago. This caused a bit of a panic reaction at home in the form of mass messages not to go there. So I spend the trip on various forums looking for information on how safe it is in Albania. And just as it said everywhere, it is safe there. The unfortunate event is from the breakup of Yugoslavia, when it was a wilderness all over the Balkans and such an event could have happened anywhere.
After a few hours we got from sunny Croatia to cloudy Bled. Bled is a picturesque town located in the Julian Alps and is one of the most beautiful tourist destinations in the country. Its most striking feature is the picturesque lake of the same name, which is surrounded by mountain peaks and adorned by a small island with an iconic church (Assumption) in the middle. Sports enthusiasts also know the lake for the rowing world cup, which is regularly held here.
Another attraction is Bled Castle, which towers over the lake on a rocky peak. It is the oldest castle in Slovenia and offers visitors a breathtaking view of the lake and the surrounding countryside. Inside the castle there is a museum that tells the history of the area and offers examples of traditional crafts.
Bled - Bus station
But we're going to the hostel first. We are staying in hostel Bled. We check in and go for a walk to the lake, thinking that we will take a dip in it. The beach is on the other side of the lake up by the campsite. There is a nice promenade around the lake that allows visitors to walk and cycle around the lake, so the beach is not too difficult to get to. The bathing water is pleasant in all conditions, as the lake has no significant inflows and is mainly supplied by underground springs. These make the water in the lake pleasantly warm (one of the warmest lakes in the Alps).
Bled Castle
Bled - Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary
Bled - The Lake
After swimming, we'll explore the surroundings and have a late dinner at the restaurant Oštarija Babji zob. Like everything in Bled, it was not among the cheapest.
Bled - The Jezernik Beer
After dinner, we're going to bed. Tomorrow we will visit the Vintgar Gorge.
Užitečné odkazy:
Regiojet
Apartment Lucky 1
Hotels in Rijeka
Croatian Railways
Slovenian Railways
Arriva Slovenia
Hotels in Ljublana
Hotels in Bled
