Lake Bled and Soca River, Slovenia

August 12-13, 2016-

We are off for a 4 day trip to explore Slovenia and Croatia, this is quite a bit to squeeze into four days but gives us a great taste of what we want to come back to spend more time at certain places. Our first place to visit is Lake Bled, Slovenia. http://www.bled.si/EN/

Lots to see and do at Lake Bled, we stayed walking distance to the Lake in Bled Apartments, perfect for both couples. The first day was nice weather, no rain but lots of clouds. We ventured off to see Lake Bled and begin our walk around the lake, stopping at Vila Preseren for a drink and the famous Bled cream cake. The patio seating was perfectly situated right on the lake for wonderful views and great people watching. We enjoyed the cake and drinks before heading up the hill to the Bled Castle. Bled Castle is one of the oldest castles in Slovenia. Its first written mention dates to May 1011. The image of the castle towering above the lake and its romantic island and church is the attraction that earned Bled worldwide fame. The castle's courtyards offer breathtaking views of the Julian Alps. I found the 16th Century chapel the most fascinating. The well preserved frescoes within this tiny church depict the images of Christ. Both courtyards are protected by a Roman defense wall featuring battlement, a gate tower, and a massive Gothic defense tower. Great panoramic views from the courtyards of the castle.

We had dinner at Gostilna Murka which is a traditional Slovenia restaurant with grilled meats, venison, vegetables, and bread. No reservations needed, we were seated right away. This is close to the Bled castle and I would highly recommend to try traditional Slovenian cuisine. There is a nice courtyard circular seating that was great to enjoy the summer time weather. http://gostilna-murka.com/index.php?lang=en

The next day was even warmer weather with not a cloud in the sky so we decided to walk around the lake before getting in the car to head south to Croatia. The walk around the entire lake takes about 50 mins to 1 hour, with multiple stops for pictures along the way. We of course had Bled cream cake for breakfast before leaving for the day. Lots of pictures from every angle as we walked around the lake..

After we completed the walk around Bled we drove through the mountains towards Tolmin, approximately 2 hours. We planned to hike the Tolminka Gorge within the Soca River Valley. The Soca River starts in Slovenia and goes all the way to Italy, with its emerald waters it is definitely worth the visit. Entrance fee is 4 euro and takes approximately 1 hour to make the loop seeing the thermal spring, Devil's Bridge, Dante's cave, the Bear's head, trout, and wild flowers.
http://www.slovenia.info/en/soteska/Tolmin-Gorges.htm?soteska=1838

After the hike we had lunch at the restaurant right next to the parking lot with decent food prices and good food. We loved the traditional Slovenia dish, Frika, a large serving of potatoes and cheese which was great for sharing.

Keep reading, we will be in Croatia next!

Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany

July 5-7, 2016-

Happy Birthday Jeremy! On the morning of Jeremy's birthday we went into the small, quaint, spa town of Bad Reichenhall and had brunch and explored the Alte Saline, Old salt refinery. Bad Reichenhall is a traditional center of salt production, obtained by evaporating water saturated with salt from brine ponds.

After lunch we headed to Garmisch- Patenkirchen which is right on the border of Germany and Austria. The gorgeous Austrian Alps are the perfect backdrop from any place you stand in the 2 cities. We settled in for a two night stay in the cutest airbnb German style house right in the center of Patenkirchen, walking distance to all attractions. We walked into the Garmischer Zentrum, Garmisch Centre, that evening for dinner and making stops along the way to admire the Oide Kirch, the Old Church, and the newly renovated Church of St. Martin.

After dinner we strolled back down the streets of Garmisch near the city center and heard live music. So we followed the tune and came across a great venue with a outdoor patio that was serving drinks. We sat outside to listen to the music and watch the sunset. They were excellent musicians, very talented, and entertaining with the couples dancing while the music played.

The next morning we ventured out to the Partnach Gorge. A well known hike that starts at the Olympic Ski Stadium. The first ski jump here was built in 1922, initially as the venue for the annual New Year's ski jump. In 1934 a larger jump was built in addition to the smaller one, where the IV Olympic Winter Games were held in 1936. As these two had grown old and worn out the first ski jump in the world ever to be made of steel was built here in 1950. Eventually with the improvements in technology, materials, and technical requirements another new ski jump had to be built in 2007.

The Patnach Gorge was declared a national monument in 1912 with its wild waterfalls, rapids, and ponds. In the past the gorge could only be approached at the risk of your life, but today it offers two safe passages. Right along the water is a path that we walked along this majestic site, used by foresters and hunters in the old days. The gorge is open in the summer and in the winter and is the starting point for numerous hikes as well as mountain tours of the surrounding area.

Made it to the top of the mountain! Barely, lots of switchbacks and elevation gained on our ascent to the top of Eckbauer, 1236 meters... but it was definitely worth these gorgeous views! The kitchen was not open but they did have a a small hut selling sausages and beer.

Date night! Jeremy and I walked down the famous Ludwigstrasse towards Fraundoefer admiring the rows of houses and alleys. It is easy to imagine the history that once lived here, the Romans and the traders walked along the very same trade street. We were in awe of the unique and colorful "Luftlmalereien", a traditional form of facade painting in South Germany and Austria, which depict the patron saints of the people or the profession of the owner of the house.