Easter 2010 - Lake Bled

Camping Bled - N 46° 21' 42 - E 13° 42' 12

The weather forecast is bad, in fact it is raining. Highway to Tarvisio, we cross the border at Kranjska Gora, from here we don't take the highway, the stretch to cover is short and it is not worth paying the very expensive Slovenian vignette. Tom Tom abandons us, it is not programmed for Slovenia, anyway the directions given to us at departure lead us to Bled without problems. Once we arrive in the town we follow the lake to the left until the campsite, well signposted. The campsite is very nice and well equipped, pitches in the green although with a bit of mud, clean and tidy facilities. There should be 56 campers with about 150 people, including many children and teenagers. After settling in we get to know the other participants, some we have already met at other rallies, we meet again a couple with whom we took the trip to Samarkand.

We see Luigi again, the very capable president of the club to whom we pay the rally registration fee.

Camping Bled

Today, Good Friday, bike ride around the lake. Both Tina and I are not very fit, anyway we get on our bikes and join the group, we follow the road keeping the lake on the left, every now and then there are some climbs, I'm not ashamed to say it, but I and many others get off and continue on foot pushing the bike, Luigi, like a good leader, every now and then stops and waits for the breathless old folks. The sky is overcast and every now and then it rains, everyone is equipped with rain jackets suitable for bikes, the panorama is splendid and I take quite a few photos; once we reach Bled we don't continue along the lake but go up toward the mountain and pass through small farming villages. Back at the lake you follow it as far as the campsite, tired and hungry we go back to our campers to prepare a nice, well-deserved pasta.

After a well-deserved rest, Luigi with his little horn calls the campers to order: we set off on foot for the castle, to reach it there is a good stretch of road with quite a few climbs, the last one, before the castle entrance, does me in, I'm out of breath, my diseased lung is demanding oxygen, I stop several times but in the end, to my great satisfaction, I manage to reach the gate with the others who are waiting to enter. The castle is very beautiful and ancient, well restored, inside there is a museum, an old printing house, a friar who sells quality wine and the mayor of Bled who welcomes us in period costume. On the way back, unfortunately, I misstep and my knee, operated on some time ago, starts to hurt, I will do the whole way back limping.

Back at the campsite, Luigi offers all the participants a rich aperitif, on three improvised little tables all sorts of things appear: wine, salami, potato chips, doves and many treats, needless to say that nothing was left.....

Bled Campsite

9 o'clock, departure with three buses for Lake Bohinj. With a friendly guide who speaks Italian, we visit villages and small towns, the program also includes a visit to a waterfall, but the path is long and steep and my knee doesn't allow it, I reluctantly give it up. While waiting for the group to return, Tina and I stop with others in a bar where we enjoy some very good Slovenian prosciutto. After lunch based on cold dishes, still on the bus we visited the town of Radovljica with the church of St. Peter, a sanctuary also visited by Pope John Paul II, there is a statue of him commemorating that day. Back at the camper, a medieval show in period costume organized by the campsite staff awaits us. Dances and duels and finally a goulash cooked in a cauldron.

The day doesn't end here, after dinner, the Pletne, the characteristic boats that, accompanied by accordion music, take us across the lake from the campsite, to the island and then to the town of Bled; the return will be on foot around the lake with torches, very beautiful and characteristic. My knee doesn't allow it and I take advantage of the backup minibus that takes me back to the campsite.

Camping Bled - N 46° 21' 42 - E 13° 42' 12

Today is Easter, no outing is scheduled, only for the children a surprise has been prepared, with the help of the campsite boys, a big table has been set up with all the equipment for coloring and painting eggs, the little artists had a lot of fun. At lunch everyone at the campsite restaurant, the cook did a great job and everyone was happy with what was served to us, at the end, with Luigi's assistance, a very large chocolate Easter egg was broken, appreciated by everyone. Quiet afternoon of rest, in the evening again at the restaurant with a dinner based on cevapcici, the evening was enlivened by Nini, one of the participants in the rally, who sang making his karaoke system available.

Camping Bled - N 46° 21' 42 - E 13° 42' 12

Monday, Easter Monday, a visit to the Vintgar waterfalls was scheduled, unfortunately due to the bad weather that would have made the various paths slippery, the outing was cancelled. At this point we decided to return home; after saying goodbye to our friends with the hope of meeting again at a future rally, I started the engine and headed the camper home.