Day 4 (Wed, 18th May): Bohinj – Austria – Bled - Bohinj

The morning dawned cloudy and dreary as predicted. Despite my heartfelt prayers the day before, the clouds did not go away. We were told specifically not to do any climbing that day as the path could get foggy and treacherous. I couldn’t believe my luck. We were rather at a lost since the only activities available in Bohinj were all outdoor activities. Talk about the best laid plans of mice and men … harrumph!

We decided to drive up to Bled and then take a pletna (a large gondola hand-propelled by a boatman) or hire a boat to row to Bled Island, which is situated right in the middle of Lake Bled. By the time we arrived in Bled, it started drizzling and I saw my plans going up in smoke.

Of all the bright ideas, we next decided to outrun the rain. Since we noted that the border of Austria was about an hour’s drive away, we took the opportunity to drive across yet another border. In true jet setting fashion, we hopped across to south of Austria for lunch and then back again to Slovenia thereafter! Except that we were nothing like the jet setting crowd, with our casual backpackers’ attires of t-shirt and jeans!

A quaint little town at the south of Austria


Austria would not be Austria without
the required picturesque mountains


Modern day backpacking jet setters in
a typical Austrian restaurant


Thank god the sky cleared up when we returned to Bled. Woo hoo! We were all ready for the pletna to Bled Island. But alas! The boatman wanted to charge us an arm and a leg for that short distance to the island ~ “short” in our perspective prior to trying our hand at rowing the boat across the lake. Being “cheap” and “poor”, we refused to part with our Tolars and elected the alternative of hiring a rowing boat and rowing ourselves to the island.

Despite the rain letting up, the lake remained choppy. We watched a few gwei los attempting to row across to the island but after 10-15 minutes of rowing but not actually moving from the same spot, they gave up! Boat rental were charged by the hour but we negotiated with the boat owner to pay a flat fee of one hour rental; which he agreed because he thought we would not be able to make it there at all, just as the gwei los could not. Ahh … but he underestimated us as we have an ace in our pocket i.e. Cecile Deforge to the rescue!

Cecile to the rescue!
She is one hell of a boat rower!


Bled Island ~ our destination!


Only attraction on Bled Island
~ the church!


The surrounding alps
~ picture taken from Bled Island


It was evening by the time we left Bled Island. Once back to the mainland, we made our way to Bled Castle (which can be seen from the above picture) to get a bird’s eye view of Bled itself.

A bird’s eye view of Bled,
taken from Bled Castle


Fact sheet on Bled from www.lonelyplanet.com
Bled's quintessentially medieval castle was the seat of South Tyrolian bishops for over 800 years and was later used as a summer residence by the Yugoslav royal family. Set atop a steep cliff above Lake Bled, the castle has great views. A small museum within peeks into the area's history through a manly collection of swords and armour. On Bled Island, at the western end of the lake, is a white 15th century belfry with a 'bell of wishes'. It's said that anyone who rings the bell will get what they wish for; naturally everyone and their Slavic grandmother rings it over and over again.

Day 3 (Tue, 17th May): Ljubljana – Bohinj via Bled

We were up and about rather early to catch more sights of Ljubljana before heading off to Bohinj. Not being museum enthusiasts, we spent a good part of the morning exploring the city streets and the flea market instead. The crowd picked up slightly in the morning but generally, Ljubljana is a quiet city. It’s almost like Ipoh, except that it’s much quieter. Amazing eh? Can a city be any less quieter than Ipoh and still be called a city? Obviously yes! However, it suddenly dawned on me that, I had not looked over my shoulder for suspicious characters, nor had I hugged my daypack closely to my body (in fear of being robbed) for days now. That was how safe I felt in Slovenia.

Meanwhile, both TooToo and I were desperately looking for souvenirs. We thought that we could get better quality and cheaper souvenirs in Slovenia compared to Italy since Slovenia is an Eastern European country. Sadly, we were so wrong! Not only were souvenirs more expensive in Slovenia (Dang! It’s beginning to sound like a tongue twister!), there was also not much of a selection. In the end, we gave up hunting and just bought whatever that was available and within an extremely stretched budget. We then made our way to the church. The most interesting feature of that church was the door.

Take note of the church door on the right with numerous pope heads jutting out. The gold piece is the handle.

Peik Lean Y.

We spotted a castle on a hill and set out for a short climb. To Su’s and Cecile’s chagrin, they later realised that we could have simply driven up to the castle instead of going on foot, which took us about 15-20 minutes. Whilst there, we were all captivated by the a cappella singing choir. We also took a moment to climb up the spiral staircase to the top of the castle tower, which provided a bird’s eye view of the city.

Su's attempt at artistic photography. The subject is the spiral staircase up the castle tower.

Peik Lean Y.

Ljubljana taken from above the tower. Note the deserted streets in the city centre.

Peik Lean Y.

By noon, it was time to head out to Bohinj. We decided to check out Bled, and then go straight to Bohinj to stay the night as we (or rather I) wanted to do a climb on one of the mountains on the Julian Alps the next day. Alas! It took much longer than expected to reach Bohinj as the roads got narrower and a lot more winding the moment we exited the highway. When we finally reached Bled, we decided to continue onwards to Bohinj as once again, we were without accommodations.

Contrary to my expectations, Bohinj is not a town but a valley that stretches from Soteska to Ukanc and is occupied by twenty-four villages. Surrounding the valley are the Lower Bohinj Mountains and the Triglav mountain range with Mount Triglav, Slovenia’s highest mountain at 2864m. These are part of the Julian Alps, which is an extension of the Italian Alps. I was told that hoards of skiers descend on Julian Alps during the winter because it is less pricey but offers the same beauty as the Italian Alps. In the summer, it is ideal for climbing and mountaineering. At the centre of the valley lays Lake Bohinj. This is yet another spectacular place. (Yup! I seem to be repeating my adjectives because I am breathless with awe and running out of words!)

We ended up in one of the villages closest to the lake. I believe it is called Bohinjska Bistrica. I think. In any case, the distance from one village to another could be as short as a five minute drive or less!!! We finally found a wonderful place to stay at a steal. As this was neither the climbing season, nor the skiing season, we managed to rent two one-bedroom apartments with attached living room and kitchenette, for approximately Euros 18 per apartment; which rounded up to about RM50 per person!

Awesome views from our apartment window.

Peik Lean Y.

Same spot but a panoramic view instead.


Peik Lean Y.

Fact sheet on Bonhinj and the Julian Alps from www.lonelyplanet.com
Adrenaline seekers in Slovenia head for three-headed Mt Triglav (2864m/9394ft), the country's highest peak. It presides over the Julian Alps, which cut across Slovenia's northwestern corner into Italy. The Alps are visited by hundreds of weekend warriors, not all of whom are on ambitious treks. Early Slavs believed the mountain to be the home of a three-headed deity who ruled the sky, the earth and the underworld. Since the days of the Habsburgs, the 'pilgrimage' to Triglav has been a confirmation of Slovenian identity. Today Triglav figures prominently on the national flag.The land around Lake Bohinj, 30km (19mi) southwest of Bled, is undeveloped and exceedingly beautiful, with high mountains rising directly from a basin-shaped valley. The best routes up to Mt Triglav start from nearby Savica Waterfall and Stara Fuzina.

Day 2 continuation: Scouring for rooms at Ljubljana

And we thought our Day 2 adventure ended there! I admit the next problem we had was all because of me, me and me! I did not book any rooms, firstly because as a lone traveler, I am used to changing plans at my whims and fancy. I would delay doing the thing that would tie down my itinerary. And therefore, at 6+ pm when we finally arrived at Ljubljana, I was totally unprepared for the fact that the rooms at Celica Hostel were fully booked and that there was nothing left for us. I found Celica Hostel through a recommendation from a fellow backpacker from the Thorn Tree forum ~ an online forum that caters to travelers and provides a platform for them to share experiences. Celica Hostel is famous due to the fact that the previous occupants of the hostel were inmates! Yup! It is a really cool hostel, which was formerly a prison but has since been converted into a hostel. I so wanted to stay there for the night!

The very interesting Celica Hostel, a former prison, in Ljubljana.


Peik Lean Y.

As it was late and we were all tired, and the map of Ljubljana seemed more complicated than we expected or perhaps Su was just a terrible map navigator, we took the next best thing. The lady at Celica helped us contact BIT Center Hostel which was part of the IYHA, and lo and behold, there were bunks available for us! Although it was situated slightly out of the city centre, we took it anyway as we were too tired to look for anything else. Su was sent to the back of the car due to her poor navigation skills and I took over the job, found the road promptly and very soon, we arrived at our destination. Like any other IYHA, the place was clean but a bit “sterile”. There was no character to the place, unlike Celica Hostel. In any case, we just needed a place to rest our weary heads and bodies for the night.

After freshening up, we hit the roads again, this time scouring for food. Another recommendation from the forum was to try out Sokol, a restaurant for fine dining. By then, we wanted desperately to pamper ourselves and dine like a King! While we went a-hunting for Sokol, we managed to catch the city sights at dusk and night. The Lonely Planet writer likened Ljubljana to Prague ~ quote, “Ljubljana is a smaller Prague without the hordes of tourists.”

Ljubljana was really charming but rather deserted for a city. Being Asian and being used to hoards of people in shopping malls and encountering major jams around the city, Ljubljana was a refreshing change. While strolling along the banks of the Ljubljana River, we came upon a little Slovenian band playing in the open air. Ahh … it was music to feed the soul.

A charming Slovenian band.


Peik Lean Y.

Sights along the banks of Ljubljana River

Peik Lean Y.

Food to delight the senses and the taste buds.
Su showing her glee after a long day!

Peik Lean Y.

Fact sheet on Ljubljana from www.lonelyplanet.com
Ljubljana began as the Roman town of Emona, and legacies of the Roman presence remain throughout the city. The Habsburgs took control in the 14th century and later built many of the pale-coloured churches and mansions that earned the city the nickname 'White Ljubljana'. From 1809 to 1814, Ljubljana was the capital of the Illyrian Provinces, Napoleon's short-lived springboard to the eastern Adriatic. Despite the patina of imperial Austria, contemporary Ljubljana has a vibrant Slavic air all its own. The 35,000-something students who attend Ljubljana University keep the city young.

Most of the city's sights are along the banks of the Ljubljana River. On the southwest side is the Municipal Museum, stocked with a collection of Roman artefacts, plus a scale model of Roman Emona and some terrific period furniture. Further northwest from it is the National Museum, which has the requisite prehistory, natural history and ethnography collections. The highlight is a Celtic situla, a kind of pail or urn, from the 6th century BC. Diagonally opposite is the Museum of Modern Art, where the International Biennial of Graphic Arts is held every other summer. More museums occupy the Old Town, which also features cafes, baroque churches and quaint bridges hidden in its maze of narrow streets. If looking at all this art incites the need for some R&R, head for peaceful Tivoli Park, in the northwestern quadrant of the city. A recreation centre within the park contains bowling alleys, tennis courts, swimming pools and a rollerskating rink.