Something to Declare

September 29, 2024. Lake Bled, Radovljice.

Croatia has lots and lots of islands. Slovenia, on the the other hand, has only one. It is in the middle of a wonderfully scenic lake, northwest of Ljubljana, Lake Bled.

The castle has incredible views of the snow-covered Julian Alps.

And also the chance to sample Blejska kremšnita, the iconic Bled cream cake.

The cake was invented by Ištvan Lukačević, a native of Vojvodina (a province of Serbia), who came to Slovenia as a pastry chef after World War II.

There was also a visit to the island itself, which is the home of the 17th century Church of the Mother of God of the Lake. We took a gondola-like boat called a pletna, propelled by an oarsman in the stern, from the shores of the lake to the island. We walked up the 99 steps from the pletna landing to the church.

Folklore has it that the church bell has the power to grant wishes. Guests are invited to ring the bell Stef and I made wishes relating to the upcoming U.S. election….

On the way back to the shore of the lake, we saw the more modern structure that had been one of the residences of the late (and beloved) Marshall Tito of Yugoslavia. We enjoyed lunch at Gostilna Avguštin in the nearby village of Radovljice. In the town, there was also an outdoor fair celebrating gluten-free food options (this, in the Land of Bread!), including live entertainment.

Back to Ljubljana after a splendid day.