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On the day of our arrival, we had enough daylight remaining for a circular walk around Lake Bled. It took us almost two hours as we frequently paused to admire the views, listen to some delightful music wafting across the water and, of course, take photos. Our walk begins just south of our hotel:
Before long, the castle takes on a different perspective:
Looking a bit back towards our hotel, St. Martin’s can be seen:
One of the more amazing sights along the way was discovering a tree that has developed a taste for iron:
We can imagine headlines screaming, “IRON-EATING TREE MAY BE MAN-EATER NEXT!”
This hard-to-miss stairway along the path leads to Vila Bled, once the country estate of Joseph Broz, better known as Tito. The establishment is now the most expensive hotel in Bled.
Getting closer to the island in the lake, we spot a gondola called a Pletna carrying customers to the island:
The trees blazing with color on the far side are not Aspen but Larch, we were told.
Here’s a first glimpse of the island through the limbs of a majestic old tree.
This was a magical point in the walk for us. In full view of the island, we were enraptured by the unexpected strains of polka music originating on the island and drifting softly across to us. One of the songs we even recognized as “Roll Out the Barrel!” Later, we realized the music was part of a St. Martin’s Day celebration. On November 11 each year, Slovenians celebrate in style with the first tasting of the season’s wine harvest:
Having circled half the lake, the broad staircase on the island is now visible. It leads up to the Baroque-style Church of the Assumption which dates from 1698:
Farther along, the walker now has a side view of the same staircase with a Pletna at its foot:
We close this series of photos with this one which seems fitting: a party group coming ashore with their two musicians. Not in view in this shot is a handsome-sized jug of wine, nearly empty. We strongly suspect the two musicians were the source of the island’s enchanting entertainment:
Happy St. Martin’s Day!