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Enroute to Lake Bohinj on a rather hazy morning, our coach drove through a rural landscape dotted with farming villages:
We reached our destination at its outlet near the Church of St John the Baptist:
The Church of St. John is reputed to be brilliantly frescoed inside. Unfortunately, it is closed off-season and we could only admire faded frescoes on the exterior:
Lake Bohinj, at a higher elevation and somewhat larger than Lake Bled, is about 16 miles from Bled:
Although it could have been shot most anywhere, this photo was taken at Lake Bohinj:
Returning to Bled, our driver made a stop for us to photograph hay racks traditionally used for drying hay. These days, most racks have other functions or are unused:
An excursion of a different sort was to the village of Kropa, once renowned for its iron mining and forging industries:
As early as the 14th century, a smelting furnace for producing iron operated nearby. In addition to making nails (or spikes) in hundreds of sizes, the town eventually became famous for its artistic works in wrought iron:
After touring the outstanding Iron Forging Museum, we visited a workshop established to preserve the tradition of manual forging. Behind the shop, this little waterwheel busily moved the vertical arm up and down to operate a bellows located inside:
Working the hot iron, this talented gentleman quickly produced a splendid nail with a few well-placed strokes. His hand tools were simply a mallet, a pincers (for holding the hot metal), an anvil and a die (for making the nail’s sharp point). It was an impressive display of craftsmanship:
There are some very large and very old homes in Kropa. In the mid-nineteenth century a home such as the one below typically belonged to the foundry owner whose family occupied the first floor. The families of his blacksmiths were densely crammed into upper levels with few amenities. This particular house is now owned by an elderly scientist who still works for JPL in Pasadena, CA. He comes back regularly to this town, his birthplace:
Some houses looked uncared for and desperately in need of a good coat of paint:
However, appearances may be deceptive. In the summer, it would not at all be surprising to see a house like this carefully decorated with flower boxes in every window, whether the house needs paint or not. Then again, a fresh coat of paint might cause this place to lose some of its homey charm.
Waiting to board the next coach out of Kropa, Patty dreams (no doubt) of hot chocolate and a warm fire:
If any reader would like to view some truly awesome photographs of Kropa in the summertime, the following websites are excellent (however, a broadband connection may be needed as the file sizes are substantial):
http://www.galenfrysinger.com/slovenia_kropa.htm
http://www.galenfrysinger.com/slovenia_kropa_iron_making.htm