Bled, Lake, Rivers, Alps

This place is incredible. From Venice, one of the most dense places I've ever experienced, we moved onto Bled, Slovenia, the most popular Slovenian tourist destination, self titled. It is for good reason. Several times a day, I look up, down, left, right, and my jaw drops open my eyes light up and I realize I have entered a postcard. Since arriving,

I have swum in the most perfect alpine lake which is perfect clear blue and exactly 70 degrees from top to bottom.

I have fished in an even clearer stream for beautiful stream bred rainbow trout and massive brown trout which refuse my flies.

I have managed to catch about 6 or 7 fish, though, and they have all been strong and brilliantly colored. I love just watching the hundreds of trout swim lazily in the clear blue current, ignoring my flies.

I met a very kind and fun Brit named Jadine who left Bled almost as soon as we arrived.

I have swum about half a kilometer to and from the island with a church.

I sat at the edge of the lake while the final moments of light were sucked away from the sky by the sun and the massive Alps cut heavily into the sky through the hazy air left by a violent thunderstorm which rolled thunder through the mountains over and over. The church rang incessantly for many minutes, as if to announce the importance of this beautiful moment in the world.

Despite its slightly ominous name, Bled is possibly the alpine retreat I have alwys dreamed of encountering in my European travels. Let the fun continue, but tomorrow onto Hungary and the motherland. I can't wait to go home.