Bled - a nature and hiking stop

Bled and its surroundings was one of the most beautiful places I've been. This is certainly because it was my first experience of pure nature and hiking after three and a half weeks of city trips. But the hostel was also a hit. I was warmly welcomed by the hostel owner. There were many people in the hostel, and there were great opportunities to connect with other travelers.

So right after I arrived, I met Adrian, and soon after we set out on our first little hike together.

A round trip around the lake and up to a viewpoint. At 600 meters above sea level, you could enjoy a very good view of the surroundings.

And then, of course, the highlight for which Bled is well known: the church on an island in the lake.

The tour around the lake and up to the viewpoint took about two hours. In the end, we needed three, as we waited for about an hour at the top for the sun to come out.

The next day, I joined a group I met at the hostel. Together we did a 16 km tour and hiked up a mountain with about 1000 meters of elevation.

On this tour, I learned so much about rocks, plants, and nature in general, as most of the group studies geo-ecology. It was super interesting.

On my third day in Bled, with a new group composition, we went to a waterfall at the nearby Lake Bohinj. This hike was simply beautiful in a different way. Water can be very impressive. In the end, I found the waterfall not that exciting, but the river was really beautiful. But see for yourself:

Once we arrived at the waterfall, we had a picnic before hiking back down on the other side of the river.

When we reached the lake, two members of our group actually dared to go for a swim. I only waded in with my feet, but even that was already too cold for me. A mountain lake is still very cold at the end of March.

We returned via the castle in Bled, getting another perspective of the island.

On my last day, we originally wanted to rent a boat and sail to the island, but the boat rental was closed due to strong winds. So a few people and I went back up to the viewpoint one last time. A final photo, and then it was time for me to head back to the bus.

I found it really difficult to say goodbye here, but every journey must eventually come to an end. I thoroughly enjoyed my time here, and it will always be fondly remembered.

I'm glad I was there at the end of March. In summer, this place is completely overcrowded. In the town, hotels follow one after another. I would truly recommend everyone to visit Bled, but the off-season is much better, and if it's cloudy, it's actually better for hiking.

So Bled was an absolute highlight so far, and the entire hostel community will be hard to top. But I'm still excited for the next travel destinations. Off to Croatia!