Bled trip
The Slovenian city of Bled is probably the most popular tourist destinations in the country thanks to its emerald-green lake, island-located church, a medieval castle perched on a cliff top, all of which are surrounded in dense woods and mountains are a constant backdrop.
The Bled Castle is considered to be the oldest castle in the country. It is not known exactly when it was built, but its first mention comes from 1011 and it has been a staple of the city since then. Besides its wonderful Romanesque exterior, the castle now houses a museum with a permanent exhibition from the Slovenian National museum which follows history from the oldest to most recent times. The Castle Chapel is built in Gothic style and features many frescoes on the inside, which are in rather good condition considering their age. The Castle also has its Forge which you can visit, with the area rich in minerals, the city has always forged iron and the blacksmith that can be found there is a 4th generation blacksmith.
Now besides the castle the city also has a lake that has the same name which is nice in itself, a glacial lake with wonderful blue/green colors through it, however the great attraction for the lake is its island which features a Baroque church that dates from 1698 where you can see well-preserved frescoes depicting the scenes from the life of Virgin Mary. This looks like something out of a fantasy novel, and even more-so when you consider that the excavations on the islands have shown remains of a pre-Romanesque Chapel as well as a large Slavic cemetery dating from about 9 AD, so this area has been settled for a very long time.
Those who enjoy the outdoors will love Bled, thanks to its proximity to the Triglav National Park.
