Escape to myself

The hostel

The hostel … an ex military prison is really chic … voted best European hostel by Lonely Planet. In a bohemian cultural quarter. Clean, modern vibe with great facilities and good roommates. The area outside has some great graffiti and it a little grungy … on purpose I think. Nice breakfast too.

Ljubljana

Ljubljana is small, very Austrian in feel. The churches are very different in style from those in Italy. It has a more Eastern European feel. The old town centre has a very chilled vibe with a lot of bars and restaurants. The veal and potatoes I had last night was excellent in a riverside restaurant. We walked along the river in the sunshine (which emerged in the afternoon ) to a cool bar for coffee and gelato. A good pizza on the evening. The walk to the castle was a hike although there is a funicular railway if you’re exhausted.

Lake Bled

Lake Bled is very pretty but I felt a little underwhelmed by it. I expected bigger somehow. The walk from the station was supposed to be a walking path but it was blocked by construction on some stretches which made us walk on the side of the busy road. it was about a 45 minute walk. I suggest the bus which costs €1.50 and takes 10 minutes. The town of Bled is pretty nondescript with too many rather ugly hotels at one end of the lake. But we walked a little and made it up to the castle on the crag. The mountains in the distance (Julian Alps) are very stunning though. Coffee and a supposedly famous cream cake to bolster my energy … very pedestrian. So Bled is pretty but not all I was lead to expect. There are nicer lakes in Birmingham. The town had an air of Tito’s Yugoslavia … a little tired and stuck in the 1960s though you can see they are trying hard to update the town.