Sunday June 26th 

Day 34 of our trip, we rent a car in Ljubliana and drive to Lake Bled. This is our first time driving and not using public transportation since we arrived in Europe. Paul and I were a little sad about this, although the convenience of having a car is nice, it's still a bit sad that we have to drive again. Although we could have taken a bus to Bled, it would make it difficult to do things outside of Bled, which we really want to do, plus it's the easiest way to get to Croatia next week, so we will have this car for 2 weeks. We took advantage of having the car and drove past Bled and Lake Bohinj to Vogel Ski Resort. Here we took a cablecar (holds 80 people) up the mountain, which drops you off at the base of the ski resort. Then we took a chair lift up to the top. The elevation between the base of the ski resort and the top of the mountain range from 1,866 feet to 5,904 feet. The views from the top were spectacular. We walked around and took in the scenery from different vantage points, rang the cow bell hanging from a cross that will supposedly grant all your wishes. We then did what we like to do best..got a drink and some really yummy fries at the ski lodge on top of the mountain. Paul and Kyle walked down to the cable car, while Braydon and I rode the chairlift back down-somehow Paul and Kyle beat us! Afterwards we drove back to Bled and checked into our new Airbnb. Our apartment is the second floor of this cute alpine house with balconies on both the front and back of the house. No AC here, so it's a bit warm, but luckily we have fans. This place would be so peaceful if it weren't for the construction going on at the house right next door. They are putting in a stone patio or driveway, so the sound of the saw cutting stone is heard bright and early, and kind of ruins my morning tea on the front balcony, but there's nothing we can do about that, so suck it up, right?! Monday, I brought the kids tobogganing. They were able to ride it three times and really enjoyed it. I rode it once, that thing goes really fast!

Tuesday Day 36

We went hiking to Mostnica Gorge. It was back in Triglav National Park, which is where the ski resort was located as well. We came across a parking lot and didn't think we were at the right place, so we continued driving up the mountain on windy narrow roads through dense forests until we came to a small restaurant/bar. We parked here and then ended up walking a mile to a pretty waterfall. The hike brought us through Voje Valley, meadows with mountains all around us. There were these cute little huts up there that people lived in. It was quite a sight. Then, since this is Slovenia, we came across another bar/restaurant right before the waterfall. We had to stop here for a drink of course! As pretty as this hike was, I was a bit disappointed because we drove all the way to this hike to see a gorge and we had missed the gorge part of the hike by driving past that first parking lot! So I decided to hike down the rest of the trail to see the gorge, I dragged Kyle along with me to keep me company. Paul and Braydon drove the car down the mountain and met us at the bottom. I did get to see the gorge and it was beautiful!                                 

The water is crystal clear!! On Wednesday we split up for the morning. Paul and Kyle went canyoning, which is basically jumping off rocks and sliding down natural waterfalls and rappelling. They really enjoyed it. The water in the river was 48 degrees-freezing!! Luckily they had wetsuits and booties and helmets on. Braydon and I went to check out the small town of Radovljica where bee keeping was started. The town had lots of bee related things, especially honey. It was a really cute town. We also managed to play mini golf and were the only people there. Our Airbnb host owns the one and only e-boat on Lake Bled and he brings people back and forth to the island in the middle of the lake. All the other boats are row boats or Pletna boats, non-motorized. So on Thursday we took a ride out to the island and saw the church up on the hill, and the boys decided to jump in the water. It was a relaxing day. Friday, we had the pleasure of meeting up with Paul's cousin, Robert and his fiancé, Felicity, whose wedding at the end of the summer is the reason we came out here in the first place! They are in Bled for a friend's wedding this weekend, so we met up for coffee in the morning. Since Felicity is in the wedding party, she had commitments in the afternoon, but Robert and the 4 of us rented some paddleboards and went out onto the lake. We all took a swim in the refreshing beautiful turquoise water. It was great spending some time with Robert and Felicity here in Bled!