Into Slovenija

Wednesday 11 September

We have crossed the border and are having a coffee at Nova Gorica station waiting for the train to Lesce Bled. The Beatles' Let It Be is playing in the background in the Caffè Bordo and seems fitting. I have put a long-sleeve top on for the first time since arriving in Europe. The girls behind the counter speak Italian, English (and I suspect Slovene, although I would not know, as this is not a language I can hope to master).

I feel very much transported (back) into another world. Slovenia was part of the original Yugoslavia (created in 1918 along with Serbia and Croatia).

The station seems to have only one platform but the lady at the ticket office seemed to think our train may leave from either platform 1 or 3. I can't work out what might be #3 as the rest of the tracks are rusted, with weeds, and have trains loaded with cut trees and other goods on them. Very forlorn-looking.

We have over an hour to wait so hopefully all will be revealed because at the moment there is NO INFORMATION - no electronic boards, no nothing - anywhere!

We caught the train from Trieste this morning early as I wanted plenty of time to negotiate the travel from our arrival station at Gorizia by bus (or if necessary on foot) to this station; I did not want us to miss the train and my research suggested the travel between where the train arrived from Trieste and where it departed for Slovenia was anything but straightforward. Fortunately, after waiting in a slow queue, I heard a woman asking (in Italian) if it was possible to buy local bus tickets elsewhere so, leaving My Friend in the queue, I followed her to the newsagency, bought the tickets & just as well because the bus turned up.

The bus was crowded and I had no idea where we should get off and the first person I asked either had 1) no idea or 2) didn't understand my Italian (very possible) or 3) only spoke Slovene. Other possibilities might exist...

Fortunately a few stops later, a lot of people got off and I was able to reach the driver who muttered away in Italian along the lines that we had a way to go yet ... At the last stop, when we were the only ones left on board, he stopped at what looked like a large station building and got off, leaving us to it. I presumed this was it. as the cafe was called Caffè Bordo - and so it was.

Am reading the International Herald Tribune about a lottery in Spain. I initially thought the guy had won a heap of money, only to read that he'd won a job (!)  for 2 months selling tickets at the local municipal pool. These jobs are highly sought after as unemployment is at close to 50%(!) - make that (!!) - and they have been in recession for 6 years. Very sobering.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Here we are at Lake Bled. And it is raining - a sort of drizzle; and supposedly snow at higher levels although I don't feel particularly cold. Our B&B is just lovely. The man has given us an entire apartment as he has a plumbing problem to be fixed in our original room. We couldn't be happier as we have 2 nights here AND he is charging us no extra.

Well, back to earlier - at the station at Nova Gorica - the train duly arrived: on track #1. Covered in colourful graffiti.

Pleasant journey via many tunnels, criss-crossing the river which was gushing along. Mountain views - and snow. Pretty little villages and stations.

The train kept time for the most part until Jesenice where we had to change. It stayed parked at the station there for 40 minutes. I have no idea why. We reached Lesce Bled and took a taxi to Lake Bled rather than a bus as planned as it was wet - and we were ‘over it’; you know: which bus, where from, where to get tickets, etc., etc.

We had booked a car - they were late - and no GPS. The blokes from the company say they'll return with one ... 

No signal here for mobile phone. But there IS wi-fi.

Walked down to the lake - cold, wet, grey. Hmmm ... very forlorn-looking. It's that sort of a day.

We had a lovely dinner at Bled Castle (I had booked this before we left although it probably wasn't necessary, as it wasn't particularly busy).

However they had organised a table for us next to the large window overlooking the lake.

We had lovely views to the Church of the Assumption on the island in the middle of the lake and the mountains beyond. My Friend took this pikky.

Had the famous local cream cake for dessert (eat your heart out, Trace!) - called Kremšnita; also Gibanica which was delicious (is Serbian actually, but the Slovene variant is actually called Prekmurska Gibanica and is made from ricotta cheese, poppy seeds, walnuts, raisins and apple layered with filo pastry); we shared these. Yum!!

Had a lovely Slovenian red wine also - Ščurek.