While we were traveling in Slovenia everyone recommended us to visit Bohinj lake when we were in this area. This lake was supposed to be as beautiful but with no tourists, so this morning we drove to Lake Bohinj.

When we got there we jumped into the cable car that was going to get us to the Vogel mountain ski center at 1535 m above sea level. The ride is only 4 minutes long but the views are incredible.

When we reached the top we were able to choose from many different hikes around the top of the mountain. We chose the most popular one that only took around 3 hours round trip.

While we were walking up, a ski lift station appeared in front of our eyes. We had the option of walking all the way up or pay 1 euro to get a quick ride. Of course, we ended up taking the lift and it was a great ride as the vistas from up there were fantastic.

After the lift drops you off, there is a short hike to the viewpoint of the Julian Alps. This mountain range stretch from northeastern Italy to Slovenia, where they rise to 2,864 m at Mount Triglav, the highest peak in Slovenia. They are named after Julius Caesar, who founded the municipalism of Cividale del Friuli at the foot of the mountains.

The mountain was packed with goats. No idea why. I don’t even know where they go in winter to not freeze to death.

We did walk back to the main cable car… we are not thaaat lazy.

On the way down….

We parked around the lake for a couple of hours. Admittedly, Bohinj lacks Bled’s glamour, but it’s less crowded and in many ways more authentic. It’s an ideal summer holiday destination. People come primarily to chill out or to swim in the crystal-clear, blue-green water.

Bohinj is the largest permanent glacial lake in Slovenia and is part of the Triglav National Park; which is also the only national park in the country.

There are lots of outdoor pursuits like kayaking, sailing hiking and horseback riding if you’ve got the energy. We didnt, so we just sat there to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

The charming villages to the lake’s northeast, remarkably, have remained faithful to traditional occupations like dairy herding and farming. Sarah read in the guidebook that there are cheese factories that offer free cheese tasting. We started our adventure to try to find them but unfortunately, after driving in a few little towns along the way, we couldn’t find any.

I think these villages have never seen a tourist before. The amazing part of having a car is that you have the flexibility to go anywhere you want.

We found a restaurant in the middle of the freeway. It was good, but Sarah ordered the buffet and got charged double because she used 2 plates instead of reusing her first plate. After asking the rude waitress and some issues with the language barrier we let that slip. I guess we didn’t know that is how Slovenian Buffet works. Anyways, this was the view from the restaurant!

The next morning we headed for the famous caves, but not before stopping at the amazing Vintar Gorge. One of the easiest and most satisfying half-day trips from Bled, some 4km to the northwest of Bled village.

 

The highlight is a 1600m wooden walkway through the gorge, built in 1893 and continually rebuilt since. It crisscrosses the Radovna River four times over rapids, waterfalls, and pools before reaching 16m-high Šum Waterfall.

The entire walk is spectacular, although it can get pretty wet and slippery, and in our case packed with Israeli loud tourists who didn’t respect personal space or orderly lines.

Bonus Fact Of The Day: Did you know that the Slovenian alphabet has only 25 letters? can you guess which one is the only letter missing? its the “W”. How do they say Wales? or Wisconsin or Wolf?