Having gotten a glimpse of Bled Castle and Lake Bled in the dark of night, we woke up the next morning ready to see both bathed in some glorious sunshine. Bled Castle is perched on a steep cliff overlooking beautiful Lake Bled. The castle dates back to the early 11th century, making it the oldest castle in Slovenia.
In the middle of the lake on Bled Island sits a beautiful church which we unfortunately didn't get to visit due to time restraints.
We did, however, manage to squeeze in a tour of Bled Castle.
Our first stop inside the castle was the wine cellar.
Inside there was a "monk" who told us about the castle and the history of the wine in the region. He was a great storyteller, and he sounded a lot like "the most interesting man in the world" of Dos Equis commercial fame!
After visiting with the monk for a while, we made our way to the castle's chapel, a very small little Gothic church room with beautiful frescoes.
Next we headed over to the Castle Printing Shop where we got to watch a demonstration of documents being printed on a reconstructed Guttenberg printing press.
Perhaps the best part of the castle visit though was the stunning view of the lake and the surrounding area that it offered.
I loved the view of the island that you get from the top of the castle.
Most pictures I had seen of Lake Bled prior to our trip were taken either in the summer when all the trees are green, creating a beautiful deep turquoise color in the water, or in winter when everything is covered with snow, making it look like a winter wonderland. Even though we didn't get to see it under either of those conditions, it was still breathtakingly beautiful! I think it must be one of the best places in Europe to spend a few days if you just want to relax and enjoy some amazing scenery.
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