A Gem in the Slovenian Mountains

I had never heard of Bled until a couple of people back home told me I had to go there if I was going to Slovenia. Both said it was one of their favourite places in the world. I thought they must be exaggerating but added it to our itinerary. So, yesterday, we drove about 3/4 hour north of Ljubljana to this small town in the Slovenian mountains. At first, I wondered what all the fuss was about. The  first buildings we saw were quite modern concrete affairs and the hotels were big with no charm.  Then, we drove around a corner and in front of us was the lake, the castle on the hill, and the little island in the lake. WOW!  It was breathtakingly beautiful. Our little penzion called Pletna has only five rooms all with balconies facing the lake. We walked the 2 km along the lakeshore into the small town.  We were amused along the way by a mother duck pushing her 9 very little ducklings into the water for likely their first swimming lesson.  Sitting on the terrace of a restaurant called Vila Preseren (yes, after my new favourite poet) the lake's edge, we enjoyed a lunch which included Blejska Kremsnita, Bled's delicious version of a vanilla slice.  Did we feel guilty about that?  Absolutely not because after it, we walked, or rather climbed, all the way up to the castle and later walked the 6 km around the lake. The path up to this castle is very steep and included about 250 stairs. We were rewarded with stunning views which made it totally worthwhile.  Our only thought was that we should have been given the €8 entrance fee as a reward rather than have to pay it!  The castle grounds include several cafes, restaurants and wine bars as well as a small but very informative museum. We then went back down to the lake - so much easier - and continued around it. I kept telling myself to quit taking pictures along the way but I couldn't stop myself.  This is truly "eye candy"!  Now, is Lake Bled the most beautiful place I've ever seen?  Probably not but, man, it sure is up there!