14 September 2011
After our quiet second evening in Budapest we were packed up and back in Paulina navigating our way out of Budapest by mid-morning. We were on the hunt for camping fuel- thus far it had been impossible to find and we would be eating cold dinners if we didn't find some soon. Ally's stellar spotting of a sign for a sporting goods store led us to a suburb-like area outside of Budapest well stocked in big-box style stores. Ally, Costas and I dropped Mike and Paul off at the sport store and we headed into the neighbouring supermarket for an uber efficient grocery shop. Included in the mix was loads of cheese, mixins' for chili, chocolate, Haribo gummies and a big Hungarian paprika sausage- a local specialty.
The Hungarian countryside proved to be relatively flat, but once in Slovenian land, hills began to pop up here and there. Entry into Slovenia demanded another motorway "vignette"- a road tax for use of the country's motorways. We now had a growing collection of colourful vignette stickers on the windshield.
With stomachs growling we pulled off the main motorway to find a nice spot for lunch. Paul was behind the wheel and took us up a hillside on a narrow road of switchbacks- the route offered spectacular views of row upon row of vineyards and the stretching landscape beyond. With a quick check on the map, we were quite sure we could see both Hungary and Slovenia as we took in the view with sandwiches and beers. Under the glorious sunshine, no less.
Back on the motorway we were headed in the general direction of Ljubljana, the Slovenian capital. With Lonely Planet, a "eurocamp" app on Mike's iphone, and the TomTom, Ally and I sourced our various camping options. Route planning combined with Haribo gummies turned our car into a zoo- sugar highs have quite the effect when 5 people are kept in a box with wheels for 5 hours. The late afternoon sun was beginning to dip behind the growing mountain ranges and we were needing to make a call soon. We flip flopped for nearly an hour- and before we knew it we were within range of Lake Bled- a spot Paul had once visited and would certainly work for our night's stay. It was within close range of the mountain trails that we were hoping to explore the following day.
Bled welcomed us with warm air and absolutely breathtaking views. I can imagine this small town is absolutely crammed in summer time, but as we pulled into the campground directly adjacent the lake, the crowds were non-existent. The main town is rather built up, but surrounding the lake side is plenty of treelined green space.
Sitting in the centre of Lake Bled is a magical looking island with an ancient church perched in the centre. Overlooking the lake is a massive cliff face with a castle sitting atop. All with a backdrop of the Julian Alps. Lake Bled is crystal clear with a caribbean-like turqoise water. An absolute must-see if you ever find yourself near Slovenia, rivalling some of the mountain and glacial views of Jasper and Banff in Canada- but slightly less rugged and with a romantic and charismatic european feel. Photos to come with a better internet connection.
We excitedly scoped out our campsite options- the first time we had a few good views to choose from! We settled on a little raised patch sitting under steep hillsidesand. Dinner was chili and spatzle- the first time Ally or I had taken a stab at cooking the latter...thankfully it's a simple boil 'n go. Sitting under the stars we chowed down, loading up with carbs in anticipation of an adventure in the mountains the following day.
No comments:
Post a Comment