Our last trip, part 1

For our last European excursion, we decided to revisit Lake Bled, Slovenia and to tour Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia for the first time.  We decided on Ljubljana after debating such destinations as Venice, Trieste, and Plitvice Lakes in Croatia.  But our limited amount of time, it being Easter weekend, and having two kids in tow made us choose Ljubljana.  It was a VERY good call.  But more on Ljubljana in the next post.  This one focuses on Bled.

We drove the almost 8 hours to Bled in one fell swoop, stopping every 3 hours or so to feed Sam.  Both boys did amazingly well, and we were not surprised by that.  They are the best travelers in the family.  We had to drive through some snow and quite a bit of rain, but by the time we reached Bled, the rain was behind us, and we could finally relax and enjoy the charms of Slovenia.

The views from our room were lovely!

Here is Castle Bled above the lake and the snowy-peaked Alps beyond.

And here is the island and its church.

Dinner #1 = SEAFOOD!  A delicious seafood risotto, some calamari, 

and a pan-seared John Dory.

The next morning dawned clear.

 So we began our 30 minute hike to the castle.

Once at the top, we toured Castle Bled and its museum.

 The monk in charge of the wine cellar let Liam hold a sword.

 The views from the castle were impressive.

Here's a nice family shot.

 Dinner #2 = traditional Slavic fare at Gostilna Union Bled.  

Gostilnas have to follow strict rules and get approval to receive this special label.

That's our dinner over the coals!

 And finally, our post dinner eye candy.

After the boys fell asleep, 

Geoff and I enjoyed some Slovenian wine while taking in these sights.