September 15, 1998
Layover in Bled
Last night we experienced the most dramatic thunderstorm that I can recall. Flashes of light were quickly followed by shockingly load thunderclaps that reverberated back and forth across the walls of the lake basin. It was still gray, and very cold, in the morning.
We watched the discouraging weather report on the telly over breakfast as our host discussed a range of topics including the war of secession (he carried a firearm, ready to take as many Serbians as he could if they showed up at the door) and his travels in America (LA, Vegas, Hawaii). We were pessimistic when we left the inn but ended up seeing some very pleasant weather after all.
We started the day by window shopping through Bled's few stores, ending up with a new pair of binoculars to replace the ones I lost last year in Yellowstone, and a new (actually, very old made in Yugoslavia, and very creaky) tire to replace the one wearing thin on my rear wheel.
After shopping we were lured on to a boat tour of the tiny island in Lake Bled. We waited for 10 or 15 minutes for the boat to fill, eventually setting off with 6 other passengers (including a delightful pair of elderly, very British ladies) for a very enjoyable excursion. As our oarsman steered us toward the island we enjoyed gradually clearing skies, some sun, and a very scenic perspective of Bled Castle and its surroundings. On the island we spent a half hour visiting the small church and then returned to the boat for the journey back.
We spent the remainder of the day with a hike up to the castle, followed by a stroll around the lake. The ciruit walk is very pretty - quiet and traffic free nearly the whole way, with ever changing views of the castle, church and neighboring hills.
For dinner we returned to the same resturant, but found a very different experience. We waited an astonishingly long time for service at every point throughout the evening. Our waiter, a somewhat older man with a pronounced limp, was holding down the whole floor alone and seemed n a steady state of overstressed confusion. While sympathizing with him, it was still quite frustrating. We shared a table with a family from SE Italy and conversed at length with the man of the family, the only member with English skills.
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