A Cake by the Lake
Camping by Lake Bled, Slovenia
I’m pretty sure there’s a song which goes “Everything’s big in America!” Well, the Slovenian version could easily be “Everything’s small in Slovenia!” Small, but beautiful! And Lake Bled is no exception.
When His Lordship suggested that we stay at Kamping Bled, Her Ladyship was not exactly oozing with enthusiasm. Apparently, the last time they stayed there it was a mud bath. And no, it is not a spa. It just bucketed with rain, turning the campsite into a swamp. The only oozing going on was the mud oozing between their toes as they negotiated their way to the shower block in the torrential downpours. Luckily, the campsite has been transformed in the intervening 5 years. Luxury all the way, posh shower blocks, all mod cons and, the clincher for Herself, proper drainage. The clincher for me was the magnificent setting, with mountains right behind us and the lake right in front of us. Perfect!
I was raring to get down to the lake and start exploring, and I wondered what the Oldies would start with. A visit to Bled Castle which stands proudly on a rocky promontory overlooking the lake? A boat trip out to Bled Island? A swim at one of the many beaches? Well, no. What was the first thing they did? Made a beeline for Kavarna Park (Park Café) in the town of Bled.
I wondered what the big attraction was. Surely not the blocky communist style architecture, although at least it has a terrace with fantastic views of the lake and Bled Castle. It didn’t take me long, though, to realize what had drawn the Oldies there: the famous Bled cream cake, invented here in the Kavarna Park back in 1953. Supposedly, over 15 million of these delicious delights have been consumed since then. 15 million, plus … well, let’s just say one or two more since the arrival of the Wingless Wonders.
Apparently, the way to check the authenticity of the cake is to give the plate it is served on a bit of a shake. If the cake wobbles, it’s the real deal. Gosh. The Oldies must be 100% genuine. If you give them a bit of shake, they wobble every time!
Go anywhere near water these days and you’re bound to see plenty of SUPs, stand-up paddle boards. They really are the latest craze. I’ve already seen them en masse in Portugal and also on Lake Ohrid. To save His Lordship’s blushes, the less said about the latter the better (but if you want a good laugh, click here for that hilarious episode).
Anyway, it was no surprise to see SUPs on Lake Bled. The lake is littered with them! It must be a challenge for the traditional Pletna boats to negotiate their way around them at times. The history of these wooden passenger boats goes back as far as the 12th century, would you believe. They’ve been transporting pilgrims, nowadays tourists, to Bled Island since then, and are propelled by the local boatmen in a curious stand-up rowing style. With that track record, I reckon that these guys can claim to be the original SUP-pers.
Bled Island, Slovenia’s only island, is – you’ve guessed it – small but beautiful. Picture postcard perfect!
Alas for me, a trip on a Pletna boat was not to be. Many years ago, long before I was even an egg, the Oldies had already taken the Pletna boat trip over to the island. I’m not sure when it was, but I certainly hope they weren’t on their honeymoon at the time. Apparently, tradition has it that the groom carries the bride up the 99 steps to the church before ringing the church bell for good luck. I certainly can’t imagine His Lordship managing to lug Herself up that long a flight of stairs. Nor can I imagine Her Ladyship managing to stick to the bride’s part of the bargain: having to stay silent as she’s being carried up.
No, that definitely did not happen.
Sadly, I never got to go out on the lake at all. His Lordship couldn’t persuade Herself to get into any boat, not even when food was involved. He had spotted a deal offering hire of a boat for the day plus a packed lunch including sparkling wine. But, true to form, she had no interest in braving any waves, let alone having to eat what she scathingly called a “damp dinner”. She certainly put a dampener on that idea!
Thankfully, Herself was not averse to tackling the short but steep climb up to Bled Castle. I’m sure that tourists lap up all the castle has to offer – the museum, printing works, winery, restaurant, and so on, but for me, it was the gorgeous views from the castle that topped everything.
There’s only one way to describe it. Bled is bleedin’ beautiful!
