A Pool and a Castle

Our last morning in Bled started off with a swim in the hotel pool. I have never seen a pool like it before. Slippery dips, 2 spa pools each with a different temperature, an inside pool from which you can swim to the outside pool, and 3 different waterfalls. Then of course there is the children's pool. To top it off, we had the most amazing view of the famous castle, church and the alps in the background. The snow was falling on the Alps. John chose not to swim because of the chance of aggravating the now-healing sun-spot on his head.

After a short breakfast, we said farewell to Tatjana our exceptional tour guide, and boarded a smaller transfer coach (there were 2 for our party of 8 travellers) to Ljubljana. We arrived just before midday, checked into the City Hotel with its tiny rooms and Salvadore Dali furniture in the lobby.

We then set off for Ljubliana Castle. A short ride on a steep funicular brought us to the new entrance to the castle courtyard where we purchased tickets for the virtual museum - a 3D film presentation giving a brief history of Ljubliana. I got a special pair of big 3D glasses to cover my normal specs and Jill wanted to take a photo of my bug-eyed look, but cameras weren’t allowed - thank goodness for small mercies!

We climbed the narrow spiral staircase to the viewing tower which provided a 360 degree panorama of the city and surrounding countryside - a definite Kodak moment. The snow capped Alps provided a spectacular background to this pleasant city spread out below. Other photo ops included the pentagonal entrance tower, complete with its 2 drawbridge entrances (now just a hole in the wall) and the chapel of St George, the patron saint of the city. The castle as it now stands was completed in the 16th century and is still undergoing restoration after the last residents moved out during the 1960s. Instead of catching the funicular back down, we chose to walk. The path proved to be somewhat of a challenge but we made it safely to ground level without any mishaps.

We meandered back to the hotel via an English pub where we spent happy hour, hoping to see the Aussies vs England 20-20 cricket final but no luck. Doesn’t matter anyway - the Aussies lost!

We enjoyed the tourist special - a tasty meal in the hotel and retired for a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow, the search is on for a laundromat - Jill has been keeping up with her laundry - not so for me!