Bled, Slovenia - Fresh Water Paradise

At the foot of a lake, surrounded by characteristically charming mountains, the fresh water beckoned us as soon as we had dried off from our previous submersion. Bled was a breath of blue, joyful, revitalising air.

We pitched up our tent under the shade of a tree and walked 100metres to the freshwater lake. It was swarming with people but we managed to walk around the skirts of the bank and find a secret shaded place where we played cards until the heat defeated us. Once in the water, it was so heavy after being in salt waters for so long. Heavy, but perfect. I just couldn’t help but feel a little closer to the inventor of this beauty, whilst staring out across the reflections of the mountains whilst holding onto my husband to stay afloat.

With the disappearance of the sunlight, the coolness of the night provided for a serene, dim-lit evening where we demolished our picnic dinners of prosciutto, an assortment of cheeses and plump, juicy grapes. I whipped Tim’s bum in endless rounds of cards. He ordered ice cream from the campsite restaurant… typically!

Another breath-taking day of natural wonders enthralled us as we trekked our way through the stunning valley of Spodnje Gorjie. I still cannot get over the bright blue-green colour of the waters. By the damp rocks, the coolness of the water was incredibly rejuvenating and the ice cream was well worked off by the end of the hike.

Whilst it sounds like we were avid adventurers here, this was very much a peaceful rest stop. It was hard not to feel at peace with the stunning surroundings. And to top it all off, we met a couple of Kiwi blokes (such a small word!!) and had a fun evening getting to know them and having a drink.

We could have spent a long time in Bled. Although, I am glad we didn’t as our final destination proved to be yet another gem. One to be revisited!

Rovinj - Possibly our favorite...

To reintroduce you to a common slang term that the youngsters like the use here… “Oh my days!!!!” If we were impressed with stunning sites and seaside beauty beforehand, we were completely “blown out of the water” with this little gem! Still remembered as one of our fondest times, our most treasured memories were created in this little Old Town, Rovinj. Nestled on the coastline, the old cobble-stoned streets wound their way up to a pinnacle point in the centre, with a stunning church overlooking the modest but lively town.

We arrived with our luggage bumping and racketing over the textured pathways, which led us to our European haven. Metres away from the city centre, we dumped our luggage, only retrieving our swimmers from the cases and headed back out the door. Everything I love about travelling is wrapped up in this darling town!! The heat, the little side streets adorned with boutique shops, art, weathered buildings that tell their own story and… GELATO! It was love.

A non-traditional beach scene of rocks or stairs leading to sea did not deter us from the water. In fact, we only left the salty paradise for our regular gelato stop, or mealtime (usually in that order).  After eating, we ventured around to try and find an undiscovered backstreet to get lost in. Tim was so gracious to follow me into the little arty deco stores and then I took my own turn whilst watching him set up a winning shot of the sunset. Everything was perfect.

Nightlife was buzzing, with tourists and locals. I typically wandered into an art store and spent a good amount of time staring at the handmade jewellery and wall art when the shopkeeper introduced herself. She was an Australian artist who had moved to Rovinj after her own love affair with the place began 20 years earlier. I instantly admired her courage, freedom and flair, and completely understood why she was so passionate about her now hometown.

To unapologetically add a bit of mushy romance to this share time, falling in love with this city was emphasised with the recurring realisation that I have the most amazing travel partner and best friend to share in these unbelievable moments. With the most stunning sunset painting the sky in pinks, oranges and purples, I had a “life-changing” moment of being incredibly grateful for my husband and God’s endless blessings.

Enjoy, pretty please! This has been a long awaited story time that I’ve been itching to share with you all. Loooove T&S x