Last month we went on a 2-week roadtrip to Slovenia and Croatia. The route: Belgium → Salzburg → Borovnica → Bohinj → Škocjanske Jame → Piran → Vrsar → Rovinj → Pula → Cres → Lošinj → Zagreb → Bled → Bohinj → Ljubljana → back to Belgium! Which brings us to a total of 3900 km!
Triglav National Park
Let’s start with Slovenia! Since we stayed at a B&B near Tolmin (see previous blogpost), we spend the majority of our time exploring that area. Amongst other things: Triglav National Park. We didn’t stay enough days for climbing mount Triglav (def next time!) so we chose the second best thing: a hike to Vogel! We began hiking a little too late, as a result we reached the ridge of Vogel at 5 pm. Which means = time to head back if you don’t want to look for the path in the dark. But of course we quickly took some pictures of the beautiful scenery! Phew, a hike with a view!
Bohinj
Our next stop was the lovely lake of Bohinj. The water is so clear, with beautiful shades of green and blue. Fresh water calls for swimming, and snorkling! Hello fishies! I have no idea which ones we saw, but apparently trout, burbot and minnow should hang out down there. You can rent a boat, kayak or canoe to explore the lake. Other activities include canyoning, caving and paragliding. Since the weather wasn’t that great we just sticked to plunging…
Bled
We payed a visit to Bled on our way back. People already warned us that Bled is much more touristy than Bohinj, but we thought it was quite okay. Or maybe we were just lucky?! We tried the kremna rezina– or cake – that was advertised outside Kavarna Park. Which actually tastes like our Brésiliennetaart but without the nuts! With filled stomachs we started walking around the lake. From here you have a view on Bled castle perched on top of the cliff.
When you walk a bit further you’ll see the church of Bled island. We didn’t visit the castle, instead we did something a lot of people do here – aside from swimming – yes, we rented a rowboat! We found a place that rented out boats for 12€/h (most were 15€/h) and set sail for Bled island!
Bohinj – again
We couldn’t get enough of Bohinj, so we went back! Why?! This is why:
It might be a bit crazy to go all the way back to Bohinj, but it seemed to us there were no better or more beautiful places – well, in this area – to do a tandem paraglide than here! We had the choice between Vogar (takeoff at 900 m) and Vogel (takeoff at 1670 m). If you do something you better do it good, right?! Vogel it was!
We booked our jump with Alpin Sport. Because Vogel is the highest point, the jump is more expensive. But you get to be in the air longer. So we were willing to pay the extra price. (Vogar: 90€ – Vogel: 120€) We tried to book a paragliding jump at the beginning of our trip but we didn’t have any luck with the weather. They decide kinda last minute if it’s okay to fly. So we tried again on our way back, and that time the weather worked in our favour!
A jeep brought us to the landing place, picked up the instructors, and dropped us off at the cable car to Vogel. The ticket for the cable ride and the chairlift that goes up the ski slope are included in the price. It all happened very quickly. Before we knew it, we already had our helmets and some sort of harnesses on. The instructors prepared everything and gave us a few instructions. Which basically were: RUN RUN RUN – do NOT stop! And don’t sit down until we tell you! Aye aye sir! A few minutes later we were stamping our feet in the air – Hehe.
Once you ‘sit’ down – the harness transforms into some kind of ‘seat’ – it all felt very relaxed. You are literally going with the flow, so that’s how it feels to fly! And the view is awesome! You glide over lake Bohinj, surrounded by the Julian Alps…
Yes, these are our pictures. Cause it’s allowed to take your camera with you! Yay! What else do you need to bring? Just a jacket (kinda cool up there) and hiking boots. Although they brought two pairs of hiking boots for us. Without knowing our size. And they fitted. Still find that very strange…