A Day of Rest and Relaxation at Lake Bled

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Having walked around Lake Bled yesterday, we decided to return to this scenic gem today and take a boat ride out to the little island with the church on it. With both the sun and the temperature climbing, we were glad to sit under the awning of the large gondola waiting for the required number of people to fill the seats before we left. A handsome young man then proceeded to propel our gondola with his two large oars all the way to the island, a half hour trip.
Out on the water a light breeze cooled us and we enjoyed making no effort at all, until we landed and looked at the steep steps up to the church. However, with good shade we were at the top in no time and wandering around the complex that includes the church, a museum and cafe. Tradition has it that if a couple marries on this island the groom must carry the bride up the 97 steps from the boat landing to the church. The story also suggests that this is done after the groom has rowed the bride over to the island!
Back on the boat for the half hour return trip our gondolier arranged the loading so the boat was balanced, explaining that he has been rowing these boats since he was eight years old and he knows just who to move to make the difference.
The rest of the day was quiet, with a wander around the old town section of Radovljica in the afternoon. We heard music coming from the church and went over to investigate, along with a number of other people. A local man explained that this was a choir and orchestra rehearsing for a concert to be held in the evening. The musicians were in fact the choir and orchestra from Magdalen College School, Oxford, England. We decided that this concert was one we would not miss, one of those unexpected happenings that we are enjoying so much on our travels. Our informant kindly invited us to have a beer with him, took us to his house while he assembled the beer and then to a quiet patio overlooking the valley. He works for the Slovenian government to assist disabled people and was at one stage a member of a UN body for the disabled. We enjoyed talking with him, especially about Slovenia and the changes that have occurred in his country.
So, our quiet day finished with a wonderful concert presented by talented young people in the Church of S. Petro. After the concert the performance continued with the close harmony group singing in the square outside the church. People kept arriving to listen and the singing was still going when we left to head back to our nearby ‘Penzion’ for the night.

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