Slovenia, Lake Bohinj - A flatlander's climb is a stumble

When we arrived in Ribčev Laz at Lake Bohinj we immediately loved this village by the water. It was already getting dark soon, so we took our time for dinner before having a well-deserved sleep.

The next day would bring us to two beautiful places in the mountains. Now, for a flatland's person like me this means struggle. Our feet are simply not created for climbing more than a few flights of stairs. However, with some perseverance it would all end well...

When we woke up and looked from the balcony, the immediate impression was that of a pretty, neat little village. And the second observation was that it was going to be a nice day of weather.

The village is located on the east end of Lake Bohinj. It did not take long to drive to our first destination of the day: Mt. Vogel, which is a mountain station and ski resort. From lake level, there are cable cars going up there. Once the cabin had reached half way up, we could feel that it was getting a lot colder, and on the top it was quite cloudy. There was still some snow, and some people even went for nordic skiing. We spent an hour or so walking around, when we realized that this shape in the clouds far away was Mt. Triglav, Slovenia's highest peak.

Slovenia, Lake Bohinj - Mt. Vogel Ski area with Mt. Triglav in the clouds

Slovenia, Lake Bohinj - Mt. Vogel Ski area

Slovenia, Lake Bohinj - Mt. Vogel Ski area

After lunch in the restaurant at the top (a hearty goulash soup), we walked back to the cable car, the sky started to show more blue, and we enjoyed a stunning view of the lake and the village.

Slovenia, Lake Bohinj - Lake and village seen from Mt. Vogel Ski area

Next destination would be Savica waterfall, a few kilometers beyond the western end of the lake. We parked the car, and walked the path to the entrance where you have to pay a small amount to get on to the path up to the waterfall. It started off as a mild ascent, but on several places the path was quite steep, and the steps carved in the stone were quite high at some places. Add to that the fact that the temperatures started to climb faster than we climbed the mountain, and you can imagine the shedding of sweat for someone from a country where a mole heap is a hill, and a dune is a mountain...

Slovenia, Lake Bohinj - on the steep path up to Savica falls

Slovenia, Lake Bohinj - view from the path up to Savica Fall

But once we were up there, it definitely was worth the effort. The waterfall is actually a double one, with the water falling down in two steps. From Mt. Vogel we had been able to see it far away, and it didn't look that impressive. But when we were there, it was more impressive than we thought, and quite wild too. At the point where the path ends, there is a kind of observation hut, to keep you a bit dry from the mist that blows over from the falls. A monument commemorates that Archduke Johann of Austria had been here. Not that I had ever heard of him, but it made me realize that we had just completed a monumental effort... well, at least for me :D

Slovenia, Lake Bohinj - Savica waterfall

Slovenia, Lake Bohinj - Savica falls - monument commemorating the visit of Archduke Johann of Austria

That night we had dinner in a rustic little restaurant in the village of Stara Fužina, called Gostilna Mihovc. It was getting cold outside, and we needed the warm food and a good glass of wine. The friendly owner told us stories about the old times, including a legend from the time that the local pagan people were christianized, and en epic poem that Slovenia's greatest poet had written about it. It was already late when we returned to the hotel. Tomorrow would be a day visiting two gorges... hiking again!