Day 9 (15 June): Tito's Playground
Today we went to Lake Bled which is in the Slovenia Alps and did some hiking in the mountains as well. The Lake is one of the clearest I've ever seen, as you can actually spot the fish swimming around in it. In the middle is an island with a church on it.
Above the lake on a cliff is a castle, that is the first in Slovenia built in 1004. In the castle's museum is the original legal contract deeding the land, its interesting to realize how long ago there were contracts and legal documents. The museum also had a great overview of Slovenia's history and detailed how the country had been occupied by the Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Austro-Hungarian at various points. Most recently, Lake Bled was where Tito spent his summers in a palace built for him; it is also where State visits to Yugoslavia were hosted.
At the lake, there were posters for an upcoming rowing regatta. It would be a great place to race, not only because its so scenic, but also because the lake is surrounded by mountains and therefore has no wind. Futhermore, it is exactly 2000m long.
We also went hiking through nearby Vintgar Gorge and did a bit of walking through a slight drizzle, but at least the weather in Slovenia is pleasant and warm, but not hot, unlike Prague and London which were both cold.
Economic observation of the day:
Labor is not mobile in small European countries like Slovenia. People in towns like Bled and Vintgar would consider me crazy for having lived in 5 major US cities (soon to be 6) over the last 3 years as such things clearly aren't done in countries like Slovenia. The people who live at Bled think Ljubjlana is too big a town and intimidating despite it only being about an hour away, they consider it pretty distant. Tradition and family keep people in one place.
Above the lake on a cliff is a castle, that is the first in Slovenia built in 1004. In the castle's museum is the original legal contract deeding the land, its interesting to realize how long ago there were contracts and legal documents. The museum also had a great overview of Slovenia's history and detailed how the country had been occupied by the Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Austro-Hungarian at various points. Most recently, Lake Bled was where Tito spent his summers in a palace built for him; it is also where State visits to Yugoslavia were hosted.
At the lake, there were posters for an upcoming rowing regatta. It would be a great place to race, not only because its so scenic, but also because the lake is surrounded by mountains and therefore has no wind. Futhermore, it is exactly 2000m long.
We also went hiking through nearby Vintgar Gorge and did a bit of walking through a slight drizzle, but at least the weather in Slovenia is pleasant and warm, but not hot, unlike Prague and London which were both cold.
Economic observation of the day:
Labor is not mobile in small European countries like Slovenia. People in towns like Bled and Vintgar would consider me crazy for having lived in 5 major US cities (soon to be 6) over the last 3 years as such things clearly aren't done in countries like Slovenia. The people who live at Bled think Ljubjlana is too big a town and intimidating despite it only being about an hour away, they consider it pretty distant. Tradition and family keep people in one place.
posted by Traveling Brian at 8:01 AM
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