Day 5 and another travel day with a side trip.  During my research, I noticed how close I would be to Slovenia, plus I found a little picturesque town called Bled.  I was up early and at the Lake Bled castle when it opened.  It was a only a short train trip from Villach and well worth the visit.  I randomly met a cabbie that helped sell Slovenia tourism also.

 

Why here?  Did I mention the view?  There is a little church out on an island in the middle of a lake with the castle overlooking it all. 

 

 

The castle was small, but beautiful.  It also had a Slovenian museum in it, which helped me understand where I was at and it's place in time.

 

 

I always wonder where doors like this lead to.....

 

Not sure if they had Madam Tussauds do their model work. There were a few of these creepy people watching over me.

 

A couple more snaps of the view.  What a way to wake up and enjoy a breakfast.  They were setting up for some dignitary event and it really surprised me that I was allowed in because security was giving me the side eye a bunch.

 

 

 

 

Back down to Bled.

 

 

 

 

Yeah, I couldn't get enough of the views.

 

 

Others thought this was a pretty special place also.

 

 

 

Ok, last one....

 

 

What a special little side trip to a great little resort style area.  I love all the random, rare trips I am taking on this trip.  But the journey continues.  Back to the train station, then Villach, then a bus to Venice.

 

 

Guy at the bar in the train station said the Slovenian Cockta was just like Coke.  I am not sure he ever had Coke though.  Whew, this had a thickness to it, ha.

 

 

More Slovenia from the train.

 

 

Oh yeah, my view wasn't that great on the ride to Bled.

 

 

Also, I don't know why I chuckle at some things.  Probably delirium. Would just hate to know that I live in a town that starts with 'Spittal'.  I watched too much Monty Python as a kid.  I imagine a bunch of people walking around spitting everywhere.... I digress.

 

 

My bus journey was amazing.  I met an Austrian businessman that lives in St Croix.  Needless to say, we never stopped talking about travel and such.

 

Boom, back in Venice for a short afternoon.  It was so worth it.  I had a simple plan of lunch, mindless wondering and trying to find some unique souvenirs.  I found a couple great prints that were done by an Architect.  Made the stopover well worth it.

 

 

Such an extraordinary city.  So worth me mindless wandering the streets and shops for awhile.  Well, I did take a wrong step and almost slipped into a canal, ha.  I landed on one step barely into the water.  I saved the paintings though. Whew.  I ended up with a wet backside that had a fairly bad smell to it.  Luckily the train on to Verona was sparse.  My back hit landed on the edge of the step and it smarted for a few days, but eh whatever. 

 

I was in Venice 8 years earlier, with Nikki.  No sadness here, but I decided to make these pics about me.  I think I have aged a bit, but all is well and I still have the yellow shirt.

 

 

I made it to Verona, but it had been raining pretty hard.  I dodged traffic and found a path across a raging canal to my hotel.  I will admit, I don't remember much of this hotel, because my bed really looked good when I saw it.  I felt like Frogger crossing traffic and cutting through the hedge.  This last bit of my travel was traumatic enough that I stopped for pictures, ha.  Yes, delirious.