SLOVENIA: BOHINJSKA BISTRICA, VILLAGE in the JULIAN ALPS

The bus ride from Ljubljana to here was less than two hours, and all went smoothly.

Our jaws dropped when we saw the place we would be staying in.  The owner bought this home and recently renovated it into five apartments, and he did a fabulous job with quality materials, fixtures, furniture and appliances.  The kitchen is as stocked as mine at home.  It’s too nice to rent out.  Wow.  The small balcony is a very welcome feature.  There are also a couple of shared outdoor spaces.  The photos below are from the ad for their listing.

In the first photo, the wood cutout of the mountain range that the TV is attached to is a few inches off the wall so that lighting can fit behind it.  It looks like he took the shape right from a silhouette of the mountains here.  It's beautiful in the evening.

It was about a fifteen-minute walk from the bus station to the accommodation with what seems like increasingly heavier packs, so I am a bit red in the face, sweaty and thirsty.  The owner pops across the street to his home and brings us two cold beers.  Then he goes home a few minutes later, as his wife is just bringing a homemade strudel out of the oven, and she has cut off four pieces for us.  But kindness doesn’t end there.  Later, he brings us a bottle of homemade elderberry syrup that can be mixed with water or sparkling water, and the following day, he gives us a bottle of wine.

Our initial plan was to settle in Bohinjska Bistrica for three days, one of which would be a day trip to Bled/Lake Bled (a half-hour bus ride away).  But we had to go through Lake Bled to get to Bohinjska and decided right then to avoid it altogether.  It looked very picturesque with the nice beach, the church on the island in the middle of the lake, the castle on cliffs high above the lake, the pretty little rowboats for rent, and the traditional wooden pletnas that can be hired with a captain, but it was swarming with people.  Perhaps in April or October, it would be a nice place to be.  Just Google: Lake Bled images and see how lovely it is.

Bohinjska Bistrica has a population of 1,800 people, but looking around, it seems that there must be as many rooms to let as there are people in town.  It's pretty easy to get around town on foot from our accommodation.  There are a couple of supermarkets and several restaurants to choose from.  Below are photos of the village park.

This is an area for outdoorsy people, the essence of Slovenia.  There’s road and mountain bicycling, hiking, mountaineering, camping, kayaking, rafting, sailing and canoeing, fishing, and swimming.  In the winter, there is bus service to two nearby ski resorts.

This is a good time to talk about the name Bohinjska Bistrica.  Bistrica is applied to places that have streams, creeks or rivers running through them.  Two different tributaries run through town and into the Bohinjka River.  The name literally means Bistrica in the Bohinj region.

And a couple of photos of the Bohinjka River:

It is on the edge of Triglav National Park and the start of the Bohinj Valley.  The yearly Spring Garden Festival has guided walks through meadows filled with wildflowers, and the summer closes with a ‘Cow Ball’ with decorated cows.

The owner lends us two quite decent bicycles so that we can do the eleven km out to Lake Bohinj.

The bike path is paved all the way.

The bike ride to the lake follows the river all the way.  One or two very small sawmills are in back yards. 

Both in urban and rural areas, individuals possess substantial quantities of wood.   Winter must be something here.  Note how long the wood is and how slender.  

Yet, we also notice how on the bus ride here and looking out over the mountains, there is zero evidence of logging.  They must have very sustainable logging practices.

On a hill near Lake Bohinj, the tall tower of the 700-year-old St. John the Baptist church is visible from afar.  We don't head to the church, but it's described on the St. John the Baptist website, thus: "The impressive frescoes on the outside keep travellers safe, while inside they enigmatically challenge art historians and visitors alike, as these Gothic paintings are full of mysteries that are open to interpretation."

We are in awe of how crystal clear the river is, but soon learn that there is no swimming in Lake Bohinj now due to high levels of E. coli.  As you can see from the photos below, it's quite a busy area, although quieter than Lake Bled.

 We get off the bikes at one point to say hello to some milking cows who seem very interested in us.  Each wears a cowbell and seems more like a pet than a farm animal.  They love their pats and scratches, and you have to move fast to avoid their big tongue kisses.

The ride also includes a covered bridge.

Out in the country, and even in town, many people have quite large mixed vegetable gardens.

This one place has homemade yogurt, cheese and a variety of other produce for sale.  We loved their window boxes right on the trail, filled with strawberries instead of flowers.

On another day, we walk to Brod, a village so small that it has no cafe and no market.

A bridge is the entry to Brod, and at the end is a wayside shrine.

Two teachers have their elementary school students out by the river, examining things in nature, we assume for a science class.

We have enjoyed our brief stay in this tranquil place.  It's far enough away from the tourist spots of both Lake Bled and Lake Bohinj that it's relaxing and close enough to nature, flowing water and towering mountains to take a deep breath and feel gratitude for all that is.