Beautiful Lake Bohinj

Lake Bohinj wasn’t on our original must-see list while in Slovenia, but it turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip!

After a few scorching days in Croatia, we jumped in the campervan, drove an entire day and finally settled in for nearly a week at the lovely Camp Danica near the town of Bohinjska Bistrica. We spent a few days just relaxing under the tall trees and swimming in the icy cold waters of the Sava Bohinjka river and exploring the town itself. When we were ready to venture a little further afield again, a short bus ride from the campsite deposited us on the banks of the beautifully blue Lake Bohinj.

Our first stop was the 700-year old picturesque little church of Sveti Janez Krstnik (St John the Baptist Church), which has interesting frescoes inside and a graveyard with a spectacular view of the lake outside.

Then it was time to jump on a panoramic tourist boat, which took us from one end of the lake to the other while a local guide explained a little more about the area. (This is where we finally found out that we’d been pronouncing the lake’s name incorrectly this whole time – it should sound more like Boh-GEEN, where the ‘g’ is guttural and sounds like the German ‘ch’ in München.) It was a wonderfully relaxing cruise and I had none of my usual trouble with seasickness while I sat staring out the window, gazing out at the blue water, the looming mountains, and the locals enjoying watersports.

Back on dry land again, we immediately braved the cable car up to the summit of Mount Vogel for a bird’s eye view of the stunning Julian Alps. It was lovely just walking around in the fresh air and admiring the spectacular scenery. There was even a children’s playground to keep the little one entertained!

We stopped for lunch at the ski centre to try out some hardy goulash and a delectable apple strüdel. While we were eating, the little traveller made a friend and the adults all watched on indulgently as the two little boys ran around playing. I always find it amazing how kids can become friends within seconds, not hampered by such trivialities as not speaking a common language!