This Is What We Bled For

Day: 218

Towns / Cities Visited: 139

Countries Visited: 26

Steps Taken Today: 13,617

Steps Taken Around the World: 3,592,495

We had come to a travel crossroads once again. Today would see us make the journey from the southern Austrian town of Klagenfurt, to the northern Slovenian town of Bled, just across the border. Now, if you’ve ever looked at a map and noted these two towns, it would seem simple enough to get from one to the other; they are, by all intents and purposes, relatively close neighbours. However, as seems to be the norm the further east you go in Europe, it is rarely ever that simple to get where you want to go. We had hoped that there was a train connection, but alas, if it was a train we wanted, we would have been in for a four train saga over several hours, going into Slovenia’s capital before heading back out to Bled. With no other public transport option available to us, and no desire to lose half a day’s adventure to the whims of international locomotive travel, we footed the bill, once again, for a private transfer. Bags packed, and taking the short walk to the train station, we were soon greeted by our friendly driver. Bundling into the van, we were offered the option of taking the main motorway to Bled, or the more scenic route over the mountains. With both routes taking a similar amount of time, we opted for the latter and were away. Despite our hope of a beautiful autumn view as we scaled the Karawanks and descended to our destination, we were instead faced with a sudden downpour of rain. The pummeling on the roof of the vehicle, coupled with the successive hairpin turns, resulted in the three of us all feeling a little car sick for a fair chunk of the drive. A little over an hour after our journey had begun though, we were being delivered to the doorstep of our hostel on the outskirts of this stunning regional town.

With the rain long gone, we ducked inside and were met by our cheerful and welcoming host. We had initially booked a three bed dorm but with it being well and truly the shoulder season, and the hostel being deserted aside from one other guest, we had been placed in a six bed dorm to allow us a little extra room to move: an upgrade which was much appreciated. After explaining our plans for the next few days, our host then took the time to mark out our adventures on a town map, and explain the best way to make our way around. Directions in hand and luggage stowed, we made our way into…