Slovenia - photography trip
At the end of June, we went on a photography trip to Slovenia. We left on the evening of the 25th, and after driving all night, we started the first sunrise at the St. Thomas Church here:
It was a strong start:
After sunrise, we went closer to the church, walked around it, and then headed to Bled. We took a break at a small lakeside café, then took a closer look at the lake. The water at Bled, and generally in the area, was the clearest I had seen since Plitvice.
Upon Dávid’s suggestion, we went up the mountain to see the view from there.
It was beautiful, but we were quite tired, so we headed to our accommodation in Kranjska Gora. The place was great, well-equipped, clean, and the owner was very kind and helpful. There was also a store nearby. We made lunch together and rested. In the evening, we didn’t want to go far, so we went to Lake Jasna (Jezero Jasna), which was about 1 km away. There, we took a wonderful touristy photo of me.
While Dávid went to check out a high rock a little further away, the three of us wandered around the valley, taking photos. Then we visited the waterfall by the Pišnica River next to the lake.
It was a productive first day. We set the alarm for 4 AM the next day. We went to Bled for the sunrise. A little fog would have been nice, but it was beautiful nonetheless.
A catfish as big as my arm swam by me, just about 2 meters away. After we finished taking photos, we went back to the accommodation to sleep a bit, and then we headed to Lake Bohinj (Bohinjsko jezero).
We cooled off in the shade and revised our plans. Originally, we wanted to take the cable car up, but the last descent was at 5 PM, which was too early for us. So, we decided to continue and hike up to the Savica Waterfall (Slap Savica) instead. We knew that the trail leading to the waterfall also branched off towards Black Lake (Crno Jezero). Dávid, being a more experienced hiker than us, went ahead while the three of us headed towards the waterfall. It took a long time and was much more challenging compared to the Mecsek, but we made it. Water was gushing out from the mountain and cascading down the rocks. We thought we would end up at the small house, but we didn’t reach it. Nevertheless, we saw some beautiful spots.
Since it was getting dark, we started our descent. Once again, we set an early alarm for 4 AM. The next morning, we went to a pre-selected spot for the sunrise, but it didn’t look as impressive in person. So, we quickly searched for another location nearby and found the Laghi di Fusine lakes a few kilometers away in Italy. Both were beautiful.
We went back to the accommodation, took a short nap, and then in the afternoon, we headed for the Vršič Pass.
Olivér and I looked up at one of the mountains and decided we should hike up; the view should be great, and it didn’t seem too far. At least, it didn’t look like it; to me, it appeared to be about a 20-30 minute walk. I was very wrong. 😀 At first, the rocky and stony section was manageable. Then, the grassy, rocky incline was also fine, but after that, it got so tough that in some parts we could only climb with both hands gripping.
In the end, I checked on the map where we had gotten to. The path we covered was about 700 meters long, with an elevation gain of approximately 220 meters. Meanwhile, we spoke with Dávid and his group on the phone and decided it was time to head to the next location. Two hikers came down as we were talking, and it turned out there was actually a designated hiking trail; we had just not taken it. We had climbed up the steeper side, while the trail follows a less steep path. But it was more adventurous this way. 🙂
The last stop of the day was the Vintgar Gorge, filled with waterfalls.
It was incredibly beautiful! In the evening, we set the alarm for 4 AM again. We went back to the Vršič Pass to catch the sunrise.
As usual, we returned to our accommodation, had some sleep and lunch, and then set off for Italy to check out a few lakes, none of which were particularly impressive. So we went back to the Laghi di Fusine lakes. The two Davids were tired, so they went back to the accommodation while Olivér and I stayed to photograph the starry sky. We started walking around the lake and, before it got dark, we found the perfect spot. A time-lapse was made, and this series is from that.
David came back to pick us up with the car. We managed to put together some great hikes in these few days. Thanks, guys!