Slovenia

The entertainment for this morning was sitting in Harry watching a car and caravan being pulled out of its pitch by a tractor. Yes we are on a campsite, by the side of Lake Bled, and the raining has barely ceased over the last 2 days.

We crossed from Italy into Slovenia about 10am and had a fruitless search for a suitable stopover anywhere around Bled. The area is understandably touristy, and therefore the ‘supply and demand’ rule dictates that parking is at a premium. We decided on staying over for 2 nights at the one and only campsite, so that at least we could do something productive during the constant downpour. The washing machine fed, with clothes and money and then the tumble dryer got the same treatment. There is no way anything will dry any other way in this weather.

What Lies Beneath

I remember when I did my first ever open water swim and the instructor said to our group, “Don’t worry about what’s in here, YOU are the biggest predator in the lake”. I kept telling myself this after I heard a loud splash behind me as I was getting changed at the side of Lake Bled. My intention was to swim around the island, but the doubts set in with every splash I heard. Eventually I caught sight a large fish leaping out of the water and splashing back in. In true fisherman’s speak it must have been three feet long, ok maybe two. On one hand the island was only about 400 metres away, on the other hand…………. Pathetic I know, and I knew that one way or another I just had to swim at least part of this monster infested water, I couldn’t go back to the van having not been in. As I was dithering the nudge I needed appeared from around the corner, two Japanese tourists armed with the obligatory cameras. They loitered to watch what this adventurous man was about to embark upon, oh bugger! As I entered the water and felt something touch my right leg I tried to disguise the natural twitch that such a feeling induces. I set off in the direction of the island with absolutely no intention of risking my life out there in the deep water. After about 50 metres I made a left turn and headed around the corner out of sight of my curious observers, and back to the relative safety of shallower water, where I hoped the large human devouring fish would not be lying in wait for this strange looking floundering object. Needless to say, when I was swimming, nothing gripped me…… other than my fear!

Returning to the van after a 300 metre swim my curiosity made me enquire further about the creatures lying beneath the surface of Lake Bled and left me satisfied with my modest swim.