One of the most popular things to do in Bled, Slovenia is walk around Lake Bled. It is an easy 6km walk on a mostly paved path and it is virtually flat. Sounds like a perfect way to start the day. Of course, when we discovered that there were side quests, we couldn’t resist. We chose the adventure only a couple of kilometers into our walk.

Mala Osojnica is the viewpoint at the top of a 30 minute trail that goes straight up the hillside. 645 meters up to be exact. It is a fairly technical hike with lots of uneven ground, tree roots, and switchbacks. There are even cables to hold onto and a staircase that reaches the sky. We were sweating like crazy when we reached the top, but boy oh boy, was it ever worth it! The view was stunning. This is why we do hard things.

The rest of the lake walk, while beautiful, was relatively uneventful. A nice stroll with some nice scenery. Part of that scenery showed us a huge tobogganing track on the side of a hill. Another side quest perhaps?

Yep. We got to chairlift up to the top (we agreed that climbing it didn’t sound too fun) and then sit in a plastic tub that was stuck to a track and we whizzed down the hill. Super fun, super cheesy, over super quick. But we were smiling like little kids afterwards! Completely worth it.

We found ourselves in Ljubljana, the capital city of Slovenia in the afternoon. Not knowing too much about the city, we signed up for a walking tour – these can be hit or miss – and hoped for the best. Luckily, our guide was amazing and she kept all 40 (yes, forty!!) of us entertained for two hours. We walked and walked while Nina told us about her city.

Ljubljana is a city of bridges, with many of them being added to accommodate the influx of vehicles in the early 1900’s. Ironically, the city has since banned the use of cars in the ‘old town’ so all of them are now foot bridges. The city itself has been around for over 1000 years, however Slovenia has only been its own country since 1991. So while their history is deep and rich, it is also new and fresh. It was interesting to hear how they are finding their way culturally; food, religion, arts etc.

If you didn’t get your steps in today, don’t worry, we got them for you. Is there anywhere we can get a foot massage?