We officially traded the mountains for a trek closer to the airport today, which apparently is just code for “see how many castles we can climb before we collapse”.
We started at Lake Bled. You can definitely see why it’s a tourist magnet, but since we don’t exactly thrive in the tourist spots, we hit it really early on a Sunday when everything is closed (it’s the law with few exceptions). It was a quick walk in and out. Pretty, for sure, and worth the stop, but I’m so glad we didn’t stay there. After the quiet beauty of the mountains every day, the resort vibe was a bit much. Onward.
Next up: The Old Castle above Smlednik. In keeping with our failed rest day tradition, Google told us the walk from the parking lot was a simple seven minutes. Google lied. Google is now my official arch-nemesis. It was a ridiculous climb, but the 360-degree view at the top almost made me take Google off my list. Almost.
We specifically planned this entire route around Žiče Charterhouse (meaning we wanted to see it and because it was closed on Mondays, we had to have it on this side of the trip. It was unlike any monastery we’ve seen with the tower in the back having a total Rapunzel vibe, and we actually got to have a picnic in the apothecary herb garden.
Then came Celje Castle. This place is incredibly well-maintained and comes with a torture chamber, which is always a crowd-pleaser. We also caught a demonstration of a Gutenberg-style printing press. Sadly we didn’t have cash euros on us, or I definitely would have walked away with a souvenir from the printer.
This is also where we first learned about Frederick and Veronika. It’s basically the Slovenian “Romeo and Juliet,” but way darker. Frederick (the rich heir) married Veronika (the lower-class mistress who Frederick may or may not have murdered his first wife to be with) against his dad’s wishes.
In retaliation, his dad threw his own son in a dungeon and put Veronika on trial for witchcraft, claiming she used dark magic to bewitch his son. Even though the court ended up acquitted her, the dad just ignored the law and had her drowned in a bathtub anyway. Brutal.
Anyway, Celje Castle was the home that Frederick’s family ultimately moved into when they upgraded from their previous castle (which we visited too). So this is kind of like the Romeo and Juliet in Italy.
After checking into our new place which a cozy loft with a cute swing in the living room, and then stopping for dinner at Vorano Pizzeria which was worth every bit of the outdoor heat, we made one last stop: Žovnek Castle.
Thankfully, the sun was finally dipping, because the heat today was intense. This was Frederick’s family “starter castle” (before they upgraded to the fancy one in Celje), and yes, it involved another massive climb. Because why stop now?
17,300 steps. 96 floors climbed up (and 96 back down).
Sun: 2, Ennis Family: 0. My tan might be coming along, but the sun definitely won this round.
