For as long as I can remember Iris has loved watching water, the light and the colours that dance around her.  So on our Forests of the World trip to Slovenia even though we didn’t go to a beach we found other ways to delight her senses with the deep gorge near Lake Bled and the Lake itself.   The Vintgar Gorge has attracted tourists since the 19^th century.  Wooden bridges and viewing galleries lead you down the 1.6 km long gorge among waterfalls, pools, and cascades. A stone, single-arch, former railway bridge also towers above the gorge with the awe-inspiring waterfalls cascading beside us and rainbows in the mist.

With its bluish-green pristine lake, picture-postcard church on an island, a medieval castle clinging to a rocky cliff and some of the highest peaks of the Julian Alps and the Karavanke as backdrops, Bled is Slovenia’s most popular resort and we were very excited to visit this incredible location.

Traditional wooden boats – pletnas – have been taking visitors to the island in the middle of the lake for centuries.  After landing, we climbed 99 stone steps to reach the Church, we listened to the church bells which carry legends that will make your wishes come true, for Iris this was a delicious chocolate bar bought from the souvenir shop.

Photography by Arabella Carter-Johnson & Harry Speller