Day 6 , 25 July 2019
Slovenia
I slept well last night because I knew today was the day I’ll be seeing the place I’d been most excited for, ‘Lake Bled '. I got ready had a quick coffee and left to see the Ljubljana Castle. Like almost all European cities, the castle was atop the City Centre. I started walking following the map.As I already had taken a detour yesterday, I was familiar with the lanes.
Looked like the city had woken up to a cheerful morning.The cafes, shops were opening, it was 10 AM. People had just begun their day, it again felt so good walking around.
It was another hot day. In about an hour I made it to the top of the castle. The view from above was splendid. I didn’t go inside since I had to catch my bus to Lake Bled at 3 PM. Before that I had to return to hostel, cook my meal etc.
On my way back I again went through the city centre to enjoy the amazing views this town offered.

I managed to cook myself pasta on the electric burner that I had never used before, it was a fun experiment. Another thing to mention, since I was on an economical trip, I spent on food only when needed and when it offered me a different cuisine. I preferred cooking if the hostel had the option.

I reached the bus station and started with another hour’s journey to Lake Bled. Being tired with all the walking to the castle, I took a nap but I must say this route had some amazing views. Now remember the girl from US in hostel had told me about Vintgar Gorge, it was almost 5km away from Lake Bled.
I reached Lake bled at 4.30 PM and took a small walk and then thought of going to Vintgar Gorge and return here to see the sunset which was around 8.45 PM. I estimated that a to and fro trip to Vintgar Gorge shouldn’t take more than 2 hours and I’ll be back much before 8 PM. The timeline is important here, you’ll know why😉
It was around 5 PM. I enquired how to reach to Vintgar Gorge, public transport 1 Euro and private cab, freaking 10 Euros. I obviously decided to take the bus at 5.30 PM, it dropped me here at 5.50 PM.

Surprise surprise, another 20 minutes of walk to reach the actual site because the bus dropped me on the main road and went ahead. But your girl isn’t a loser, she walked and walked and finally got the entrance in sight. That was such a relief. I was sweating, thirsty,tired all at once. I even thought if this is worth. God forbid, If i miss the sunset at Lake Bled because of this, it would be a big disappointment.
I went to buy the ticket and BOOM !! Forex card transaction declined.
Huh, this wasn’t what I was expecting after all this struggle. I was obviously carrying cash but tend to use card wherever possible.
*Fortunately, a friend from Serbia had suggested to carry two cards back when I was discussing about my trip with her. Thanks Ana, you saved me BIG TIME !!*
Now, I get inside and it all makes sense. They say " Tougher the journey, better the destination !!!
I can’t put in words how exhilarating this place was.I felt so grateful forgetting about all the walking, tiredness and the failed transaction. I felt divine, because I saw this !!
I just stood there fascinated absorbing the moment in my memory to the best of my ability. If I close my eyes now, I can still feel it !
*Quick tip, next time you come across such a situation/place, stand still , observe, take a deep breathe and feel it. You can definitely recreate this memory whenever you want, like I just did 😊*
Tik tok, said my watch. Its 6.45 PM Rakhi !!!!
Remember, the 8 PM deadline to catch the sunset at Lake Bled. So then I rushed back to the parking lot where they have shuttles which could take me back to Lake. Guess the time for next shuttle??? 7.45 PM. There was no way I could afford to spend anymore time there. Drenched in sweat, I started asking for a lift.

Checked with 4-5 people, they denied for various reasons. Now ,the panic begins.
There was a café just next to the parking spot . The owner comes down to talk to me. He probably was observing me for the last 10-15 minutes asking people for lift. He asks, “What are you trying to do? “
I told him I needed to get to Lake Bled ASAP.
There was a coffee vending machine at the bus stop, offering me one he said calm down.
*You know I couldn’t, I didn’t want to miss the big moment!!! *
I took a sip and we started talking. And then he goes, “I wish the weather changes right away so that I can close my café and take you to Lake Bled myself “ and I was surprised.
Say WHAT !!!

I was almost drenched in sweat with all the walking and this guy says ,"You look so beautiful". I didn’t know how to react ,lol . I just smiled with a thanks.
Well he had to return to his customer, and I finished the coffee, it made me feel better.Then came a family walking towards the parking lot. They were three, a father and his two teenaged children. I tried to talk but “ No English “ ugh…..
I continued saying Lake Bled , Lake Bled with my Thumb up (thank God for gestures) and guess they figured I want to go there. The boy could talk broken English ( I felt lucky ). They agreed to drop me , YAY !!!
So again, on my ride, I tried to talk to them. They were from Hungary and on a summer break. I thanked God for this family for the timing. When I told them I was on my solo trip from India, the father was amazed and he made his son tell me in English "I'm very happy to see you . You are too brave to do this " .It made me feel stronger and empowered 😊

We finally reached Lake Bled and I gave them the flag from Leh. I didn't forget to click a picture this time, Haha. Look at this tall family, the girl was probably just 13 years old. !!
*A friend from India gave me this idea to carry small souvenirs so that when somebody offers help, I give it to them as a good luck charm and memory from me and our county. Thanks, Mayur for this wonderful Idea. *
And it was now 7.40 PM, well in time for the sunset. Next 2 hours were the best as I walked across the circumference of Lake Bled watching it from all angles possible. Just the way I wanted.

Soon it was sunset, and I was looking at this castle like a lover would look at their love. I didn’t want anything else in my life then, imagine the intensity of that moment.
It was now completely dark, I was at the other end of the lake and was to board my return bus at 9.30 PM from another end . I rushed back towards the bus stop.
All dark, no internet, no map, no human in sight, I Gave myself a small pep talk,
“Rakhi, you’re on your own here. Nobody can come and help, stay strong and keep walking. And even if something goes wrong, remember you witnessed the best moment of your life just a while ago “
I think at times its important for us to feel strong than being strong. That's what I did. I was really scared at this point but I thought why fear the unknown when you can enjoy the moment instead.
With this, I kept walking and reached the bus stop at 9.32 PM and Voila the bus is gone !!!!
Damn that 2 minute difference. Had it been India, I would have boarded the bus , lol.
Well, fortunately the last bus was at 10.30 PM, so I got some time to kill here. I’d walked almost 25 Kms today, I was dead tired. I wanted a beer now. So I went nearby and then I see lights and, music and lots of people in an open ground, like a fair. I went there for beer and the person offered me Slovenian wine instead. I thought, why not .
Sipping my wine, I went towards the music and light . It was a music fest and an US band “Antibalas “ was performing there and people were enjoying sitting on ground having their drinks. I also sat and watched.
After a while, the wine made me tipsy. I thought of taking a closer look and went towards the stage.
People were dancing, I started moving too. The song stops playing. Next thing I know they call the people dancing in the front row on the stage.
There were almost 1500 people watching the band perform. For a moment I went blank with all the bright lights on the stage. People who know me know how much I avoid dancing, lol .
Another pep talk (this time from tipsy me ) , “ Rakhi, nobody knows you here. Do whatever the hell you want!! “
So the next song begins everybody starts dancing.
Can your friend dance? Hell NOOO
Does she dance tonight? A big freaking YESSSSSSSSSSSS
The next few minutes I danced like nobody’s watching. I also got pictures with the lead singer. And that’s how your tipsy friend got her moment of fame, haha.
Tiktok on the clock, 10.20 PM. This time I went 5 minutes earlier and got the bus.
Another hour to reach Ljubljana,It was dark and I was almost sleeping. I hear a voice. Someone asks if they can sit next to me and I said sure. While I check my phone, he sees my face in that light and says “You are so pretty “. And we are back to the surprised feeling at the parking lot.
A little chit chat and this guy literally says he would’ve asked me out and showed Ljubljana if I were staying there any longer. Unfortunately, I was heading to the next destination tomorrow. But it feels good to know someone likes you, isn’t it ? We are facebook friends now ,lol.
Guess dark skin and black hair attracted men there, which was surprising for me. But Hey, who doesn’t like compliments 😊
So, another day comes to an end, my heart was content.
I reached hostel around 12 AM.Writing my diary, I thanked God for this wonderful day with so many amazing moments. I was convinced Slovenia is my favorite country of this trip.
A very good night !!
Learning from the day: Follow your heart, It will lead you to beautiful places that you didn’t know exist.

Learning from the day: Follow your
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