The Julian Alps

Finally we make it to the mountains - and the snow! Initially, there’s a stop at another of Plecnik’s creations - the jaw-dropping Zale cemetery, a grand colonnaded entry marking the boundaries between the life of the living and the dead, and a complex of beautiful chapels of rest set out before entry to the cemetery proper. 

We then head north towards Bled, tantalising glimpses of majestic peaks catching the sun above the cloud cover.  Bled itself we simply skirt, planning to return tomorrow, and continue instead towards another lake - Bohinj. Whilst Bled Lake is by surrounded by villas and grand hotels dating from when it was possibly the finest spa in Europe - more recently the poster child for Yugoslav and now Slovenian tourism - Bohinj is far more wild and undeveloped, though just as  - if not more - beautiful. 

We stop briefly at the far end of the lake before continuing to the cable car for Vogel. This takes us up above the clouds to the skiing area where novice skiers form a line along the drag lift looking for all the world like figures in a mechanical snow scene. We have a brief window of cloudless views across the trees and onto cloud-free peaks before this vanishes once more in mist. 

Descending, we leave the snow line and pass through a forest of hoar-frosted trees, magical icy sparkles covering much of the visible slopes. 

From here it’s further into Triglav, following the track to Slap Savica - a waterfall reached by a stepped hike of some 600 steps. Needless to say, there are many stops for photos -  not least the fabulous view towards the pink-tinged peaks picking up the colours of the already setting sun. 

The whole area is beautiful - boulder strewn with huge rocks presumably left behind by the glaciers that once covered the area, green and bronze with moss and beech trees which often grab unlikely footholds on the slopes of these stone giants. 

Savica itself - when we finally reach it - consists of two long diagonal torrents splashing into a pool of vibrant green water before tipping over into yet another watery drop. 

The way down is of course far easier, and we end today’s adventures stopping at the near side of Bohinj before returning to our Ljubljana base. 

It’s been a spectacular day, and unsurprisingly I find it hard to choose a main. So you have a set of snowy shots from around Vogel and Savica,  a one each of Lake Bohinj and of Slap Savica.