Local traditions and culture in Bled

Instead of swimming at the public beach , which is often crowded or paying for a day pass for the private beach club, the locals have little swimming holes all along the lake . Sometimes you have to climb down a steep bank but the water is clear and deep. We had our best swim this way!!!

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The wedding scenes are very usual at the Bled Castle. There is an agency dealing with the wedding arrangments. I had an oportunity to see one and it was incredible romantic and beautiful. Some people were wearing the medieval costums . After the ceremony the lunch was arranged in the charming castle restaurant.

Slovenia's 1st Olympic gold medal was in rowing at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney and the first medal of any sort was a bronze medal for rowing at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, the country's most successful rowers train in Bled at the Bled Rowing Club. There are regattas on the lake during the year in spring and autumn and in June there is the Bled International Regatta.

We saw lots of rowers out training during our walk around the lake.

These flight of steps, 99 in total, leads up to the Church of Assumption in the islet. During "perfect- time- to- get-married- season", couples flock up here to do that. A test apparently to know if the husband is fit and ready to fulfill his role as the "padre de familia" is , if he is able to carry his bride all the way up the 99 steps! Well, as they say...for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health,....to carry or unable to carry?? 0r i'd rather not carry or don't-even-think-about-it!...............till death do as part ;-)

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New Year Concert of Classical Music-1 January
Easter Concert of Classical Music-Easter Sunday
Alpine Night-2nd Saturday in May
Medieval Days in Radovljica-1st weekend in June
Bled Nights-2nd week in July
Rikli Days tourist event-4th weekend in July
Okarina Folk Festival-1st 2 weeks in August
Radovljica Festival-3rd and 4th weekend in August

Fragments of the rib vaults from the ruined Gothic arch are built into the wall of a room from the neighbouring wing to the chapel, nowadays the site of the Museum.
There is also a souvenirs shop here, situated in the groudfloor of the museum.

The castle is now arranged as an exibition area. The display rooms near the chapel, a most interesting building, present the ancient history of Bled from the first excavations, and the castle in individual stages of its historical development with furniture, characteristic of those times.

The most interesting of all the preserved buildings of the castle is certainly the chapel on the upper courtxard, which was consecrated to the Bishops St. Albuin and to St. Ingenium. It was built in the 16th century, and was renovated in the Baroque style around 1700, when it was also painted with illusionist frescoes.
The wooden triptih of St. Peter is the most valuable remains of the chapel.