Katelyn's dear friend, Cat, is traveling through Europe and so graciously agreed to write a guest post for our blog! Enjoy :)
Hello friendly followers!
--Disclaimer--
Any and all misspelled words on here are due to my typing on a tablet
keyboard, which is incredibly difficult, and are in no way a reflection
of my spelling abilities. I'm a great speller. Thank you.
Now, I'm in Slovenia. Spodnje Gorje to be exact. Don't
worry, I'd never heard of it either. But Slovenia, for those who don't
know, is a small country nestled between Italy and Croatia, with a
small part of it touching the Adriatic. It is not to be confused with
Slovakia (way to go, President Bush).
The town I'm in, though small, is within walkig distance to
two of the major attractions of the country: Vintgar Gorje and Lake
Bled. I haven't seen Vintgar yet, but the main purpose I came was to see
Bled, so that's what you lovely people get to hear about.
Walking around Lake Bled was the most divine, humbling,
magnificent, and beautiful thing I've ever done. No, I'm not
exaggerating. The main attraction is the island in the middle of the
lake, where there is a small church, a cafe, and some sort of tourist
shop I believe (I didn't go to the island honestly. It was way prettier
from afar.) You also have a castle, called Bled Grad, that sits atop a
hill overlooking Lake Bled. The hill is covered in trees until the very
top, where it becomes just a rockface, which is where the castle sits.
So splendid. Then, behind those, you have Mount Triglav, the highest
peak in Slovenia. This time of year, the top of the mountain is
snow-capped and rises above the clouds.
So when you walk around this lake (which is not very large,
so circling it is quite easy), you get different views of each of these
three places, and then also a view of the town of Bled, which is
unfortunately fronted by three or four large hotels that made it look
really stupid and inauthentic. With every turn I made, my view kept
getting better and better. I felt the need to take about ten pictures
evey time I moved more than 50 meters because the light changed or the
angle changed, so I wanted to make sure I got it all, you know? I won't
lie, I was speechless for about the first half of the walk. It's truly
breathtaking. But it only got better. Once I passed the town of Bled, I
came to this spot. This spot...wow. There was a break in the trees, and
through them, I saw what seemed like heaven on earth. Looking across the
glassy, crystal-clear water, I saw the island with the church, and
behind that, the castle perched atop the cliff, and behind that, the
great mountain of Triglav with its snow-capped peak, standing so
majestically at guard. I'm no poet, but if I were, I would have written a
millennial piece about that spot. I sat down on a bench, so perfectly
situated in front of that spot, and I cannot lie. I cried. Not like
heaving sobs or anything too over-the-top, but pretty free flowing
tears.
I've seen a lot of beautiful places in my day, young as I
may be. The sunset over Florence from Piazza di Michaelangelo, the
French Riviera, the Irish countryside. They're all breathtaking. But in
all my time, no sight has every reduced me to the humbled state that I
fell to today. And I know I'm not the only one. I passed two other women
who were staring, glossy-eyed, at that lake. I even passed a girl with
her groceries, walking back from the store, who couldn't help but stop
and stare for a few moments. Her face just screamed 'wow, how lucky am
I?'
That's exactly what went through my mind as well. What in
the world have I done to be so lucky as to witness this? This place,
where everything else beautiful in the world seems to pale in
comparison. This place, where words cannot describe and photos cannot do
justice to its power. Then, I fell into a state of laughter, incessant
and delirious. Of all the places in all the world, I am blown away by a
small lake in Slovenia, a country most people never knew existed. A
place I had decided against visiting in favor of more days in Vienna,
but by the recommendation of a friend, had reevaluated as a decent
pitstop. How strange is it to be here, in this small town, with nearly
no visitors this time of year, and fall to tears at the sight of
something so unheard of? How random! I think, though, that was part of
the glory. It seemed like a secret, between Slovenia and I. It was so
precious and quite pure in this season, that it felt personal and
intimate. It was my little secret view, from my secret bench, at my
secret spot.
As I walked back, I decided to skip Vienna and stay here
for another day or so. I can hardly imagine a building in a bustling
city that will move me more than Slovenia has. Oh yes, the rest of the
country is quite beautiful as well. It looks a good bit like what you'd
see in Austria, with rolling hills and small villages centered around
pointy churches. I've had the urge to skip through the open fields and
sing The Sound of Music at least four times since I got here, though I
haven't done it yet. It's good to know I have a little shame left.
But anywho, that's the end of my Lake Bled account. Like I
said, it's impossible to describe it in a way to do it any justice, so
just spare yourself the mystery and just come here. Slovenia is so worth
it.
Ciao, y'all! And thanks, Katelyn and Laura, for letting me rant on your blog :)
Catherine
First up was a cooking class with the Canning Diva. We made Blonde Apple Curry Chutney and Sundaes in a Jar (raspberry/strawberry/chocolate sauce). It was my first experience with canning foods that I made. I've always been fascinated by how my grandmother stores all of her fruits and vegetables. It was great to learn about the process and safety of canning properly. It's a lot of work!
Mary from Digital Brand Architects and Amy from Maurices 
The finished product of Sundaes in a Jar
