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Bled Castle has to be my favourite castles ever. I think when you are little you get read all these amazing fairytale stories and you imagine castles to have little turret roofs, perched on a big hill and overlooking an amazing view, and Bled Castle has all of these! It was the most amazing day when we visited, it was November so still quite cold outside but the blue skies definitely made up for it. The air was crisp and the skies were clear, perfect for viewing a castle! I couldn't believe how beautiful this place was! Here it is perched high above the famous Bled lake. Even the mass of rock that it is built on looked so impressive, I'm not entirely sure how they built it securely up there, but I can definitely see why they chose that spot!

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The views just didn't look real. It looked like we were in a fairytale land. It was so peaceful, in fact I don't think I can remember hearing anything other than birds and the wind! It is apparently the oldest castle in Slovenia and of course the most visited - its easy to see why! The earliest records of the castle date back to 1011, which really surprised me, to me it looked so modern for a castle that old! It was really well preserved too, you could almost mistake it for a new castle! I guess the thing that ages it the most was the ware on the stones walls, they had so much texture and weathering to them that that gave away its age a little. And I imagine perched this high up its definitely exposed to all the elements!

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The view overlooking the Lake Bled church on its own little island is a sight I think everyone needs to see! I had no idea this place existed until we went and I was just blown away. It was like looking out into a sea of blue tones which were all softened by the low mist. It was so atmospheric. Bled is a relatively small village, with a population of only around 6,000. You can see most of the village from the castle.

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There is a beautiful chapel within the castle which has been beautifully restored with frescoes.

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This little window was from one of the walls in the castle and it framed the church perfectly, I don't know whether it was done intentionally but I would like to think it was! I meant how could you not want a little window out onto this view!

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The Slovenian flag swings proudly over the castle tower, so pretty against the deep blue skies!

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The floors were all cobbled which were reflecting the light so nicely, you could see all the different textures and tones all coming to life.

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The water of Lake Bled look so clear it was unreal. I believe in summer lots of people swim in this magical lake and I can see why, it was so tempting even in winter so I can imagine when it gets warmer people would be jumping in without question! This place is really something out of a fairytale book, and we were surprised how cheap it was to get there and also when we were out there. So if you are looking for somewhere new to go for a quick visit then consider Bled! I don't think you will be disappointed! - oh and if you do go don't forget to try some Bled cake too!

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- Verity x

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