Happy New Year from Slovenia - and Happy Birthday Vivi!

This lucky little girl gets to celebrate her birthday in some very cool destinations.  And the best part is that all of Europe sets off amazing fireworks in celebration, too!  This year we spent New Years Eve in Lake Bled, Slovenia.  It was one of our favorite trips that we took from Germany, while I was pregnant with Vivian, and now it is only a 3 hour drive from our home in Italy.  We really enjoy experiencing some of our favorite travel destinations again now with our children!
 

 Lake Bled boasts a beautiful island church and a cliff side castle overlooking the thermal water.  On a clear day the lake is framed by the Julian Alps.  It is such a picturesque place.   

We stayed in a little house just a few blocks from the water, with a view of the castle out one window.  We made our way up to the castle on New Years Eve in the morning and discovered we weren't the only ones - piling out of cars behind us was a medieval troupe.  So funny to see swords, flags and other weapons being pulled out of their car trunks and thule car toppers! 
   We arrived just as the "Medieval party - dancing and sword fighting with the Lord of the Castle" was beginning.  We could not have timed it more perfectly, and we didn't even know the event was going on.  Lucky us!  Vivian got a spot right up front and could see the sparks flying off the swords!  The video recording on my camera kept cutting out after just a few seconds, but you get the idea. 

Our favorite parts were the flaming sword fight and the fire swallowing man.   

 

 
 


 

 

The only negative was that our view from the castle wasn't much clearer than when we were there in August of 2007: the church on the little island is barely visible below us. 

August 2007 - pregnant with Vivian!

A few more pictures from our trip in 2007, on a sunnier day:

 

August 2007
 

We also revisited the wine cellar at the castle and Vivian and Clara filled, corked, and wax sealed a wine bottle just like we did in 2007, with help from the same monk. 

Clara, New Years Eve 2013



Julia, August 2007

 

Vivian, stamping the wax seal, New Years Eve 2013



Julia, Aug 2007, while pregnant with Vivian!



Clara corking the bottle



Vivian sealing it in wax

 
 

 
 
 
 

Can you spot the castle guards?

Here's a closer look - don't they look ferocious :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

Vivian and I walked around the lake while Clara and Paul drove the car back after our lunch at Chilli's, the local Mexican restaurant (yes, a Mexican restaurant in Slovenia - hey, we take what we can get.  And it was actually pretty good. :)

The swans swam right up to Vivian, they must've been really hungry and looking for food.   They are so pretty. 

 



The castle lit up at night is so beautiful, especially with the reflection in the water.  Sadly, the fog started to roll in as midnight approached and it was difficult to see the fireworks set off below the castle by the water.  Luckily some of the fireworks were small and not too high because the tops of the big, high ones were lost in the clouds.  I didn't even try to take any pictures of the fireworks - but we still really enjoyed them and the booming echo and reflections in the water.  And there were lots of people setting off their own, semi-professional fireworks all around the lake.  Both girls loved getting to stay up until midnight and even Clara was pretty well behaved, thanks to a long nap earlier in the day. 

 

 

 

 

My attempt at a pink frosting rosette cake even survived the journey from home to the hotel, despite being crammed into our tiny car along with our winter gear, bags for two nights, and a couple of gifts thrown in too.  I am quite amazed that it made it. 

Excited Six Year Old Vivian!

 

 

Happy 2014 to you and Happy Birthday Vivian!