The day in which I had no volleybaic commitments. [Day off]

I awoke with a jump, like one of those twitches you get when you fall asleep on a bus. Not aware why my body chose to start the day in this fashion, I scoured the room for a clue... the clock, it read 9:30am.  My eyes widened, my hands clenched the bedside as a flush of adrenaline surged through my system. I tossed the covers aside, clumsily put on pants and a shirt, slipped into my sandals, and rushed out the door. There was no time to wake Gord though the guilt did not overcome me, at this point... it was every man for themselves. There is a great significance associated with 9:30am, it's the time when they stop serving breakfast.

As you may deduce from the title of the blog, we had the day off. In case you were wondering, i did make it to breakfast, it was delicious. At 10:30 we left the comforts of Hotel Krim to drive up to the castle here in Bled. It was a short ride, and very much so worth the short hike up the rather steep gradient between the road and entrance. We learned of the castle's rich heritage, as well as about the development of Slovenia as a nation. I'm not a history major, nor have I taken a class in that subject since the 11th grade, but the man presenting the information to us was so passionate and sincere that I was compelled to listen and empathize with his story. This man was the town mayor, who took time out of his day to come and represent his culture to us. I have nothing but respect and appreciation for how we've been treated since we've been here.

Castle Bled from Parking lot.

Inside of castle Bled.

City & Lake from Castle.

The Church on the Lake.

8X zoom :D

I'm having a bit of trouble with formatting, I mean... perhaps I could have decided not to tell you, and leave you believing I was trendy or something with the mis-organization of my photos, but I don't think that would do much for me. Just a thought.

I have one regret associated with this day, and it is with great despair that I share it with you. After lunch, and a nap, Gord and I decided to go find some snack foods. **This is where it gets complicated... because I need you, the reader, to NOT inform my Coach about my suspect eating habits of the day. Especially if you ARE in fact my coach, reading this blog**
We found a convenience store down the road, and splurged on some Milka chocolate bars and roasted red pepper flavoured potato chips. My team mate Dan Lewis said it best, "The Europeans have been around a lot longer than us, they know what's good." And these two items are certainly in accordance with that philosophy. Anyways, I'm getting off topic.
On the road back to the hotel we decided to walk down to the waterfront to see if anything interesting was going on. We met an older American couple biking with their daughter near the docks, and they informed us of the rental company. For only 3 Euro 40, we each rented a bike and begun our trek along the perimeter of the lake. You may be wondering, "Wow Justin, that sounds amazing... how ever could you have room for regret under such seemingly perfect circumstance?" Here's where I will answer you; I forgot my camera. There were so many sights that I wish I could show you, but now I must live with the burden of knowing that those sights are mine and only mine to keep. Unless of course... you go to Bled Slovenia, and check them out for yourself. Or... see someone else's beautiful photo's... whatever.
The ride took about 35 minutes to complete, and served as one of the better tourist moments of my life. I would recommend this city / area to anyone.
I wanted to take pictures tonight, but I realized that my Canon rechargeable AA batteries are absolute garbage, and die after 10 photos... so until tomorrow, All the best :D
-j.duff