In 1004, the German King, Henry II, signed a donation deed to give the Castle at Lake Bled to Albuin, Bishop of Brixen. It seems the King thought that the six day ride in a wagon drawn by four horses was just too much and he could get the property off his hands and show goodwill to the church to boot. A two for………………

Over the years the castle was rented out and rented out and rented out. It seems like it was too far away from everything for most people……

The catholics turned it over to the protestants, who didn’t have much luck renting it out either. The protestants sold it to a lay person to get it off their hands…….And time went on………

Then in 1918, hotelier Ivan Kenda, bought the castle, the island  and the lake, with the idea of opening a grand hotel at the castle. His investment failed and in 1937 all his properties were confiscated. In the eighties the property was cleaned up and remodeled and now is a popular tourist attraction, as it is the only castle in Slovenia! It boasts a printing museum, a souvenir shop and restaurants. Let’s take a deep breath and head up the steep winding hill to the top!

First, one has to go through the sentry gate………..and then over the dry moat area.

Up top, the surroundings are Hansel and Gretel like, with one of the towers used for an entrance to the rooftop cafe.

But, we are interested in the views…….this way…….

and that……..

and that……

and that……

and that,

and that…….

and a view of where we ate lunch from  up top…….

But, I’m still looking for a really interesting door……..

Let’s go over to the chapel entrance……

The painting, stone and tile are interesting……but I’m looking far a fantastic door!

OK, this is a good door, however I am more interested in that viney-twig! Is it for sale?

Well, the doors were not up to par for a real doorscursion…….so we might as well leave.

Back to the pier and the ship……..see you in Venice! I know we’ll have some fantastic doors there!

I hope you enjoyed the visit to Bled Island and the Castle. Although we didn’t find any outstanding doors today, the trip was well worth the effort to get here! It is truly one of the most beautiful spots in the world! To read one woman’s story, who lived at the Castle, look HERE.  To find out how to get here, look  HERE!

Have a great door week! Look here to see what others are doing for Norm’s Doors!

It’s easy to do Norm’s Doors. Photograph some doors and post them to Thursday Doors on Thursday!

PS All photos were taken on our IPhones this year……..we are traveling lighter!