TAKE PHOTOS, LEAVE FOOTPRINTS
SCOTT DICKEN
Fairytales Castles and Communism Lake Bled, Slovenia
O
nce upon a time there was a lush, fertile valley and in the very centre of that valley was a small hill. The hill, which sat in the middle of the green pastures, was the favourite gathering place of fairies who liked nothing more than to spend their time dancing around its base. The fairies lived a happy, peaceful existence until, one fateful day, a group of shepherds arrived. As you can imagine, the shepherds were keen to use the fairies’ lush, green pastures as grazing land for their herds. The fairies took umbrage to this most obvious invasion of their peace and, after a bit of a conflab, opted to flood the entire valley. To this day the only part of the valley that remains visible is ‘Fairy Rock’ - the small hill around which the fairies danced. This, according to our guide, is the legend of how Lake Bled came to be. To the uneducated, myself included, the fairies sound like a bunch of morally repugnant individuals whose parents never taught them that ‘sharing is caring’. Also, flooding an entire valley because a few sheep ate some of their grass seems like a hasty over-reaction. Nonetheless, the results of their endeavours are now Slovenia’s primary tourist attraction, and a setting that retains the charm and beauty of a fairy tale. Albeit, a fairy tale later supplanted by the less whimsical arrival of communist dictator, Tito, whose one-time residence now provides the lake with 5-star accommodation. The lake is nestled amongst Slovenia’s Julian Alps, and was actually formed as a result of glacial erosion (in a story that isn’t quite as mystical and enchanting) and is the home of the Church of Mary of the Assumption. The church is the highlight of 16 May 2022
a visit to Lake Bled and sits romantically nestled within the trees on the very island created by the fairies’ environmental disregard. Church of Mary of the Assumption is a photographer’s dream and spawned the lake’s second legendary tale. This second tale tells of a young bride, Poliksena, who lived on the island during the 16th Century. Upon the death of her husband, and in a state of extreme grieving, she cast a memorial bell from all the gold and silver she could find. Just as the bell was being delivered across the lake by a small wooden rowing boat (a clearly illogical choice for a heavy bell), a fierce storm erupted sinking the bell, the boat, and the crew. Now I know what you’re thinking – based on track record this sounds like the work of a certain group of grudge-bearing fairies! Apparently, not on this occasion. However, the grieving widow decided to flee the island and become a nun in Rome (the second ‘logical’ choice in this tale). Skip a few decades and Poliksena dies. At this point, Pope Clement VII, upon hearing the story of the recently deceased widow, casts a new bell for the island’s church and proclaimed that anyone who was a believer (in God….not fairies) and rings the bell three times will have their one most precious wish granted. Fairies, legends, nuns, bells, tragedy, and stunning scenery – Lake Bled has it all.
Practical Information As you can probably guess, climbing the 99 steps to the church and ringing the bell three times is a modern-day tradition for LEAVE FOOTPRINTS > PAGE 17
Old Town Crier
