Spending time in a Winter Wonderland

Bled is one of the most peaceful places I have ever spent a holiday. This quaint little city was a great place for us to just relax and enjoy the landscape.

Since we were staying in Bled for 5 days, we rented an apartment at Apartment Rus Bled.  This was one of the best apartments we have ever rented. It is the only apartment rented by the Rus family; and is conveniently located in the center of town and walking distance to everything.  Because it was the only apartment and the family lived upstairs, we got a chance to talk with them about a variety of things from places to eat to life in pre- and post-war Slovenia.

During one of our many conversations, we were telling them that we hadn't seen much snow since we moved to Germany. Guess we spoke to soon, because the next morning Bled turned into a beautiful winter wonderland.

The backyard of our rental apartment

From our kitchen window

Front of our rental apartment

Bled Castle & Lake Bled

A boat waiting to take passengers to Bled Island

The ice skating rink with St. Martin's Parish
in the background.

Bled's Post Office

Of course our next conversation with Irena, the matriarch of the family, was about how we had not seen that much snow since we left Chicago! She told us that at least three times a week she walks her dog around the lake, and recommend that we do it. She went on to tell us that it would take us about an hour, and that it would be a great opportunity for us to see more of the city.

Here are a few shots from our walk around Lake Bled before the sun went down.

St. Martin's Parish

Local restaurant on the Lake

Ducks bathing in Lake Bled

Center of Bled in the distance

Bled Castle overlooking Lake Bled

During our walked around the lake, we saw the path where we could walk up to the castle. So guess what was on our agenda for the next day...

Day Trip to Ljubljana, Slovenia

In planning our holiday, we knew we wanted to make Bled as our ultimate destination. Bled is centrally located in the Slovenian Alps, which allowed us to take day trips to other popular cities within Slovenia, as well as other countries.

On the day after Christmas, we spent the afternoon in Ljubljana, which is the capital of Slovenia. Ljubljana is about 45 min. from Bled. Though many of the shops in Ljubljana were closed on the day after Christmas due to a national holiday, we were still able to get a glimpse of this city of bridges, as well as their Christmas market.

Three Bridges

Three Bridges and its cobblestone road

Christmas Market @ Preseren Square

Statue of France Preseren, Slovenia's National Poet &
writer of the country's national anthem

Franciscan Church of the Annunciation

Gluhwein & Castles

After snacking at the Christmas market, we found our way to a historic square in Ljubljana, Congress Square also known as Park Zvezda (Star Park) by the locals. This square was once the site of the medieval Capuchin monastery, and in 1821 it was turned into a park. During the Congress of Ljubljana, the park was often used for ceremonial purposes.

Local art designs in Congress Square aka Star Park

Cafes outside of  Congress Square aka Star Park

A Brazilian restaurant @ Star Park

Christmas Night in Bled, Slovenia

Finally, we made it to Bled, Slovenia! We are trying to see as much as possible in a short amount of time, and at the same time RELAX! I think we pick the right place. Like Innsbruck, when we arrived to Bled on Christmas Day it was late in the evening.

Bled, Slovenia at night

Evening Ice Skating in the City Center 

After a long day of sightseeing and traveling, it was time for a good meal and a great bottle of wine. At the recommendation of our host, we had the most amazing meal at one of the cutest and quaint restaurants in Bled, Ostarija Peglez'n.

The outside of Ostarija Peglez'n

Inside of Ostarija Peglez'n

Our favorite Slovenian Wine

I don't like sharing photos of food, but I do love sharing photos of great bottles of wines.

A Christmas Treat: Salzburg, Austria

On Christmas day, we were back on the road. When we take these road trips, we typically drive between 2-2 1/2 hours and stop. To drive from Innsbruck, Austria to Bled, Slovenia is a little over 4 hours. On our route, we had to pass Salzburg, which is a major historical city in Austria. After doing a little research, I discovered that Salzburg has an Advent Christmas Market from Nov. 20-Dec. 26. I can never get enough of Christmas markets.

Advent Christmas Market in Salzburg

Christmas carolers  @ Salzburg Christmas Market

Advent Market in Salzburg

I'm sorry to admit this, but I have never seen the movie Sound of Music in its entirety. I had no idea until my brother told me literally the other day that movie was even filmed in Salzburg. However, of the few parts of the movie that I did see, I only seem to remember children running and singing through green pastures. But much to our surprise, Salzburg had a lot more to offer than just green pastures.

As we drove into Salzburg's Old Town, we saw this amazing castle on the hill, the Hohensalzburg Castle, which is one of the largest medieval castles in Europe.  

Hohensalzburg Castle

Closer view of Hohensalzburg Castle

There was just so much to see Salzburg and we could not see everything in a few hours. So, sorry for the short blog, but there will be a longer one in a couple of days. We have decided that we are going back after we leave Bled. Stay tuned....next stop Bled, Slovenia!

Back on the road

Christmas in the Mountains: Innsbruck, Austria

As a child growing up in the States, every two to four years I would enjoy watching the winter and summer Olympics. Being from Atlanta, home of the 1996 Olympics, I have always been interested in visiting other olympic cities. Day 2 of our road trip and our second stop was to Innsbruck, Austria, which was the host of the 1964 & 1976 Winter Olympics.

Olympic Stadium Innsbruck

As we literally drove over the mountain and through the woods, at night I might add, we really could not see the essence of Innsbruck. To our surprise on Christmas Eve, we woke up to one of the most breathtaking views, I have ever seen.

View from hotel looking into Old Town Innsbruck

Another view from our room

Christmas Eve is the last day for many of the Christmas Markets in Innsbruck. Also, we found out that many of the restaurants and shops close between 2-3 pm on Christmas Eve. If you don't make dinner reservations early enough (30 days in advance) be prepared to order room service, or be prepared to visit one of the Kebab places by the train station. They seem to really be racking up on this night....

Fortunately, we were able to see two of the Christmas markets, but we missed the main one. They were breaking down the main market by the time we got to it, but we did get to see one thing, a Swarovski Crystal Christmas Tree.  I can only imagine what this looked like at night.

Swarovski Christmas Tree

Inside the Crystal Tree

Explanation of all of the different crystals that made up the tree

As we continued our stroll through Innsbruck's Old Town, there were a few interesting creatures that we met along the way. Each of them had their own little story...

First, I would like you to meet Der Riese vom Glungezer (The Glungezer Giant). Legend has it that Der Riese vom Glungezer, lived in a cave on near Glungezer mountain. He would yell so loud that he would cause avalanches and mudslides into nearby villages. But like most men, he had a soft spot for the ladies. In one of the villages close to the mountain lived King Tulfeirner with his three daughters.  The giant fell in love with one of the King's daughters. In the picture below, the giant is dressed in his best attire to meet the King. Though he had all of the best intentions and really wanted to impress the King, there was just no way he would be the King's son-in-law. But the King was not completely rude, he did send this sweet giant back home with several baskets.

Der Riese vom Glungezer (The Glungezer Giant)

The Glungezer Giant in formal attire being photo bombed

Next, I would like you to meet Frau Mitt, who was a giant woman who lived on a mountain over looking Innsbruck with her son.  Frau Mitt was known for treating the poor very unkind. One day, her son came home all dirty, and she ordered a servant to clean him up with milk. Legend has it that the servant was a witch, and turned Frau Mitt into stone, and her land into a rocky deserted area unable to grow anything. Today, hikers are able to climb Frau Mitt.

Frau Mitt before being turned to stone

We could not visit Innsbruck without seeing some of the tourist attractions. One of the places I was really looking forward to seeing was the Goldenes Dachl (The Golden Roof). Built 1500, the balcony under the Golden Roof was used to protect Emperor Maximilian and his wife as they watched different events in the square.

Me with the Golden Roof in the distance

The Golden Roof

No visit to any European city is complete without a visit to a cathedral, but even more so during this special time of year. With this being said, we stopped by Dom zu St. Jakob also known as Cathedral of St. James which was completed in 1724, 52 years before the signing of the United States' Declaration of Independence.

Dom zu St. Jakob

The outside of Dom zu St. Jakob

Inside Dom zu St. Jakob

The Nativity Scene outside of the Cathedral

All Roads Lead to Bled, Slovenia

Merry Christmas! Frohe Weihnachten! Joyeux Noel!


For the last four years, my husband and I have lived in Luxembourg and Germany. We have done an awful lot of traveling, but I never took the time to write about our experience. My husband made the suggestion when we first moved to Europe that I should write a blog, but I thought who would care what I had to say. But, then I thought about it, what happens when I get old? Will I remember all of our experiences and how much fun would it be to read my own stories 20 years from now.

Christmas is one of the best times to explore Europe, as well as a time to celebrate new and old traditions. As a new tradition, I have decided to start Tannis' Christmas Blog. During the holidays for the last couple of years, we have taken road trips across Europe. Last year, for example, we took a10-day road trip to Prague, Czech Republic. We really enjoyed exploring Eastern Europe and this year we decided to explore it even more. Over the next 8 days, I hope you will follow us as we travel to Bled, Slovenia.

Before we hit the road, we kicked our Christmas holidays off with the majestic sounds of the annual Children's Choir Christmas Concert at the Cologne Dom in Cologne, Germany.

Children's Choir - Cologne Dom

On December 23rd, we left Bonn, Germany and started our journey with our first stop in Stuttgart, Germany.

For over 300 years, Stuttgart has hosted one of the oldest Christmas Markets in Germany. Visiting the various Christmas Markets in Germany is always a fun experience. Each one is different, which gives you a glimpse of the traditions for that region. In Bonn, one of the things that we look forward to every year is the Flamm Lachs mit Brot (Salmon cooked over a fire with French bread). In Cologne, we enjoy the Bratwurst and Gluhwein. In Stuttgart, they had a Flamm Mackerel. My husband likes fish, but not when you have to pick the bones out yourself so we didn't try it. Instead, we tried their version of Flamm Lach, and it was nothing like Bonn's.

Flamm Lach @ Bonn Christmas Market

Flamm Markerel @ Stuttgart Christmas Market

No market is complete without Gluhwein!

One of the other interesting things about Stuttgart's Christmas Market were the decorations on top of each vendor's booth.

Santa overlooking the Market

Shopping at the Christmas Market

An angel overlooking a crowded market