Hidden Gems of Slovenia

I have traveled quite a lot in my recent years. I was fortunate enough to have curios family who wants to experience and see things first hand. After seeing most of Europe, Middle East and travelled to North America and Canada and to Southeast Asia, I have realized I've seen more cities around the world that I have actually visited in my own little country, sLOVEnia.
Slovenia is a small country with around 2 million inhabitants that lies in the middle of the Alpine world, Mediterranean, Pannonian Plain and Karst. It is surrounded by more than 50% of woods and trees and it has the most breath taking landscapes you will ever see in your life. You can visit one corner to the other in just 3,5 hours, which is usually shorter than some people spend on the road on their way to work.
Last year, me and my friends decided to escape the heat and spend a week surrounded with mountains in Upper Carniola. As proper "tourists" we started our journey in Bled. It is located on the southern foot of the Karawanks mountain range near the border with Austria, about 50 km northwest of the beautiful capital of Ljubljana. The town itself is very touristically renowned and it is build around a big lake with a little island in the middle. We parked our car and started exploring. Even though it was not our first time in Bled we've decided to start looking at it through the eyes of a newcomer. We climbed the hill, where we were greeting with the castle and the spectacular view over the lake, mountains and just greenery and nature. The castle is the oldest castle in Slovenia and still attracts the most tourist. It was build in renaissance era and its architecture combined with its location it truly is amazing. After taking lots and lots of photos we needed a break. What better way to to that than stopping by the famous Prešeren Villa for some well deserved coffee and famous "Kremšnita" - vanilla and cream pastry that is so light and delicious it melts in your mouth. As I said, I have been to Bled many times, but never had time to see it from the lake. You can rent a little rowing boat or just sit on one of the touristic ones and enjoy the scenery. We, as an adventurous bunch, decided to rent SUPs (stand up paddle boards) and explore the lake that is around 2km long and 1km wide. We paddled around the famous island on the lake and visited the church on it to ring a bell, which of course, brings luck to people who do it. Bled has so much to offer, especially for the outdoorsy.