The Dachstein area in Austria, would have to be one of the most beautiful places i have visited. My only regret is not staying longer, a lot longer. This is one place that i will return to one day and spend a lot of time covering all the mountain villages. Plus the people here are so friendly.

Its a 7 hour journey to Bled. I had to go via Salzburg to get to Bled. So i arrive at Salzburg train station and have an hour to wait for the connecting train. While waiting a get to see some of the Syrian refugees alighting from a train. The are escorted by police and security off the platform, but have no idea where they are taken.
Anyway the train arrives and i get on board. Its fairly packed, but i manage to find a seat, and the guy sitting next to me turns out to be an aussie from Sydney. We talk for a liitle, but he tells me he has just flown in and is suffering form jetlag, and would like to sleep. He is going to Ljubljana, which is about 5 hours. So i let him sleep and have a nap myself.
Now i get a little concerned at one of the stations, as i watch the next carriage get disconnected and the train disappears into the distance while we are still sitting at the station. We are then hooked up to another train that starts going back in the direction we have just come. Oh no, have i been sitting in the wrong carriage, and now going to the wrong destination. Try to find a conductor, but there are none. Most people are either asleep or dont speak english. So i start to get a little concerned, i dont wont to end up at the wrong town. After an hour or so my gps on the phone shows that i am now heading towards Bled.
That was a scary time, as there was nothing on the ticket saying so carriages were going in a different direction. Now i know for next time to ask if something like this is going to happen.

Anyway i arrive in Bled and need to quickly walk across the road and find the bus that will take me into Bled, about 6 ks away. If i dont get the 6pm bus i have to wait till 8pm. Well as luck would have it i meet some very nice people from the UK who have booked a taxi, and offer to drop me in Bled. A short walk and i am at my nice cosy apartment.

I dont think i will be seeing much of Bled going by the weather forecast. Rain and thunderstorms. It starts about 8pm, light rain that turns into a down pour. Huge rumbles of thunder that go one for minutes. Hope it clears by the morning.

Nope, its still raining and the thunder has started again. I guess my good luck with the weather has finally run out. I still manage to walk around Bled Lake, and it is spectacular, even in the rain. Plenty of other tourists also out braving the weather. My hope is that i get some sunshine as the lake and the Castle would make for some beautiful pictures.

It is silent this morning, no rain, but after opening the back door i discover it is very foggy. I decide to go to the Vingtar Gorge, about a 4k walk form Bled. Unfortunately they have closed the entrance to the gorge due to all the rain yesterday. It has turned the river into a raging river. The level has risen so much that the staff are telling people it is too dangerous. Not to worry, at least i have sunshine. So its back to Bled and take another walk part way round the lake to see the sights with the sun shining.

Fist place i go to this morning is the tourist info office to ask them if the gorge is open today. I am told it is open, so i will take a walk there again. Well i am not disappointed. The old wooded path weaves its way around the cliff face of the gorge. The gorge was impressive and the noise of the raging river was very loud. There were places along the path where you had no choice but to get wet from either the mist of the water dripping off the rocks. Glad i went back.
The rest of the afternoon was spent sitting in a rotunda with a few people from Australia while it drizzled with rain.
Tomorrow i am off to Ljubljana.