Bled Runner

Friday May 18.  Made our way from Plitvice, Croatia to Bled, Slovenia.  When we were driving to Plitvice just south of Karlovac I noticed a number of houses that appeared to be abandoned which seemed strange as there always seems to be a shortage of housing.  A little research yielded some answers.  These properties are owned by Serbs who had fled during the war and have not returned to reclaim them.  It is good to see the Croatian government respecting the property rights of its citizens even in the case of war.  I would like to learn a little bit more about this war having experienced the country firsthand.

We stopped at a war memorial in Turanj and saw a few implements of the recent war.  Many of the buildings in this town still bear pock marks from bullets and total destruction from artillery.  Why do we have wars?  Asked Riley.  The short answer is - war is always the result of sin.  We find in the letter from James, chapter 4 - 'What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you?  Is not this, that your passions are at war within you?  You desire and do not have, so you murder.  You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.  You do not have, because you do not ask.  You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 

We hiked around Lake Bled today with its fairy tale island church and cliff top castle.  It was a stroll that takes normal folks 1.5 hours, but after a boat to the island and dinner our round trip was about 6 hours :-). Chatting with the waitress, we found that she is from Bled but she says she has seen this too often and has lost appreciation.  I think we in Colorado may suffer the same thing at times.  I remember when I first moved West, I was in awe, still am, but maybe less

 often then I should be.

Part of the lore of the lake is that is that a groom who carries his bride up all 99 stairs from the lake to the church will be blessed with good fortune.  Every Saturday brings many a pre-wedded couple to first stair.  So I had to do it.  Patti was rather resistant, telling me I was going to blow out my knee, but I out stubborned her.  Climbed all those stairs without so much as a pause.  All 76 of them.  Oops, the famed stairs Were on the other side from where we landed.  Oh well.  Tara said that we will only have 75% good fortune now.  The Austrians we were chatting with on the boat got a big kick out of that.

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Ok, I think I am all caught up on my photos, links up on the right.