LAKE BLED - Croatia and Slovenia - page 904

Pull back on the stick to slow down, push forward on the stick to go faster. You'll drop 480
feet in altitude on the 570-yard-long track, speeding up to about 25 miles per hour as you
race toward the lake.
Cost and Hours: €8/ride, cheaper for multiple rides, chairlift only-€4, weather-depend-
ent—if it rains, you can't go; most of April daily 11:00-17:00; May-late June Sat-Sun only
11:00-18:00; late June-Aug daily 10:00-20:00; Sept daily 11:00-18:00; most of Oct Sat-Sun
only 11:00-17:00; closed late Oct-early April.
Getting There: The track is high on the hillside just south of town, beyond Grand Hotel
Toplice. The chairlift goes up the hill from the parking lot just past the hotel.
Adventure Park (Pustolovski Park)
Next to the luge at the top of Mount Straža, this park has a series of five high-ropes courses
designed for everyone from five-year-olds to adults. You'll get rigged up in a safety harness
andgothroughatrainingcourse,thenbesetlooseonyourchoiceofcourses(withhelpfrom
spottersontheground);planonspendingabouttwohourstodoallofthem.It'sasteephike
up the hill, or you can pay €4 to ride the chairlift for the luge ride (or pay €8 to ride the
chairlift up and luge back down).
Cost and Hours: €19 for adults, €15 for kids 7-14, €10 for kids under 7, late June-Aug
daily10:00-18:00,firsthalfofSeptdaily11:00-18:00,shorterhoursandSat-Sunonlyrestof
season, closed late Oct-early April, last entry 2 hours before closing, mobile [phone],
www.pustolovski-park-bled.si .
▲ Kralov Med Beehive Demonstration
Tucked in Selo village, a long walk or short drive from Bled, this fascinating countryside
sightisworth ▲▲▲ (orzzz)forfansoftheapiculturalarts.(First,readuponbeekeepingon
here .) Local beekeeper Blaž Ambroži č has built an apiary (freestanding house of beehives)
and teaches visitors all about this very Slovenian form of agriculture. First you'll see the
painted panels, with bees buzzing in and out. Blaž's prize possession is a gigantic Winnie-
the-Pooh-style hive that he transplanted from a tree trunk. He'll demonstrate how you can
holdyourhandwithininchesofthebuzzinghivewithoutgettingstung,thankstothepeace-
ful nature of the indigenous Carniolan bee. Inside, you can watch through a big (and safe)
windowasBlažpullsoutthehoneycombframesfromthehiveandworkswithhisbees.You
can sample (and buy) different types of honey, along with other bee-related gifts. Outside is
a perennial garden that demonstrates when various plants blossom, providing much-needed
pollen for the bees.
Cost and Hours: €4/person, call or email a day ahead to arrange a time, demonstrations
usually last an hour or more and may even run for just two people, Selo pri Bledu 26, tel.
041-657-120, www.kralov-med.si , [e-mail] .