Smita Satish gives us a glimpse of Slovenia through her sketches, paintings, and doodles that she made while exploring Slovenia’s scenic landscapes and lakes.

Since I moved to Europe, the picturesque lake Bled in Slovenia was always on my bucket list. The Renaissance styled medieval age Bled castle overlooking the lake is one of the main attractions of this unexplored country. The clear waters, reflections and the amazing view of the Bled castle just had me sit there and capture it all on my canvas!

Illustration of Bled island

The castle visit was a memorable one. I am not a big fan of visiting castles, but this one seemed special. For an entry fee of Euro 11, you can, explore this medieval age architectural structure and also see the cast iron crafts here.

Castle at Bled

The city has cycles that you can rent and explore the town. We cycled around the lake – more or less a non gradient path – that took us approximately 2 hours. Our bike ride was interspersed with many breaks – and it was worth the experience… The lake is also surrounded by a town square with lots of eateries, bakeries, and pizzerias. The Bled cream cake there is a ‘must-eat’ if you like me have a sweet tooth!

Slovenia’s national park – the Triglav, one of Europe’s oldest national park, stretches over an area of 838 square kilometers and boasts of the largest glacial lake in Slovenia – Bohinj, two famous waterfalls – Savica and Peričnik, and the striking gorge of the River Radovna – the Bled Vintgar.

A two-kilometer canyon walk along the blue waters with many waterfalls at Vintgar Gorge is totally worth the trip. A visit in Autumn gets you to see colourful nature so wonderfully blended with the clear waters of the gorge.

Statue of a dragon at Bled

The Sloveninan capital Ljubljana is also known as the dragon city. A 45-minute drive from Bled brings you to Ljubljana – a city of beautiful and architecturally interesting bridges, such as Dragon bridge, triple bridge, Butcher’s bridge (Bridge of Love), cobbler’s bridge to name a few.

The Preseren Monument and its square are unique with lots of colors; The triple bridge opens up to this square and is the most photographed tourist location.

Overall as an artist, I loved the country especially at its colourful best in Autumn. Enjoy the video of a simple illustration and watercolor of Preseren monument!

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