The Wintery Road from Bled through Kranjska Gora into Italy

What a fabulous drive this was! Our host at the pension in Bled recommended we save a few Euros by taking this route into Italy rather than paying to go back into Austria through the Karawanken tunnel. He didn't mention the scenery might be some of the most spectacular we would have ever seen. What a wonderful surprise to find ourselves surrounded by such incredible beauty. These scenes were between Kranjska Gora and the Italian border:

The following photos were right across the Italian/Slovenian border in Italy. I thought this was a shallow lake but after checking the area on Google Maps, it appears that it was a flooded field that froze. Don't let the blue skies and sunshine fool you—it was really very cold.

As the wind blew, tiny ice crystals would blow off the trees and fill the air with what looked like millions of diamonds falling. What a marvelous, unforgettable sight! Wish you had been there to see it with me.

These are traditional Slovenian hay-drying racks. I love the way they look.