Hot Air Ballooning above Lake Bled

A remarkable experience of hot air ballooning above Lake Bled with a view of the majestic Julian Alps.

By LAJF INC.

April 23^rd, 2017

early morning wake-up

I am not a morning person, so the early wake-up call from my phone alarm startles me. “What? Where am I? What is going on? What do I have today? …” Oh yeah! Of-course, I have a hot air balloon flight today and not just any hot air balloon flight! Our goal will be to fly over the magical Lake Bled and to enjoy the far reaching views of the Julian Alps and the Karawanken range. “This range is without a doubt considered as one of the most beautiful ones in Europe,” says a bit later, standing on a wide meadow, covered in morning dew, the experienced pilot Grega. He is as experienced as they can get, for he has been in ballooning business for thirty years now. Even he doesn’t know how many times he has flown, all the locations he saw from up above and how much time he has spent in the balloon basket so far. As the day was slowly awakening, the balloon was also gaining the right shape for take off.

up from the ground

At the moment the sun came over the Karawanken range on the east, we slowly boarded the balloon basket. We were full of expectations and with a bit of the pleasant fear of the unknown. A moment later, our balloon gained the final, well known powerful shape with a little help of extra warm air. We slowly began to rise and I must admit that I haven’t expected such a perfect feeling. It is a remarkable moment, when the force of warm air in a shell, picks you up from the ground and slowly moves you away from mother earth. The silence up in the air is complete and only interrupted by the sharp sound of the gas device, which adds warm air into the balloon.

an unforgettable and complete sense of presence

We gained a couple of ten meters in the next few seconds, where a wonderful view of the surrounding area opened up. We had an almost kitschy view of Lake Bled and its island. We travelled up higher, where a unique panoramic view of Lake Bled, Bled Castle, surrounding villages and Julian Alps in the background, opened up. They were at the palm of our hands. We had an excellent view of the highest Slovenian mountain, Mt Triglav. The color of lake’s surface from a bird’s perspective is fresh blue and all around is a remarkable quantity of green. This magical mix of colors, clear views and silence in the air is the most one can feel when traveling through air mass. An unforgettable and complete sense of presence. And all this above Lake Bled!

fantasy of movement in the air

The air mass slowly carried us to the eastern part of Bled basin and away from the lake. The pilot mentioned that morning time is the best for ballooning due to the movements of air, which comes in from the Alps. Conditions that are created, make a balloon flight a true fantasy of movement in the air. The flight is experienced as a soothing energy. This feeling is something you get used to in the air and then its just pure enjoyment.

unforgettable experience

Hot air balloon flight above Bled, at the door of the Julian Alps, is an unforgettable experience. There is a reason that it is said that one has to experience at least one balloon flight in one’s lifetime. To feel the power of hot air, air masses, to hear the sharp sound of the gas device and to enjoy the soothing silence with remarkable views in bird’s perspective. A hot air balloon flight is a first class way of recharging your batteries and gaining new, unforgettable experiences. When the flight comes to an end, the tour is concluded with a tasty Bled Cream Cake and a relaxed debate between the pilot and all who experienced the flight. With this, the ballooning adventure is complete.