After a few days of soaking up the history( and the sunshine) in Dubrovnik, we headed north to Plitvice Lakes National Park. It couldn’ t have been more different from the coast. Cool, green, and peaceful, with waterfalls everywhere you looked. The wooden walkways wound through crystal-clear lakes that changed color in the light. It wasn’ t a filming location, but it definitely felt magical in its own way.
Next, we crossed into Slovenia, where we based ourselves in Lake Bled. I had seen pictures of the church on the island in the middle of the lake, but they don’ t do it justice. It’ s straight out of a fairy tale. We took a traditional pletna boat out to the island, climbed the steps, and rang the wishing bell. Later, we hiked up to Bled Castle for the view— snow-capped mountains, the lake, and the little island all spread out below us. It was one of those perfect travel moments.
Even though we weren’ t doing Thrones-related activities in Slovenia, the vibe still fit— castles, dramatic landscapes, and plenty of time to talk about the show. Carol and I had long debates about our favorite characters( we’ ll never agree on Cersei), and we kept slipping back into our queenly personas every time someone mentioned dragons or royalty.
This trip was more than just sightseeing— it was about stepping into a world we’ d only seen on screen and making it our own. We may not have dragons, but we definitely had adventure, laughter, and a few moments of feeling like royalty.
Who knows where we’ ll go next. But for one unforgettable trip, we were the queens of our own story.
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