A Dream Come True

“So what do you want to do when you finish school?”

“Well ideally I would like to travel”

“Oh yeah, where? ”

“Hmmm, well there is this little lake in Slovenia that I would really love to visit. It is probably at the top of my list. ”

“Wow cool”

“Thanks”

“Sounds fun, good luck with that”

This is the rough transcript of a conversation I had dozens of time throughout my time at Carleton. From teachers to employers, I cannot recount how many times I brought up this small obscure lake that almost no one outside of Eastern Europe had heard of.

Me at the lookout point above the lake. As happy as can be.

Well as of last week I am proud to say that I finally made this dream a reality, I visited Lake Bled. The lake itself is stunning and the weather did all it could to make sure I was blown away by my time in Slovenia. About 60 degrees with the sunshine radiating down upon the Alps that surrounded the town, my time in Bled was truly magical.

In fact so much so that when I saw the lake, had walked to the far aside, and sat down, the view literally brought me to tears. Perhaps it was because of its sheer beauty but I think it has more to do with my long history with this special body of water.

What the island looks like from the water. I took a boat and rowed out to it.

While I had never visited it before, for years I have been sharing this location with those close to me. From mentors to classmates, I have told just about anyone who would listen to me about the splendor of this little Slovenian lake. Thus to see it in person was special. It was more than just a visit, the sight brought me remarkably close to all those memories of friends, mentors, and loved ones.

So there I sat, choking back my emotions on a park bench. It may not have been the most glamorous moment of my travel (and certainly no Marina Bay Sands suite) but nevertheless I will cherish it as one of the most memorable afternoons of my journey. A heartfelt reminder that even in distance, you can still feel close to the important people in your life.

– Robert Yeagle