Slovenia takes pride in its green credentials. It is one of the leading pristine alpine eco-tourism destinations in the world attracting eco-tourists and wellness enthusiasts from all over the world. It is therefore, quite natural for Garden Village resort of Lake Bled to follow the green footsteps to uphold the sustainable eco-tourism efforts prevailing in the country.
Literally, I was trapped amidst the mesmerizing green ambience of the Garden Village resort set up in a well-tended garden. The resort is the brainchild of the gardener Jan, PhD in agronomy whose love for nature and the passion for gardening have created this splendid natural haven. It was a rejuvenating escape for me as I enjoyed few days in this green cradle.
Garden Village – Setting the benchmark of a Green Vacation:
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Garden Village Bled is one of the most pristine resorts of the region. It was an eye opener to me that so much of greenery bathed in pure oxygen could ever exist under the sun let alone a back-to-nature sort of plush accommodation offering copiously in terms of health and wellness.
Efforts with an intense gumption were directed making it a benchmark of eco-tourism. The resort management had been spinning a labyrinth of green and lush fairyland for years. Verdurous milieu was all around me and the other guests as well. We were plainly enchanted.
However, this wasn’t achieved overnight. Hours of meticulous study and careful nurturing of flower and fruit bearing plants, herbs and sprawling vegetation rolled into days. Days rolled into months and years. And what we received as a reward is an unspoiled world of verdant environment giving me more space for free flowing thoughts and actions.
Sustainable eco-tourism in its best form:
Image Source : photo.drprem.com
Remaining close to nature takes off stress and toxins from your body and mind, which I truly felt in Garden Village. The super accommodation facilities like pier tents, tree houses, glamping tents and luxury apartments seem to be crafted by nature itself as you step into the wooden floors, climb the wooden staircases and get amazed to see the tree trunks growing in your room.
You get the feel of freshness as your olfactory nerves sense sublime fragrance drifting in the air. The greenery within the property wasn’t left for an unplanned ubiquitous proliferation. Every seed seems to be planted in an organized fashion.
There had been a well balanced pattern everywhere and I loved to call it a ‘sustained green architecture’ throbbing with life and constantly contributing towards the wellness of people visiting the resort.
The creeks flowing beneath the pier tents, small fish ponds, the waterfall, the grass on your dining table, the stream flowing by the restaurant luring you to dip your feet in it while enjoying morning tea all surrounded by a thick vegetation provide the ideal natural setting rarely observed in other resorts.
The water bodies are clean and well maintained through constant water recycling process. The resort has its own borehole and a river flowing from Lake Bled provides additional source fulfilling the requirements of the resort.
The Organic Garden:
It is the beautiful garden of the resort that left me awestruck. I could not help but pour heaps of praises on the curator of the garden Mr. Jan whose meticulous gardening is helping the resort to run well.
Well nourished fruit bearing trees covered large areas and so did the vegetable garden. These were the outcome of carefully nurtured innovations that were translated into reality. It was really eye feasting to watch the ripe fruits and vegetables hanging on the branches ready to be picked.
It gave me more pleasure when I was given the opportunity to pick and bite fruits from those trees caring least about its cleanliness or hygiene aspects. In fact, you need not be concerned about these at all as everything you touch and feel are pure and would cause no harm to your health.
No chemical fertilizers are used. The plants thrive with natural compost and manure. The products from this organic garden formed the main constituents of the resort’s kitchen, and what was laid on the dining table tasted awesome.
Jan, the Gardener:
Image Source : photo.drprem.com
While narrating the immense goodness of this world-class eco-friendly resort, I can’t miss out the contribution of the man behind the mission, Jan the Gardener. Degrees are secondary. What was more important that I gathered was he could actually communicate with the plants and listened to what they talked back.
This amazing man has that subtle radar within him that no response goes unnoticed so far Mother Nature is concerned. By virtue of his academic pursuits, he knew everything about the plant kingdom. The right kind of fertilizer required, lifespan for each and every plant species, delicate nuances of their fruit and flower bearing potential and their utility to the humankind.
Every happening in the plant kingdom within this garden enclosure catches his rapt attention. Which plant is growing healthy and who is showing withering signs is always ready at hand. It was a highly interesting conversation with this knowledgeable person while taking a tour to the garden the details of which I would be sharing in another story.
When the entire mankind is busy in manipulating the ecosystem, this small gem quite hidden from tourism glamour is doing its bit in nature preservation serving a better purpose. With Mr. Yan as the mentor, I am convinced that Garden Village would turn out be a bright example in nature conservation for the world to follow.
