Lake Bled is located at a point in the where 3 countries come together - Slovenia, Austria and Italy

A small boat rows us over to an island in the lake

Where the church of St Mary of the Assumption is located

Originally built in the 9th century

It contains the "wishing bell"

Legend says that ringing the bell will make your wish come true

View from the island

Our next stop is the castle perched 300 feet above the lake.
It dates from 1004 A.D but the fortifications took several centuries to complete

View from the castle

See the island 300 feet below

The castle contains many artifacts in the museum

Including a topographic model of the region

Looking back up at the castle from the path

View from the town below

The town church

The Christmas Markets are still open