Visit the only real island in Slovenia,” said the tourist information brochure, “and ring the Wishing Bell in the church”. Like kissing the Blarney Stone in Ireland, it sounded very touristy, but was something that a visitor just has to do.

The island in question, Blejski Otok, is in Lake Bled. The forested slopes around the lake and the Karavanke Mountains serve as the background to this heavenly spot. On the island is the Church of the Assumption, where there has been a wishing bell since 1534.