The Island of wishes on Lake Bled, Slovenia

Lake Bled and its Island of Wishes, Slovenia

Lake Bled is one of Slovenia’s most beautiful lakes – quite a statement that, since this country is indeed one of the most beautiful ones that I have seen. In the middle of this lake lies a small island with a Church on top of it… It reminds me of Pokhara in Nepal – the Fewa Lake with the island in the middle and the temple on it…

The Church on the Island in the middle of the Lake Bled

This beautiful church has a fabulous view and hence many want to get married here… There are 99 steps up to the church and traditionally, the groom is supposed to carry the bride up these in order for their marriage to be happy…

There are lots of legends around this island, as is the case with most beautiful places… and people, I dare say… 😉

Legends of Lake Bled

An interesting legend on the formation of Lake Bled is that once upon a time there was a chapel in the middle of a pasture where shepherds grazed their sheep. The sheep apparently desecrated the chapel and so God created a Lake around it for protection!

Oh, and another one is about a lady who lived on the island with her husband. All was going well till one day some robbers killed her husband and dumped the body in the Lake Bled. She was terribly sad and decided to melt all her gold and silver to cast a bell for the chapel in his memory. But again, misfortune struck – the bell, boat and boatmen sank during a storm while bringing the bell to Bled. She then sold everything, gave the money to build a new church on the island and became a nun in Rome.

After her death, the Pope heard of her work and donated a new bell for the chapel. He said anyone who rings wishes hard and rings the bell thrice will have his/ her wish come true… Apparently sometimes, you can still hear the lost bell ringing from the bottom of the Lake bled!

The place is a must-visit if you happen to be in Slovenia, and even otherwise… It is quite close to Ljubljana the capital and very accessible by road. For more details on how to get there, https://beyonder.travel/tour/croatia/.

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