My dad had rented a car and decided for a cheeky one-day trip to Lake Bled in Slovenia before we headed for our Croatia trip. The roads and highways in Slovenia were mostly bare and empty, but after a few hours you could see the snowy alps and mountains peeking at a distance as you approached Lake Bled.  It was late March, but the air was still cold and crisp, and the trees were still recovering from the winter. The church at the heart of Lake Bled rested on a small island, with the Julian Alps painted as its backdrop.