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During breakfast, Mom found a wallet with quite a lot of money in it. She turned it in and it turned out to belong to a Polish guy.  In gratitude, they gave her a bottle of pear liqueur, apparently a Polish treat, and some beautiful glasses.  Allegra, Iris, Tadej and I ran up a steep hill to Castle Bled. It's built right into a cliff above a lake and the view is spectacular! I could see little rowers on the bright blue water, the snow capped mountains surrounding the lake, and a little church on a tiny island. Eventually we 
 met up with our parents, and we all went to the museum. There was this one room with a really old printing press, so we got a card printed as a reminder of this beautiful place. After that we . . .


 
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My birthday turned out to be lovely.  John's second cousin, David, has a great wife that I like and two young teens that get along well with our kids - considering there is a language barrier.  They took us to a beautiful spot in the Alps (Slovenian side) - kind of like a fairy tale : Far, far away, there is a ring of snow-capped mountains, and in that ring there is a very old castle, and below that castle there is a deep blue lake, and on that lake there is a tiny green island, and on that island there is a pretty little chapel, and in that chapel there is a magical bell. Ring the bell and true love will come forever. 


 
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_We finally arrive in Slovenia, the country where my Dad was born, and I manage to contact my Uncle Flavio (Zio Flavio) two days before our arrival in the capital Ljubljana.  After a gruelling 24 hour train ride from Sophia to Ljubljana (complete with a 6 hour wait in Belgrade) we are met with my Uncle's warm hugs and smiles.  We is wearing a cap with the Maple Leaf and his car is proudly displaying the Canadian flag!  We immediately start speaking in Italian, which is our only common language.  The region of Slovenia that my family originates from is bilingual.  They all speak . . .