16785

Croatia: 1st May Holiday in Hrvatsko Zagorje - Day 3

On the third day of our stay in Hrvatsko Zagorje, Lučka and Nada took the opportunity to explore the area by bike and cycled to Trakošćan Castle. Meanwhile, Rajko, Bronco, and I decided to take a more relaxed approach and drove there by car.  Once we arrived, we spent some time enjoying the beautiful surroundings of Trakošćan Lake and exploring the castle. After taking in the views and the history of this impressive place, we switched into full tourist mode and took a leisurely walk around the castle grounds. After a pleasant visit and a relaxed day of sightseeing, we headed back to our weekend residence, happy with another great experience in Zagorje.

 

Cycling and sightseeing.

Our new friend.

Trakošćan Castle - one of Croatia's best-preserved and most beautiful castles, dating back to the 13th century.

Surrounded by a landscaped park and an artificial lake, Trakošćan Castle combines cultural heritage with the natural beauty of Hrvatsko Zagorje.

Today, Trakošćan Castle serves as a museum, preserving the memory of the families who lived there and the history of the region.

Bronco.

 

After Nada and Lučka arrived, we made a group photo with the castle.

 

We switched to tourist mode for a while.

 

Playing "Prstomet", a popular Slovenian precision game, very similar to bocce, pétanque, or lawn bowls, but with a unique twist: instead of heavy balls, it is played with flat rubber discs (called ploščki).

#castle 

16784

Croatia: 1st May Holiday in Hrvatsko Zagorje - Day 2

Since we do not visit our weekend place in Hrvatsko Zagorje very often, there is always some work waiting for us when we arrive. In spring, this usually means taking care of the grass. By that time of year, it has already grown quite a bit, so mowing the lawn is not exactly a quick task - it takes some time and effort to get everything back in shape. After a productive day, the evening was reserved for good company. Nada, Bronco, and I were joined by our neighbors Rajko and Lucija, making the perfect ending to the first day - relaxing together, enjoying the evening, and appreciating the simple pleasures of being back in Zagorje.

Grass to be mown.

Work in progress.

Line by line, tree by tree.

Half of the job was done.

The end.

Time for barbecue.

The electricity arrived.

 

Time for a game of rummy by the fire.

 

Anyone cheating?

#mowing #rummy

16783

Slovenia / Croatia: 1st May Holiday in Hrvatsko Zagorje - Day 1

For the first day of the May Day holidays, I decided to set off on my own with my bike Metliška Črnina and ride towards Hrvatsko Zagorje. It was a long day in the saddle, with plenty of kilometers ahead of me and a route that promised both adventure and a bit of a challenge. Along the way, I made a few stops to search for and collect some geocaches, which added an extra layer of exploration to the ride. The weather was warm, and the heat made the journey a little more demanding, but I kept pushing forward.  In the end, after a long day of cycling, I successfully completed the entire route - 165 km under my own power - Garmin Connect. Tired but satisfied, I arrived knowing that the holiday adventure had started in the best possible way.

Riding through Kamnik.

 

After finding a geocache I stopped at beer fountain in Žalec.

Nice cycling path near Celje.

Waiting for the train.

Time for lunch just before the border.

After 8 hours and 30 minutes I arrived.

After a while, Nada also came and we had time for a shot.

Bronco was also with Nada.

Peaceful sunset.

Geocaches found (all received a visit by trackable items "Second Angel of peace", TBA8B55 and "Twin Star", TB33TN8):

- 25 za 25, GCB33F8

- Where's 25? - Locationless Cache, Locationless Cache, GCA2025

Trackable found: "Ukraine Charity GeoToken Peace", TB9A8J6 in a log of "Rastplatz Leipheim Ulm-Augsburg", GC9Z67R

#RoadCycling #geocaching

16782

Slovenia / Austria: Cycling around Vrbsko jezero

For the second year in a row, we joined the "Wörthersee car-free" 2025 event, the 28th edition of this special day around Lake Vrbsko jezero (Wörthersee). Once a year, the road around the lake is closed to motorized traffic and opened to cyclists, skaters, and all kinds of human-powered transportation. This year, I started the ride from home again, but this time I had three friends joining me. We cycled together towards Celovec (Klagenfurt), where the atmosphere of the event really comes alive with thousands of participants enjoying the freedom of the open road. Together, we completed the approximately 40 km loop around the lake, taking in the views, enjoying the relaxed pace, and making the most of a beautiful day outdoors. After finishing the ride, we ended the adventure the traditional way - with a well-deserved beer and some good conversations. Another great Wörthersee car-free experience, and a reminder that some places are best explored without an engine between you and the landscape - Garmin Connect.

My previous Vrbsko jezero tours: 2024 - 16418, 2013 - 12400, 2014 - 12904, 2016 - 13485.

 

This year 3 friends joined me on the trip from beginning.

The lake was crowded with cyclists.

On the other side of the lake.

Our break in Vrba na Koroškem (Velden am Wörther See).

 

Selfies.

 

Our second stop was at the usual place: the local fire station. A familiar stop on the route, where we took a moment to rest and enjoy a well-deserved sausage.

Some rode the classic 40 km loop, while others challenged themselves with more than 100 km. Regardless of the distance, we all had a great ride and finished the day with a sense of achievement.

#RoadCycling

16781

Slovenia: Povna peč

It was an easygoing day, so Bronco and I headed out for a hike to Povna peč (1503 m). After enjoying the views, we made our way back, stopping briefly at Koča na Ljubelju mountain hut for a well-earned break before calling it a day. A simple hike, good company, and a relaxing finish made for a perfect day outdoors - Garmin Connect.

Bronco in action.

#hiking #mountains #Karawanks #CatahoulaLeopardDog

16776

Austria: Backcountry Skiing - Hoher Sonnblick

Easter Monday have become reserved for backcountry skiing in recent years, and this year was no exception. After two days of celebrations, we set off with friends from AO Tržič and Chera Hiking towards Sveta Kri (Heiligenblut). Just before the toll station, we turned onto a side road, parked the cars, and began our adventure. The first part was a bit of a hike, as the snow had already disappeared from the valley. After some time, we were finally able to put on our skis and continue upwards on the remaining snow. The beautiful conditions at the beginning were soon replaced by poor visibility and strong winds. Nevertheless, we kept going and all reached the summit of Hoher Sonnblick, 3106 m, where we took a well-deserved break in the winter room of Zittelhaus. Hoher Sonnblick is also home to one of the highest weather observatories in Austria, that has been operating since 1886 and is one of the oldest continuously active high-altitude meteorological stations in the world. It plays an important role in climate research, weather monitoring, and the study of alpine conditions in one of the harshest environments in the Alps. We did not stay long in the hut, so we quickly packed up and started our descent back into the valley. The diffuse light made skiing challenging and caused balance problems for many of us, but we are used to dealing with such conditions. In the end, everyone made it safely back down - tired, happy, and satisfied after another memorable mountain adventure - Garmin Connect.

Previous Easter Monday backcountry skiing trips: 2024 - Končnikov vrh, 2022 - Prestreljenik, 2018 - Stol, 2016 - Ojstrc.

 

Through Sveta Kri (Heiligenblut) to the parking lot along the Kleinfleißbach.

 

We packed our backpacks and started hiking.

 

Following Franci's Knafelc trail marker.

Badžo put his skis on. I decided to wait a few more curves.

 

AT this point, I also made a decision to continue on skis. I also left the shoes on nearby tree.

We hiked up a lot. That means we will also hike down a lot.

Our direction was pretty simple, straight East and up off course.

Our destination was closer with each step, but still quite far.

The weather didn't cooperate, but we didn't give up either.

The summit of Hoher Sonnblick, 3106 m.

We did last meters without skis again.

Zittelhaus, built in 1886 and located at 3106 m on Hoher Sonnblick, has been sheltering mountaineers for more than a century while standing beside the famous Sonnblick Observatory.

Franci, Tuši and Kristina.

Resting and warming up.

Time to ski back to the valley.

 

Although on pictures, the conditions seem OK, they weren't. We had issues with diffuse light and therefore with our balance.

 

A short section of better conditions lower down gave us hope, but it didn't last. The lack of snow in the valley meant we had to continue on foot for the final stretch.

Surrounded by three-thousand-meter mountains, nestled in the middle of the Hohe Tauern National Park and right next to the gold mining village of Heiligenblut lies the Alpine inn Alter Pocher. Unfortunatelly closed today.

 

A quick stop in the historic gold mining village of the Fleiß Valley. For centuries, miners searched these mountains for Tauerngold - a reminder that the Alps hold more than just breathtaking views. No gold was found today, only one geocache.

Geocache found:

- Alter Pocher, GC1XBCD, that received a visit by trackable items "Second Angel of peace", TBA8B55 and "Twin Star", TB33TN8

#BackcountrySkiing #CheraHiking #GoldbergGroup #geocaching