| VanSims23. 03. 2014 14:02:41 |
Last weekend I drove along the Dolenjska motorway, crossed the border into Zagreb's western suburbs. Garmin took me to Šestine. Bad luck - the road was closed just a kilometer before the destination.  Since Zagreb's northern suburbs are more 'scattered' across the first foothills of Medvednica, and less connected, I couldn't make a simple detour on a parallel road. While driving around a bit, Garmin finally helped me find a bypass. I arrived at Šestine and drove further from the church and cemetery to the Lagvić restaurant. Parking was full, of course the nice day was inviting, at least it was still nice and sunny in the morning. There were lots of people on the path later too. After all, Sljeme is by popularity Zagreb's Šmarna gora. 
Then I found parking right at the fork of the forest path from the road. I descended it, it was a bit muddy. Then I crossed the part where a landslide had obviously taken part of the path, a detour had been made which I walked on the return. After a while I crossed a little bridge and stairs began. I immediately remembered the staircase hell from the Yinshan ascent in China, where hammering stairs on trails is standard. Well, here they passed fairly quickly and after another 10 min walk along the stream I reached Kraljičin zdenac.
From there straight ahead, past the fork of the return path, then after a while the path over Mrcina branched off. The path is indeed a bit steeper but shouldn't cause problems for the average hiker with some fitness. After this ascent followed a moderate climb through the forest and I reached the forest road. There I met two ladies who didn't know the way ahead. I wasn't fully oriented there either, but then I found the way forward and said it was probably that way according to the markers. But they didn't believe and went their own way  (we saw each other at the top later). In about 5 min I reached the road. Yes, Sljeme is reachable by car, even a bus drives up. Lots of people up there accordingly.
I headed to the TV transmitter, near which is also the hut. I waited quite a while for the waiter to come to me but there was a crowd. Well, when he came I got my Čobanac (very good Slavonian stew) and dark Velebitsko in a few minutes. Completely different service model than e.g. at some Gospodična. There were more waiters, the crowd approximately the same! As I was finishing eating an older couple asked if they could join. Of course! The lady said: "Jao, moram da idem da perem ruke od svih tih pasova!"  There really were lots of them on the path and at the top. Leashed and unleashed, all friendly. Before the hut I petted one of two nice huskies. The neighboring one was already taken by a Dalmatian. "Jesu lipi!", he said to me! 
After walking a bit more on the top, I headed down Elvirin put. I had a bit of trouble finding it, then it went smoothly. This path seemed even nicer to me than the path over Mrcina and the area is nice in general. The paths are also well marked. Meanwhile it clouded over, a little wind started blowing but nothing serious. I reached Zdenac again and returned to the car. On the way I also walked that detour which goes quite steeply up and around.
Then I drove to the nearby Mirogoj cemetery. Not only because of the huge tomb of the first president of independent Croatia, which you can't miss right after turning the corner of the chapel at the main entrance but because other famous Croats are buried there too. Then I walked a bit in the nearby suburb which in its nobility reminds of Ljubljana's Rožna dolina and there it is - the Slovenian embassy! I saw some more of them, including the Chinese one on the drive to Mirogoj. After this walk it was time to go home. The trip was nice again. When wasn't it? Obviously I have a nose for nice destinations.
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