The final adventure of my Slovenia/Croatia tour a couple of years ago was dinner at Grešna Gorica, a Croatian “agriturismo” in the Zagorje region. After a visit to Kumrovec, Tito’s restored home town (see previous post), our bus took a small group of us through wine country,
Croatia Zagorje countryside
past the ancient hill castle of Veliki Tabor
Veliki Tabor castle
and wound its way up the slopes to this small farmhouse restaurant. Sunset was approaching, so the air, already cooling, got cooler. Still, I was not about to eat indoors and, luckily for me, I didn’t have to eat alone. The fare was typical Slavic comfort food – a big plate of duck and veal accompanied by buttery noodles, a salad of cabbage, lettuce and tomatoes. Bread, vegetables. Staropramen (Czech) beer for me – why I didn’t go for the local wine I can’t recall. Strudel for dessert. Very satisfying.
Grešna Gorica
Can’t remember why I didn’t get any photos of the table or the food. Check the link above for more photos, including the outdoor picnic tables beneath their protective canopy of drying corn cobs and the stunning view of the valley in the distance.
I’ve never made it to Croatia, but I’ve heard very good things about it.
Save up your pence and pounds and go! It’s relatively untouristed, prices are nowhere near as bad as other places and the people are terrific. The scenery is stunning and varied – beaches all along a coastline that goes on for hundreds of miles (which is an amazing admission from this most UNbeachy blogger) and amazing interior landscapes. The overall feel is of an ancient Venice (without the canals) because so much of the country was part of the Venetian empire back in the day. I’d better stop crowing about it – I need a new roof this summer and if I keep rattling on, I’ll talk myself into another trip!
Cheers for the tips! I’ll definitely add it to my (ever growing) list. 🙂