Yesterday was our first Croatian adventure. We knew we wanted to get out of the city and experience the whopping 40 degrees in all its glory. I'd done some research on possible day trips, but it turns out we didn't even need to leave Zagreb. About 15 minutes out of town there stands Sljeme Mountain. It took us roughly $1.50 to get out there (not bad!!) and this particular national park was free.
When coming to Europe, I knew that I'd have to make compromises. One of them was hiking gear... I know,too bad, hiking boots and spear weren't able to come. I strolled up this the mountain -rather athletically and quick I may add- in jeans, my nearly soulless boots, and with a foot long sub sandwich hanging out my jacket. We'd packed sandwiches for the walk, and it was a 5th appendage. The trails weren't very wide, so by the time I was done it looked like I'd smashed my sandwich with a hammer. Some of the trails intersected with roads, or areas that had been graveled for hikers. This was a HUGE reprieve from the leaf stacks we had to tredge through for the other half.
When we reached the almost top, we found a huge abandoned building. Nearly all of the buildings in Croatia are built out of stone, so their foundations seem to last forever. The roof was either caved in or blown off, and the only remnants of windows were the holes accompanied with a few hinges. The building was really beautiful, though. It had one of the best views of the city, and some creepy things were still perfectly intact. The floor, for instance. Tiling, everywhere. Through the leaves and mud you could see exactly the color and pattern that was given to the floor. It gave the building a very 'once lived in feel'. AND!! As if this wasn't enough!
Who else do we find out there?
A sleeping cop.
Yes, that's right. He'd gotten out of the driver's side (way too uncomfortable), switched to the passengers, and left the car running for heat. He drove all the way up a mountain to take a little snoozer. It was really funny. We had a good couple laughs at his expense, took a picture with his car in the background, and moved on.
We hiked all day, and the sun was starting to set when we made our way back for the train station. It felt REALLY good to get out and move around, which is something that's been hard for me on our trip. Without a gym membership, getting in a run or a sweat of any kind was near impossible. I use to do occasional sit ups and pilates in our room, but you can only take weird stares from so many people. So in a way, today is a small victory for me. I'll be lacing up my sneakers for the first time in almost three months.. I'll probably only make it around the block, but you have to start somewhere!
- We took a lot of pictures of the mountain that I was so excited to put up. Unfortunately, our internet is touchy to say the least... so until then..
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