Still in Zagreb....

I got up with the best intentions on Wednesday morning.  I was going to leave Zagreb and head to Austria and in particular Vienna but in the end I decided to stay put for another day.  In the afternoon I sent a text to Alan one of the lads from Zagreb to say I was still here and he invited me to dinner at his house with him and his wife Mirella.   Mirella made a lovely local meal of turkey cooked in a gorgonzola cheese sauce and potatoes cooked with flour.  It was delicious and afterwards Alan and I decided to go for a ride.

Mirella                

We first went to the main square in Zagreb before passing the Cathedral on the way to a large hill called Medvednica,  Medved means bear in Croatus and they used to live in the forest on and around the hill hence the name.  Now unfortunately Alan kept hold of the camera so there may be a few more pictures of me than normal,  I apologise now.

Once we started getting towards the top, the view of Zagreb was impressive, nearly as impressive as the people I saw running up it!

Main Square.

Cathedral with the necessary scaffolding.

I did warn you.

We came to a village called Gornja Stubica where in 1573 there was a peasant revolt against the local lord because of his poor treatment towards them.  They were led by a man named Matija Gubec, meetings were held under a large Lime tree near to the local church in the village and he raised an army of some 10,000.  On 9th of February there was a fierce battle at Stubicko Polje but he was defeated.  Over 3,000 peasants were killed in the battle and many more survivors were hanged or maimed.  Gubec was tried and executed.  His execution comprised of him being made to wear a crown that had been heated in a fire before having a horse tied to each arm and leg.  He was then pulled apart by the horses.  There is a statue of Gubec in the village and the tree is still alive, although now hollow it is supported by metal poles and banding.

After that we headed off to Samobor which is famous in the region for making a certain kind of cake.  It has flaky pastry and is filled with a cream made from vanilla and eggs.  The pieces are very big, I had one and it was quite nice but unsurprisingly Alan had two.  We then headed back to Zagreb before I said my goodbyes.  Once again I had met some very kind people on this trip, thanks.