The biggest gathering of everything finest in the Vrbovsko region is Bundevijada – the annual festival of pumpkins! It is now 13th year in a row that the Tourist Board of Vrbovsko and the Town Hall organise this festival, which bears a mark of a fair with many to-buy-list opportunities. There are many things presented on this fair, but Bundevijada in its core is primarily about autumn and its fruits. Traditionally, people used to gather all the best from the autumn season and

No, the milk doesn’t come from the supermarket. And no, the cows are not white-purple as Milka shows it. And yes, these are mostly the messages revealed to children today. Astonishingly, we lost the touch with nature in such substantial way that our children haven’t seen ordinary things like cows or chickens. For families that do care for their offspring, and for those who care for an excellent cheese, a visit to Family Homestead Mrvoš is a must! It is situated in Ljubošina,

Right half way between Zagreb and Rijeka lies Vrbovsko, the second biggest town of Gorski Kotar, the Croatian highland region. It is a picturesque place built in two parts: lower one is separated from the upper part of the town by 450 metres! First records of Vrbovsko date back to 1481 and show it as one of the oldest inhabited places of Gorski Kotar. Originally this region belonged to the Frankopan nobles; however, due to the Turkish invasions in the 16th century, Vrbovsko b

A bee jumps all over the table, trying to take a sip from elderflower juice beautifully prepared by Mr Gani Ramadani, the charismatic owner of the Family Farm Kate. His piece of heaven on Earth is situated on a green hill just outside Vrbovsko. Sitting under a large tree and trying his homemade juices is a rest like no other! Master Gani, as we call him, also makes something he calls “pear in bottle”; it is in fact a pear brandy, but just made with mild percentage of alcohol.

The sun pushes its rays through the evergreen trees and makes a beautiful backdrop of crystal blue sky and equally perfect snow. Peace and tranquillity rule over the small valley in midst of mountains. In the centre of it, yellow walls of the Serbian Orthodox Monastery of St. John the Baptist, near the village of Gomirje, invites us to be humble and enter the realm of spirit in Gorski Kotar. As it turned out, we almost didn’t come to this place. Snow was falling heavily last

We were driving down from the centre of Vrbovsko, always sharply descending all the way to the railway station. Then, next to the wood factory, over the railway, and when you think there is absolutely nothing in front, you reach the entrance to the Kamačnik Gorge. Right at the beginning of Kamačnik is the restaurant bearing the same name, a testimony to the Vrbovsko gastronomy on the most important tourist spot of this region. The birds are singing, the sun is shining, and al