We exited our Uber at the town square shown
above. Tomislav square was decked out for the 196th edition of Fasnik, a two-week
celebration highlighted by musical performances in the square
and masked revelry everywhere. Appropriately, the square was
festooned with attractions for the children and a large stage
for performances. Perhaps out of caution, its famed fountain was
covered with a decorative cloth. Perhaps the highlight of a
visit to Samobor (at least to our Croatian friends) is stopping
at the U Prolaz Cafe to sample their kremsnite, a type of cream cake that Samobor
is famous for, and this cafe reputedly serves the best version
of this Croatian
treat. Although Tracy and 
Hans
were somewhat skeptical about this "tourist trap" venture, they
quickly changed their mind upon sampling it--heaven for only 12
Kuna (2 dollars). The photo to the left shows the outside of the
cafe, while the creme de la creme of cream cakes is featured in
the photo to the right. At the bottom
left is a photo of the interior.
There is a small
stream running through the town, with the two sections joined by
three bridges, the most scenic of which is the Most Grada
Velesa, or Velesa city bridge, shown in the photo to the left.
The majority of the historic sites are located on the southern
side of the bridge, including the Church of Anastaziaj and the
Sambor Museum, both described in the virtual tour below. Walking
along the banks of the stream offers any number of picturesque
views, as shown in the photo to the right.
There is also a
version of this tour designed specifically for VR
headsets such as Google Cardboard, and it works
with both iPhone and Android devices. It may be
accessed by scanning on the QR code to the left.
If you are viewing this on a mobile phone, you may
access the VR tour by following this
link.
For iOS devices: scan QR code with your device's camera app, tap on the prompt to open Safari. Select "Allow Device Motion" and the next prompt, "Allow Access to Motion Orientation." Turn the device to landscape mode and a split screen will appear. When the screen turns white, swipe up for fullscreen mode, and place in headset. Here is a video of how to do this--it is simpler than it sounds! [The video opens in a new window--close when done to return to this page]
For Android devices: Open the camera app and use the built-in scanner to scan the QR code above. Confirm that you want to open the website, and wait for it to load--it should load in stereo view. Select the fullscreen ("X" option) from the menu at the bottom. Turn the device to landscape mode and you are ready to go. Here is a video of how to do this--it is simpler than it sounds! [The video opens in a new window--close when done to return to this page]
Following our tour of the town
and the nearby Samobor Castle, we stopped for a late lunch at
Restaurant Krčma Gabreku 1929
for a late lunch. The restaurant came highly recommended
by locals and guidebooks alike, and was bustling with a late
lunch crowd. The restaurant is located at the parking lot for
the Samobor Castle, about a ten minute walk on the main road
from the west side of King Tomislav Square. The photo on the
left shows the restaurant's modest exterior, which belies its
interior space, shown in the photo to the right. We started with
a double order of the fried mushrooms, and then Tracy dined on a
veal soup, while Dale and Hans tucked into a duck dish featuring
large pieces of duck on a bed of mlinci, which is made with flour and tastes
like a cross between bread and pasta. It is served with Turkey
in traditional Croatian Christmas gatherings. The duck was
tender and the mlinci
was filling.