I have seriously had Spring fever lately and to celebrate the first day of Spring we went for a hike to Grebengrad. Grebengrad was one of two major fortresses in this area around 1200 AD. Hungaria Counts lived here and soon moved the settlement to a nearby valley which is now Novi Marof. The walls of Grebengrad are still somewhat standing and it's a great hike up to this historical landmark.
I am a bit of a flower nerd and I'm constantly on the lookout for these little beauties. I was interested to see what would be in bloom this early in Spring and I wasn't disappointed.
Look at these sweet little wild strawberries.
I was so surprised to see this little beauty growing in the forest. I love the way the Ciclama flower grows upside-down and check out those spotted leaves, lovely!
I'm not sure what these are but aren't they purty! From the look of the leaves I'm thinking that they're in the violet family.
I think the two above are in the Lupinus (Blue Bonnet family for us Lone Star ladies) or some type of Salvia. Love the colors.
Not sure about these little sunny buds but they were growing out of the rocks.
These little Galanthus of Visibabe as they're called here are some of the first flowers to make an appearance in Spring. I super-love them!
I'm not sure what these are but I'm thinking that they are in the Hellebore family. Love the variation between the periwinkle and green.
Fnally this is a rare Hannahborealous.
Loved the exposed roots of this amazing tree along the trail, amazing!
Zoi was so happy to find this little natural spring on top of the mountain and she drank so much she had to make several pit stops on the way down!
We loved the blue doors of this old house. The oldest walls were actually stick covered in mud and hay.
Some of the walls of Grebengrad. Amazing to think we were actually standing in a fortress from 1200 AD where people actually lived.
The one downside to living in Europe is that it spoils you for history. When we're Stateside and touring old 100 year old settlements it's hard to get to excited when we we're used to much older history here in Europe.
My last photo for today is me and my baby! I love seeing Europe and experiencing life with this man. Blessed doesn't describe it!
What did you do to celebrate the first day of Spring??