Maribor - a city surrounded by beauty – part VI

People come to Urban on foot, by bicycle or car... and even by smaller busses.

More demanding and seasoned cyclists will find quite a challenge peddling all the way up to Urban. But already on the way from the center of the city until the climb towards a hill top beacon of orientation (as this church could very well be) you'll find some interesting things.
  
from the center and at the northern outskirts of town you'll pass the football stadium and arrive to the bar Mitnica, which used to be road toll booth, for the main road connecting Graz and Maribor used to go pass here, until the bogs were dried out into what is today known Trije ribniki (behind the city park).

Then onwards toward Kamnica and Rošpoh, you'll come to a hippodrome. It’s a great place for all the horse lovers, for here you can enjoy the company of the majestic beasts or even arrange a horseback trip around town.
 
Continuing your way along the road you’ll come to the village of Kamnica, with a preserved and protected close center around the church. It stands on the border of the Alpine world, for Kozjak, under which the village lays is the first Alpine mountain (although not nearly as high as the tallest representatives of the massive).
   
The plateau of Kamnica is one of the water reservoirs for the city and a protected area. the water of the mountains mixes with the subterranean waters of the Drava river near the Mariborski otok, just a few stone throws to the south. In the summertime this is a popular swimming pool, but all throughout the year this is a great retreat to get away from the noisy city, finding your little island of peace and nature.
 
But since Urban is our destination, we’ll start thinking how to get up, and there are several paths taking us there from Kamnica. They vary in their difficulty, so check them out carefully, for even the easiest one of them requires a certain amount of fitness (unless you go there by car).

But believe me, once you get to the top, the view will make it worth the effort.
  
There’s also a tourist farm on top at the very church, where you can get some nourishment and wine, but it’s not open every day – so call in advance and check it out, to avoid unpleasant surprises.

From then on you can continue taking the high road towards Gaj nad Mariborom, where an abandoned schoolhouse is being refurbished, with a bus stop right next to it, and again you’ll find tourist farms, but not directly attached to the church. Or you can even go further on towards the mountain home at Tojzlov vrh, which offers rooms for larger groups of people.

If you’ve started on foot, I guess you’ll be glad to be able to sleep somewhere and enjoy the fresh mountain air... but weather you spend a night here or not, I strongly suggest you continue descending to the north, towards Gradišča and Kungota, where a new trip over the hills of Slovenske gorice, which lay on the very border with Austria, begins and offers many great experiences (especially great wines) I’ll talk about next time.