Zagreb - Time to Chill

The word of the day is organizing.

We’ve been moving fast and just needed a day to slow down. Our original plans did not include Zagreb but as things changed along the way, we discovered that the best way to get to Budapest from Slovenia, was via Zagreb. So we added a full day in Zagreb. But these changes came on the road where we have been busy enjoying life and we didn't take our time to plan our stop. We just didn’t give Zagreb all the time she deserved. Some of the things we know we missed were:

• The Museum of Broken Relationships - doesn't that sound interesting - 50 ways to leave your lover
• Visit Mirogoj cemetery - I know it sounds morbid but it is one of the most beautiful in Europe
• Track down the Zagreb solar system - a replica of our solar system, with appropriately-sized planets across the the town. It would have been fun to chase them down.
• Watch the cannon fire at Lotrscak Tower

We were never really able to get a good sense of direction about Zagreb. Our trip from the train station to our hotel had tainted us into what was north and south. On our last night there, we finally got it, we looked out our window and could see the cathedral in the distance and it all sank in. Some lessons learned take time. 

If you find Zagreb on your radar, please do more organizing than we did.

The train from Ljubljana was a beautiful, scenic route along the Saba River. Every small town was keenly watched over by its towering church steeple. The river flowed through and gave life to the area.

 

Arriving in Zagreb, we were relaxed and we let our guards down. Every Croatian experience had shown us the honesty of the people of Croatia. We jumped into a cab for the short trip to our hotel. We had asked how much it was and he said, “we go by the meter.” It turned out to be another lesson learned the hard way. €68 for a two-mile trip in 15 minutes. Were we ever the suckers and we deserved it because we know better. So if you are traveling anywhere here, establish the amount of the fare first or know that the city you are in controls the fares. The real secret is to use only Bolt. They are usually run by a local taxi company anyway and will offer you the best rates. 

We stayed at the Doubletree a few miles from the old town. Turned out to be just what we needed. We spent one day exploring the town and one day by the pool in the hotel. The pool was on the 10^th floor and enclosed but overlooked the town below. 

Day 2 by the Pool

The old town in Zagreb consists of a lower town and upper town. These are literal names since one is uphill from the other. There is the world's shortest funicular that can carry you the 66 meter lift in less than 1-minute. But we decided to walk up at a leisurely pace. We’re glad we did. We got to see the gardens and villas of the city.

Spring is here and flowers everywhere.

 

An old hollowed-out but still living tree.

Susanne realizing that walking to upper town meant walking up steps!

Thanks to two total knee replacements - she did great!

Graffiti philosophy is everywhere in Eastern Europe.

 
The Stone Gate entrance. The only surviving original entrance to the old walled city.  

Inside of the Stone Gate is a tribute to the blessed Virgin Mary. When we passed through, there was a group singing inside of the gate and chanting prayers. It is common for there always to be someone there praying.

We visited the cathedral with almost everything under repair. A lot of buildings here are old and repairs are relative. Some repairs or completions last for years. There’s not that sense of urgency that we often have in the US that costs so much more money. The inside of the cathedral showed that it’s not just the outer façade that needs care, the inside spaces need some love too. All the niches along the side walls were covered with plywood. With repairs on the roof, we believe that there must be danger of objects falling.

 

 

The bells are in the main church while repairs are being done. Behind the altar is a particle board sheet structure protecting something. 

A little out of our norm was a stop for dinner at a Chinese Restaurant near our hotel. We're usually into the local foods but the change sounded great. We struck up a conversation with our waitress. She was from Cambodia. She worked in Zagreb in the winter and then moved out to one of the islands to work in the summer season. We got the feeling that Zagreb was a lonely place for her and that she was excited about the coming change to go to the islands. We exchanged hugs as we left.   

From our room on the 8th floor, we could see every building had a corporate name tag in it. One in the very back is Oracle. The ones in the front are two agricultural companies and an HVAC company.

One meal we had which stood out was Zagorje Soup. A mushroom soup from the Zagorje region of Croatia. We didn't get a picture, but snapped this one off the internet. It was an excellent stew that we'll try to replicate at home.

Another outstanding dessert was an Orange Velvet Cake. We're not going to try this at home.

In the morning, we went to catch our bus. After the disastrous cab incident, we decided we'd just walk the kilometer to the station. We did that and then discovered another mistake made due to last minute planning. Malcolm had inadvertently booked the 7:30 am bus and we were there to board the 8:30 am bus. We’re just so much better at organizing ahead from the comfort of New Mexico.

We loved the town and were well rested when we left. We were so looking forward to Budapest, our next stop.