Zagreb

Stopped for a drink with Ana in Zagreb. We had a couple of beers by the Maksimir Park and avoided the welcomed thunderstorm.
The city has been smashed up so often that there is not a lot left to see. There is Gornji Grad and Donji Grad. Tthe Upper Town, (no parking, no traffic, narrow streets, pavement cafes,) and the Lower Town, (no parking, loads of traffic, wide streets, Baroque office buildings,) with little to distinguish them from a thousand other medieval towns in central Europe.
Somethings were a little bizarre. For example, one open air cafe was decorated with laundery, white underwear hanging on lines above the clientel, (too dark at night to photo).
One advantage of starting over is that there are dual lane roads all over the place, as well as trams and buses. So the place, although soulless, makes an efficient working environment. [At least when the the council don't dig up one of the highways without making any provision for redirection or changing traffic light timings, which causes gridlock. I can vouch for that taking 2 hrs for a journey that should have been 10 mins.]
And one of the other big pluses is that the Medvednica Mountain National Park starts 10 mins North. There are numerous trails starting from Bliznic Park at the bottom of the road up to Sljme, The highest peak, at 1,035 m. Instead of walking the dog in the park, many locals take them for a run up the hill. Or go for a bike ride up the road.Read more