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  • Day 69

    Zagreb

    June 15, 2017 in Croatia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    We had a couple of nights in the capital before leaving Croatia.

    Zagreb is not a big city and was the first place that didn't seem to be swarming with Tourists. Lots of great things to see when wondering around and a really chilled out atmosphere. We arrived in the afternoon on the first day so we took a slow meander around - it was like 35 degrees - and took in some of the main sights. First observation that it was really green and really clean. there are also lots of statues, but Nikola Tesla is the only name I recognised, albeit I had to google what he is famous for :)

    We rented a room in the flat of a Croatian chap about our age. So the first night we spent with him and his friend. We drank beer together and they told us about Croatia:

    the corrupt politics;
    the mass migration to Germany;
    the lack of recycling;
    that it is legal to ride a scooter without a helmet;
    that there are many places we really should visit next time;
    that their "popstars" are just regular people who like to sing, earn a normal wage and live in the local neighbourhoods; and
    the women...

    Croatian women appear to all be beautiful and slim... in a country where they make croissants filled with chocolate, I don't know how that is possible!

    On the second day we walked around the Dolac Market. We bought some Burek (traditional Croatian stuffed pastry) for lunch. We then visited the Cathedral, which I thought we had been told was the tallest building in Croatia - despite the various high rises that have sprung up - but I have since read that apparently it is the tallest in the Country. No wonder I couldn't fit it in my photo! It had an impressive interior and the ceiling looks like it is covered in stars. It is also rumoured that its three chandeliers were in fact made for a casino in Las Vegas but ended up here instead.

    Next up we headed to the 'Museum of Broken Relationships', whose exhibits are items contributed to by people who have been broken hearted alongside the stories that accompany them. Our host was not keen when I suggested we were going to go but we went anyway. Whilst the items were some regular and some random - many household and many weird - the stories made it for me. Varying from funny to strange to tearjerking.

    By this point we were both a little weary so we headed to Tkalciceva Street to people watch. Its basically a cool street full of bars and restaurants where you can sit and watch the Croatian world go by.

    To finish the night we went to a Croatian restaurant for traditional BBQ food recommended by our host. As you will see from the picture.. it was a real meat feast. We had already tried some of this in Plitvice from our host there so had an idea of what to expect but it was really immense. Meat stuffed with cheese.. dreamy...
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