Croatia: One Giant Patio

Destination 2: Zagreb

After spending two nights in Slovenia, my trip returned to its original schedule. I woke up and caught an early train into Zagreb, capital city of Croatia.

As with Ljubljana, my initial and final impressions of Zagreb were very different, albeit for different reasons. In Zagreb, I had the luxury of arriving in the morning and having pre-booked lodgings, but I did not have any local currency and the weather was miserable. It was raining and cold when my train pulled into the station. It was also Easter Monday, meaning that most of the city was shut down. After getting settled at my hostel, I had to return to the train station, because the post office next door was the only currency exchange open in town.

The Theatre

Croatian Kuna in hand, and determined not to let the rain impede my sightseeing, I set off to explore the city. Sadly, the rain took its toll on my morale. While I certainly felt the Zagreb had some redeeming qualities, I was cold, wet, tired, and thus not impressed. I managed to see about half of the city centre before retreating to my hostel for a nap.

After nightfall, the rain let up. After learning where the dangerous parts of the city were from the locals, I set off once more to explore Zagreb. I was well rested, dry, and eager for Zagreb to make up for the lousy weather from earlier that day, and was not at all disappointed. I walked around the city, making plans for the next day. The wheels were in motion for a Zagreb Redo. The next morning, the sun was shining and I got to see the city in all of its greatness. Easter was finished, and the streets and markets were bursting with activity. I made sure to visit everything again to make sure I would the city justice.

St Mark's Church

There were a lot of things about Zagreb that I liked. Like Ljubljana, it is a serious lounge city, which suits me just fine. There are several pedestrian alleys lined with cafes serving coffee and beer. It seems like half the city is just chilling and enjoying a drink on a sunny afternoon. Life is good (shouldn’t these people be at work at 1 p.m on a Tuesday?). The atmosphere was terrific, and a welcome change from the fast paced world of London and Toronto. In Zagreb, life didn’t seem to focus as much on filling up your day with activity and productivity, but rather to simply relax outside, enjoying nice weather, good conservation and the company of friends.

Zagreb is also a very inexpensive city (allowing me to eat like a king), with amazing currency. The Croatian Kuna is roughly 1/7 GBP, or 1/5 CAD. What’s nice about the currency is that there is hardly ever a use for denominations less than one Kuna, which means no pence or cents. There are 1, 2, and 5 Kuna coins, and this is just about all the change you will carry. While loose change in London and Toronto feel like a burden, The Kuna coins are very handy when buying a coffee, say, for 8 Kuna.

Another big plus for Zagreb is the lack of McDonalds. I MAY have seen someone carrying a bag at one point, but never during my extensive tour of the city did I stumble upon the infamous Golden Arches. It is refreshing to see that there are some places which remain immune to the long tentacles of corporate America.

Overall, Zagreb was a great city. The relaxed atmosphere was refreshing, and the people were all really nice. The beer, coffee and food were all really good too (and ridiculously inexpensive) all of which made it a big hit with this guy.

The Train Station

Foolish English Tourist Moment #1

It was bound to happen sooner or later. I walked into a bakery to buy some little cheese pastries. It was also the only time that I happened to have a coin smaller than 1 Kuna on me.  Anyways, the clerk scooped up the pastries into a bag and showed me that they were 10 Kuna. Reaching into my back pocket, I retrieved a 20 cent coin. I showed it to her, and tried to explain that she should give me 20 Kuna worth, thinking that my coin (worth about 3 cents) would cover the cost of twice as many. Croatia is really is inexpensive, I thought. This is practically theft, I thought. Needless to say, she refused my coin, and wouldn’t give me the mistaken tourist discount. I soon realized my error and was a little embarrassed. This embarrassment would soon grow when she invited her friend over, explained to her what happened, and then they shared a good laugh together.

Next Stop: Budapest, Hungary

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