Zagreb was a lovely surprise. A place well-deserving of more than just two days of our attention. But as our summer plans were made much in advance, we didn’t know what to expect so we dedicated just a few days for certain cities. Of course, you can easily visit all the highlights in a couple of days but we would have loved to explore every little corner and walk down the winding streets of the old town with no destination in mind.
We left Budapest at 6AM, not an ideal departure time, and arrived in Zagreb after a 7-hour train ride. Aside from some smelly and very giggly passengers, the ride was uneventful and mostly comfortable.
After 7 hours of sitting down, the 30-minute walk to our apartment was welcomed. I’m proud to say we are getting really comfortable walking with all our belongings on our backs! The Airbnb was a disappointment but it’s just 3 nights so we can survive, right?! Not every place is going to be a winner. I’m sure this won’t be the worst place we stay at!
We dropped off our bags and went in search of food and a sim card. Thanks to our friend Iva, who recommended Bonbon. We met a very sweet and friendly girl who helped us get set up with 5 GB of data for less than $10. With our Google maps back online, we headed out for a mini walk and in search of a restaurant. We had a delicious dinner at Mundoaka Streetfood. Kasm’s pizza could have fed all three of us!
Speaking of friendly, after Budapest, it was nice to see smiles! Everyone we met was friendly and willing to help! At the grocery store, being the clueless tourists, didn’t realize we have to weigh our fruit and vegetables and get a tag! The cashier kindly took them back to the produce section and had someone weigh and tag them even though the customer behind us was being grumpy and in a hurry to leave 😉
The city had our full attention the next day. We didn’t realize it was Victory Day and almost all businesses were closed. Streets were deserted, even the tourists were nowhere to be found. A photographer’s dream! We walked around the old city and made our way to the upper town while snapping lots of photos and visited the Broken Relationships Museum. We ended our day with dinner on Tkalčićeva street. What a cool street. It’s lined with restaurants and bars on both sides. Great place to grab a drink! Check out Bruce’s photos below of our day out.
On our last day in Zagreb, we met up with a wonderful digital nomad family, David, Sarah and their adorable 3-year-old, Spencer. Lunch and chats followed by a walk through the tunnels beneath the old city, which we didn’t have a clue about! What a nice treat! Kasm had a blast running through them.
We said our goodbyes after some play time for the kids at the park. We do hope to meet them again somewhere around the world! We continued a little more of our explorings and then headed home as work beckoned.
It may have been a very short visit, but the city left a lasting impression on us. One that will surely draw us back in the future.
A beautiful city that I know nothing about! Data plans are so reasonable everywhere in the world except Canada.
Wow, great pictures, especially the mantis and the shot of the little street where you ate – it looked stunning!