Zagreb Walkabout

Piles of Imperial Stone

Imposing imperial era buildings!  Dead guys with pointy swords astride bronze horses!  Cheap and wonderful coffee!  What else do you need to know?  For me, one of the great pleasures in life (those that require clothing anyway) is the first day of walkabout in a new city.  So, really, what else does a good traveler need to know?  One great way to enhance a journey is to read the history of the land and peoples one is traveling through and with.  To that end, I had equipped myself with an excellent book, Eastern Europe!: Everything You Need to Know About the History (and More) of a Region that Shaped Our World and Still Does by Tomek Jankowski. 

Armed with my history book, a map, and accompanied by my beautiful (and long-suffering) bride, we set out for a day of Zagreb walkabout.  Before we get to the streets, here is an ever-so-brief bit of modern history.  

After the dissolution of the Hapsburg Empire in World War One, Croatia became part of the first Yugoslavia.  At the outbreak of World War Two, Yugoslavia, now the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, remained neutral.  Alas, neutrality meant nothing.  The German and Italian armies invaded in 1941.  The nasty homegrown fascists of Croatia, the Ustaše, created an Axis puppet state.  They then proceeded to enact race laws against Roma, Serbs, Jews, and anyone else they didn't like.  Between executions, shipment to concentration camps, and general deaths to the war, about 26,000 people from Zagreb died during World War Two.  The Allies bombed Zagreb beginning in 1944, but the old city was not a major target.  After World War Two Croatia, and Zagreb, became part of the non-aligned new Yugoslavia under Tito.  Whew, okay, that's enough history for you to get along with.

Dead Guys on Horses!

From Hotel Fala, the old city is a straight shot north on a huge boulevard.  There are fountains and broad greenspaces, and no open area is complete without a dead guy on a horse and waving a pig-sticker.  Croatian history is long and full of conflict.  There are no shortage of local heroes to inspire big bronze statues.  

The boulevard dies at the train tracks which divide the old city from east to west.  Passing under the tracks via an underground shopping mall, we emerged on the next set of park-like boulevards, complete with more dead guys, more piles of stone, and many, many outdoor coffee cafes'. 

 Inspiration for the Masses

We wandered into the narrow streets of the old city, burst into the open stone expanse of the main square, and disappeared into narrow streets once more.  We were climbing to Upper Town, site of the cathedral (there's always a cathedral) and a very scenic and well-preserved trip back into time.  

The cathedral was half-masked in scaffolding as it is being renovated (the cathedral in whatever town in Europe you visit will be partially draped in scaffolding) but no matter.  I have seen enough churches and temples in my travels to last a lifetime.  It is the hidden gems that we were after.

Would you trust this man with your soul?

For example, in a small garden off of the cathedral grounds, we found this statue, a memorial to a long dead cleric.  Seriously, is this the man you would unburden your soul to?

We were in search of a museum, but not just any museum.  This particular museum was The Museum of Broken Relationships.  More on that in another post, as it was so weird and different that it deserves it's own review.  Meanwhile, the walkabout continued.

 

One's a stiff.  The other is a statue.

Clowning like a good tourist is a prerequisite for bench statues.  My Heart says that my blog readers might occasionally want to see a picture of yours truly.  I can't say as I see why.  Please pardon the indulgence.

Passages of Graffiti 

Narrow, twisting passageways?  Zagreb's got 'em.  While not quite the labyrinth of Lisboa or Bangkok, it pays to keep your sense of direction about you, or you will soon be hopelessly lost.  I swear by the Travel Gods, I do love a city that can befuddle me!

Inspiration for the Masses redux,

both Religion and State

If you like churches, you will love Zagreb.  A primarily Roman Catholic region, Zagreb is chock full of churches, chapels, and functioning monasteries.  Franciscan, Capuchin, Cistercian and more, the influence of the church is never far away. 

The Busy Dolac Market and...

...the best way to enjoy a busy market.

Walkabout can be a tiring pleasure.  Zagreb offers respite in the form of a cafe' culture that rivals Italy or France.  These folks are wild about coffee, or Kava.  There are cafes' everywhere, in courtyards, on sidewalks, in parks, and nestled into the busy marketplace.  One interesting aspect of the typical cafe' is that they serve two things:  coffee and booze.  Many serve nothing else.  No food, no snacks, no pastries.  While no Austrian cafe' worth it's Salz could stay open without Kuchen, the Zagreb cafes' do just fine, thank-you-very-much.  You want cake?  Go to a bakery.  The cafe' allows a restful and slow time to get loaded on caffeine, booze, or both while smoking and watching the world go by.  Non-smokers beware, passive-aggressive arm waving and coughing are frowned upon.

Croatia is not a part of the Schengen States of the EU and has not yet adopted the Euro.  The currency here is the Kuna, for which a dollar will get you about six and a half.  Why would you care?  Here is another great bit of information about the cafes':  they are a bargain.  An espresso is about nine Kuna, even in the tourist areas.  It drops to seven in the local cafes'.  That means you can sit in the cafe, slurp espresso until you are out of your mind, smoke a good cigar in peace, and all for less than half the price of an Austrian cafe', or most anywhere else in Europe for that matter.  I'm here to tell you, Sisters and Brothers, we availed ourselves of this handy resource in a big way.

Yes, Zagreb is old.

Back on the lanes of upper town, we traversed tourist streets, but a single turn up any tiny lane led to empty courtyards and quiet passages.  Another wonderful discovery in Zagreb is the courtyards.  In Wien, almost every building has a Hof, or courtyard, but for the most part they are secret places that you will never see.  In Zagreb, on the other hand, many courtyards are open to the public.  These tucked away escapes are everywhere, filled with tiny shops and yet more cafes'.  Every corner and archway seems to yield another hidden surprise.

 Before and after the Earthquake

Zagreb was struck with a large earthquake on November 9th, 1880.  The clock on the cathedral stopped, as did many clocks in the city.  Damage was extensive.  After the earthquake, the main nave (which had collapsed) were replaced, along with the towers.  As we wandered back down from Upper Town, we again passed the cathedral.  In one of the plazas was this example of some of the restoration work that is underway.  The current renovations are for the ongoing stonework damaged by the effects of time and acidic air.  Such is the case with many cathedrals in Europe, including Stephansdom in Wien.

Who doesn't love an old window with flowers?

 

When the old city starts to be too confining

Sore feet have no respect for history.  Finally succumbing to the need for green space and a rest, we took a break at the hotel and then ventured out for dinner.  The goal was to find a local spot far removed from the tourist center of the old city.  This involved another long walkabout, but it also yielded a fantastic stroll along the Sava River.  After years of damage from flooding, the Sava was tamed by large levies on both sides.  The pathways on the levies run far further than we had a chance to explore, but the evening light was magical as the threatening clouds ventured north to torture the Austrians instead of us.

 Be careful what you wish for...

A word to the wise:  when you turn a waiter loose in Zagreb, be hungry.  It's not that the dinner is going to cost you a fortune.  It won't.  But be ready to eat meat.  Lots of meat.  When the waiter says he will fix up a nice selection of traditional Croatian food for two people, he means two people who have just fought off the Ottoman Empire, swum the Sava River at full flow, and then climbed to the top of the cathedral on a whim.  He does not mean two normal people.  Even with a very well defined appetite after serious walkabout, we could not do this meat-fest justice.  Fortunately, folks here are not shy about doggie bags, and we had a whole lot of meaty snacks for later.

It was as good a first day in a new city as one could possibly hope for.  I believe that Zagreb is inching up into my top-five cities list, competing with Barcelona, Lisboa, Napoli, and Bangkok.  A good day, a walking day, a day to be thankful for.  From Zagreb, travel well, be happy, and Ciao for Now!

Sources : 

Wikipedia
Jankowski, Tomek E.. Eastern Europe!: Everything You Need to Know About the History (and More) of a Region that Shaped Our World and Still Does. Steerforth Press.