One of the first things that we noticed, post-coffee and suitably aware of our surroundings, is that the Zagros mountains are visible from almost anywhere in Zagreb, and dominate the skyline.
We had an all-day tram ticket so we made the most of it by spending a good part of the day doing touristy things. Up suitably early, we managed to get out of the house in time to while away a few hours in the Nikola Tesla Technology Museum. It’s quite a small museum but is a magical place with a diverse range of exhibits, from old firefighting equipment to a recent Maserati via dental equipment and 1960s vacuum cleaners.
After the Tesla museum, we hopped on another tram and found ourselves in the middle of a 2CV-owners’ gathering in the Ban Jelačić Square, then wandered up some stairs and ended up almost by accident at the Dolac market, where we stopped for refreshment and some people-watching. Sadly, the market was starting to pack up by the time we got there but we had time to marvel at the myriad of little craft stalls where people showed off their skills, and watch people picking up left-over fruit and vegetables that market traders had left, perhaps deliberately, when packing up.
The cathedral is quite imposing and its spires can be seen – like the mountains – from almost everywhere in Zagreb, which is unsurprising given that it’s the tallest building in Croatia. A lot of it was destroyed in an earthquake that hit Zagreb in 1880, but it was restored to its former glory in the 1990s and one of the spires is currently being restored as part of a more general restoration effort. There was an organ recital last night, but we didn’t get to it because we were far too tired from our trip and had in any case found a cocktail bar which was much more interesting.
The light was not the best, so the interior of the cathedral was quite dark, but we spent a fair amount of time looking around until deciding to leave just as the heavens opened, briefly turning the Ban Jelačić Square into a lake. A friendly market trader let us take shelter with her in a shop doorway until it was safe to continue our trip back to the station to buy tram tickets for tomorrow.
Mission accomplished, we ambled through the parks that lead from King Tomislav Square in front of the station back towards the cathedral.
In the evening, we went to a free concert in Zrinjevac Park, then got the tram home, well – but not too – oiled after an evening of Croatian beer and “special” shots served in test tubes which, at 10 kuna a go, it seemed rude not to try. There were three flavours; blueberry was the nicest.
It’s interesting to see older people walking through the streets and parks collecting plastic bottles from revellers and bins; not only are they keeping their city clean, they get 50 lipa per bottle as part of Croatia’s plastic recycling drive.
