I’m an enthusiastic but sometimes jaded traveler and I don’t always get worked up over cities and towns, but Zagreb has overwhelmed me. This is one lovely, laid back, grand dame of a city. Coffee and cigarettes fuel the locals, sitting for hours in one of the million or so cafes all over town, drinking Italian espresso and filling the air with their gesturing hands and their pungent cigarette smoke. These are really Italians by nature; even their conversation cadence is Italian. They dress like the rich from Trieste or Milan and they love to share their intimacies.
I walked for ninety minutes before breakfast and for five hours after breakfast and I think I have a real feel for this burg. I didn’t bring a camera so you can visit this site and click on any of the categories to see some remarkable pictures. http://www.zagreb-touristinfo.hr/?id=37&l=e
Today was just beautiful and I think I visited all of the parks and squares and churches in the inner city but what really blew me away was the market. It is a three story affair, with meats, fowl, pasta, pickled veggies, breads, cheeses, eggs, and a host of other goodies on the first floor, all brightly lit, clean as a whistle and smelling like heaven. Up one flight of stairs and you come to some specialized fish and fowl places and lots of little stalls to purchase hot food that is cooked on demand. Up one more flight and you are outside in a huge square filled with stalls selling all manner of fresh veggies. Little cafes surround all of this where folks drink wine and coffee and talk about the day’s events as they gaze at the market and the grand cathedral in the distance.
Up one more little level and you have a really large fish market with some of the best looking fish I’ve seen anywhere. This was thronged with folks who still carry on the old Catholic tradition of fish on Friday. Outside of this hall was another large square filled with flowers, bright, fragrant, beautiful flowers and plants. Either side of this square is filled with little kiosks selling clothing, leather goods, underwear, winter coats, hats and gloves and all matter of accessories.
I spent almost an hour there just taking it all in and then two hours later I returned for another hour just to make sure I hadn’t missed anything. I wished that I knew someone in Zagreb so that I could just start buying things and cooking all weekend. These are very friendly people who greet you as you pass their stalls, even if you have no intention of stopping or purchasing anything. It is just their way, and I think it is a lovely tradition.
In the main square of the lower town they were having a Honey Fest, which was so unlike the one we attended in Moscow. Here the stalls were well spaced and everyone could walk around and sample goods without crushing everyone in their path. Like the Moscow event, this one was well attended by honeybees hoping to take back a bit of their labors.
I took a little break on a side street that had a little café with a sign indicating that they served Segafredo coffee, one of my favorites. I went in and ordered an espresso macchiato and the way I said it must have made the guy think I was Italian so he replied in Italian and we were off to the races. It was a really fun ten minutes of talking, mostly about coffee, and I was shocked to discover that a wonderful coffee here only costs about $1.30, compared to about $3.10 in Moscow. Here every café serves the coffee on a little tray that has a napkin, spoon, packets of sugar and a glass of ice-cold water on a little saucer. Ever so civil.
Last night Cindy’s group all met in the lobby and the host of this event marched us to a Mexican restaurant!! Here we are in Zagreb with a rich history of excellent food and we end up at a Mexican restaurant. The highlight of the evening was the little three-piece group that played all the music of the Buena Vista Social Club, that great Havana tradition. They were simply wonderful. We were exhausted by the time we returned and collapsed for seven hours before Cindy had to get up and get ready for the first day of the conference. As I was walking today, I realized, “This is what it really means to be retired! I felt sorry for Cindy, but not sorry enough to have it ruin my day.
From CC: Oh, isn’t he the funny one, feeling sorry for me. He’s right, it was a GORGEOUS day but I was stuck inside a school all day. There are about a dozen of us at this conference, mostly men, mostly younger than I am – and all very nice and knowledgeable people. Most of them are more “techie” than I am, but it seems to be a trend for international schools to also have an educational specialist along with the technical specialists and some of these guys wear both hats. It was cool to hear about the issues of the other schools in Eastern Europe, including Prague, Budapest, Warsaw, Tallinn, and Sofia. The day started by everyone finding a place at some tables that had been set up for us, and after about a minute I realized I was the only one who had not unpacked a laptop! Oops. We had one with us but I was sharing it with Wm and it was back in the room. I guess I’ll have to wrestle it away from him tomorrow.
Happy Weekend, Cindy and Wm
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