Our final Blog post from Croatia

Our expectations of Zagreb initially were not great, however, the more we walked today the more we appreciated the diversity of this city. Yes, like any other city in this world, it’s busy. And there are differences such as seeing taxis zooming along against the traffic on the tram lines – which seems acceptable here, hmmm? Bicycles are another major means of transportation, and they are a tad dangerous as they use the sidewalks and consider us pedestrians inconveniences.

On the other hand, Zagreb has many historic buildings. Many in pristine condition while many are in need of TLC. It is certainly the largest city we have visited in Croatia with a more typical city feel. The architecture is stunning with its European feel that draws your eye from building to building, marveling at the intricate designs on the facades and the roof lines that are so eye catching.

Des did a little research last night and discovered Upper Zagreb was where the most interesting buildings were to be found, so we planned the Gradec Hill Walk. We plotted a map on Google and this morning headed out in search of the buildings that were suggested to be of greatest interest. On our way, we located a flower market with the most stunning floral arrangements we’d seen in some time. Were we not leaving tomorrow, we likely would have purchased more than one bouquet. They were only 5 Euros. There were also Fall baskets with flowers and gourds in them that were very impressive.

In our research, we had found a funicular which was to take us to the top but before we knew it we were climbing a set of stairs that seemed to be never ending which took us to a look out. Once we’d started up, there was no point going back. As we looked across the top of the wall, we spotted the funicular climbing up the side. Oops! Oh well, we could always take it back down.

At the top, we followed a short path which took us to the area we had we wished to visit. We now were able to walk along the streets with the many other tourists and tour groups and view the Lotrscak Tower, The Cathedral of Zagreb with its roof covered in tiles depicting the Coat of Arms of Croatia and the Emblem of Zagreb, the Museum of Broken Relationships and the Stone Gate. Unfortunately, a number of the buildings are under construction, so we were unable to view the inside. Once we were satisfied with our touring, we took the funicular back down to the lower level. There was a very long lineup of people waiting to come up but we went right down.

Having just stepped into the funicular, there was a very loud explosion. For a moment we didn't know whether we should run for cover or what. We soon realised a canon had been fired from Upper Zagreb, following the tradition of announcing that it was noon in the city of Zagreb.

Back in Lower Zagreb, we wandered around a very large vegetable and fruit market on our way to the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saints Steven and Ladislav, also under construction! The lower section is completed and is very impressive, all fresh, clean and restored. The the spires are covered and are still being worked on. They were both damaged in the 2020 earthquake.

We then decided it was lunch time and wandered along an alley which had numerous cafes and restaurants. The roadway was curved so had an interesting feel to it with the buildings all having beautiful façades. It was then time to head back to our abode, having wandered the streets of Zagreb for six hours. We felt it was time to put our feet up and book our flight to London for tomorrow. Alas, our Croatia adventure nears the end.

It has been a very interesting two weeks travelling with great companions, Kathy and Pat. We will have many memories to relive together.

Scenes around Zagreb

We had to reduce the photo resolutions due to slow internet connection.