Our last day in Slovenia and we hit the road, quite literally, running.
I was more than ready to leave Laško behind after our rather memorable night there. Fortunately, there were still a couple of places to explore before crossing the border into Croatia.
We passed back through Celje and stopped for a quick look at Celje Castle. Perched above the town, the views across the valley were beautiful and made the short detour worthwhile.
From there, we continued to Ptuj for lunch. It was raining, but that didn’t stop us enjoying this pretty little town with its cobbled streets and old-world character. A very strong espresso and lunch later, we were ready to hit the road again.
One more border crossing and we were back in Croatia.
Goodbye, Slovenia.
Hello, Zagreb!
We arrived in Zagreb just after lunch and checked into Hotel 9, a boutique hotel with a decidedly glamorous personality.
The décor was colourful, eclectic and just a little over the top. It reminded us of something straight out of an Austin Powers movie.
All jokes aside, we loved it. The hotel was comfortable, well located and a great base for exploring Zagreb.
Our first glimpse of Zagreb wasn’t quite what we expected. The city appeared a little dark and worn, with rows of ageing buildings that turned out to be quite deceiving.
Zagreb revealed itself differently once we began walking.
The streets were vibrant and full of life, where grand old buildings sat comfortably alongside contemporary cafés, street art and a youthful energy. There was a fascinating mix of old and new. This is a city with a strong sense of its past while continuing to reinvent itself.
Our first impression had been completely wrong.
And that was the beginning of our love affair with Zagreb.
And then, while wandering through one of Zagreb’s parks, we came across a musician and dancer dressed in traditional costume. No audience, no obvious event and no explanation, just a wonderfully random performance unfolding in the park.
And, of course, a piano accordion. Always a welcome sighting on our travels.
Our first dinner in Zagreb was pleasant enough, although finding the traditional Croatian food we were hoping for proved more difficult than expected in the streets surrounding our hotel.
We eventually settled on slow-cooked veal with roasted vegetables, which was pretty good, before continuing our exploration of the city.
Zagreb – a city with stories
Zagreb is a city of beautiful architecture, history and stories that reveal themselves as you wander.
One of the most fascinating is the story of the original two settlements that eventually became modern-day Zagreb – Gradec and Kaptol.
Separated by the Medveščak Creek, relations between the neighbouring communities were not always friendly. Their frequent conflicts were often played out on the wooden bridge connecting them, which eventually earned the rather dramatic name Krvavi Most – the Bloody Bridge. The creek was later covered over and the bridge disappeared, becoming a street instead. But the name remained, a small reminder of the centuries of rivalry that helped shape the city.
And then we came across a fresh produce market.
Fresh fruit and vegetables, local produce and the everyday bustle of people shopping for their groceries. I’m so easily excited by the little things…
But honestly, wandering through a local food market is one of my favourite ways to get a glimpse of everyday life in a new city.
We later joined a walking tour of Zagreb, which turned out to be one of the best things we did. Beyond the architecture and history, it gave us a much better understanding of Croatia, its people and the culture we were experiencing.
Feeling far more attuned to the city, we continued wandering and came across a little Croatian food bar that immediately caught our attention.
And what a find.
Lunch at Heritage Croatian Food & Snack Bar was so good that we went back for dinner.
Always a good sign.
Ah, those anchovies 🙂
Dinner!
A Conversation We Still Remember
One of our strongest memories of Zagreb wasn’t a landmark or a meal, but a conversation.
We spent some time chatting with the bartender at our hotel, who had fought in the Croatian War of Independence between 1991 and 1995.
He was quiet and humble, but became animated as he spoke about Croatia’s political history and his own experiences. Listening to him brought a very personal perspective to a part of European history that, until then, had felt somewhat distant to us.
The war had ended only a couple of decades before our visit.
As we travelled through Croatia, there were still visible reminders of the conflict — damaged buildings and scars on the landscape that made it impossible to forget how recently the country had endured war.
It was a poignant reminder that history is not always as distant as we imagine, and that war is never quite as far from our doorstep as we might like to think.
Next stop, Zadar.
Catherine and Jeff