Road trip to Croatia: Zagreb
Allow me to fast forward to June, which began with a little vacation in Croatia with the Regensbloggers. Our time was limited, so we only did the very top: Zagreb and the Istrian Peninsula. It proved to be a delicious first glance at a country that I’m looking forward to visiting again soon.
Our first stop was Zagreb, which was about six hours of driving from Munich. We stayed at Hotel Jarun: brand new, modern, comfortable, and easy to drive to. A convenient tram took us to the center of town in 20 minutes for around a euro per trip. Jarun seemed a much better choice than the hotels in the city center in our price range, most of which had very mixed reviews which contained words such as “filthy” and “infestation”.
Our time in Zagreb was rainy, but that didn’t stop us from touring the city on foot and enjoying it. Zagreb is divided between an upper and a lower town, both offering their own charms. At times the city reminded me of Ljubljana or Geneva or even Berlin, but it had a feel all its own.
The lower town contained several lovely monumental buildings (museums, theaters, and the like), a botanical garden, and a park with googly-eyed trees.
The upper town was far cuter, but also a bit rough around the edges. Neatly-restored churches neighbored graffitti-covered abandoned buildings along its narrow, cobblestoned streets. Sterile-looking touristy cafes intermingled with quirky, run-down bars offering repurposed washing machines as tables.
In the upper town, we wandered up and down Tkalčićeva a couple times. This pedestrian street is full of restaurants, bars, and gritty adorableness. Mali Medo was one of our first stops, a small pub which offered good local beers, local food, and an English menu. We enjoyed another meal at Ivica i Marica, which paired a cheesy, fairytale setting with delicious organic food and scrumptious pastries (not to mention a thoroughly entertaining waiter).
The nightlife was just getting started when we were headed to bed, the streets lined with cafe tables that expressed an optimistic view of the evening’s weather. Overall I really loved Zagreb, and would welcome a chance to get to know it better.
