We left Buenos Aires to begin the next segment of our trip in Europe starting off in Croatia. It was a grueling journey to Croatia as we had to make two stopovers – first in Sao Paulo, Brazil, then another one in Madrid, Spain. We eventually arrived at our destination and was met with very pleasant weather, a much welcomed change compared to the cold South American winter.

Jelačić Square

The first item on our to-do list in Zagreb was to attend a city tour with Free Spirit Walking Tour to get better acquainted to the city.

The tour took us through all the main points of interest throughout the city including….

Tkalciceva Street – the heart of the city lined with bars, restaurants, clubs.

We were pleasantly surprised by the laid back atmosphere of the city and how everybody loves to sit outside a cafe all day and just drink a beer or coffee and smoke a ciggarette.

The Blood Bridge and Stone Gate – where many wars were fought between two cities divided by a river.

The Stone Gate – a tunnel left today with a small altar dedicated to the Virgin Mary

A painting of the Virgin Mary and Child that survived a catastrophic fire.  People now pray to this surviving relic.

The facade of the Stone Gate was under construction while we were there.

Passing the Stone Gate, we reach the other side of town Gornji Grad (Upper Town) which changes in atmosphere right away with a more historic look and feel. The center of it all is St. Mark’s Square.

An amazing colorful roof on the church displaying the city’s coat of arms.

Croatia’s Parliament buiding on the right of the church. Our guide says this place is empty and nobody really works here.

An amazing view of the lower town and the cathedral

We ended the tour in the main city square Jelačić Square

Our guide Luka explaining to us the importance of Jelačić Square

The next day we wandered around some more visiting the remaining attractions.

Dolac Market – an open air market near the center of town

Zagreb Cathedral has been under construction for the past 15 years.

Our guide mentioned that there are three great chandeliers inside the cathedral that caused a lot of controversy when it was placed inside.  The reason for this was because it was originally from a popular casino in Las Vegas that shut down. It wasn’t disclosed which casino this came from, but it was placed in the church in 2006.

Chandeliers from Las Vegas, anybody recognize which casino they came from?

We stopped by the Zagreb History Museum to learn more on the origins of the city and the history behind Croatia’s capital.

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A really unique museum we visited in Zagreb was the Museum of Broken Relationships.  The museum was created by a couple who broke up after their unsuccessful long term relationship and joked that they had so much stuff between the both of them, that they could open a museum.  The project turned into a way for other people to submit the physical reminder of things accumulated from their own failed relationships.  Most of the objects on display have a story behind the relationship – some are funny, sad, and even intriguing.

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It was a very interesting exhibit and if you have anything you want to submit from a past broken relationship, you can fill out a form online, send it in, and hope it gets displayed!

Croatia has some of the best seafood as it’s right next to the Adriatic Sea. In addition, its close location to Italy makes it cater to a lot of vacationing Italians so there was a lot of delicious Italian food also. Some stand out dishes we tried…

Fresh octopus salad

Veal meat lasagna

The most popular beer in Croatia, Ozujsko

Penne with grilled chicken in a truffle sauce

Delicious fast food for less than $3 US, gyro sandwich

An excellent dish we discovered was cevapi, a very popular dish that we ordered the first night in Zagreb without knowing about its popularity. I can only describe it as a nicely spiced beef sausage wrapped inside a warm and crispy thin ciabatta bread with onions on the side. Definitely great for after you’ve been drinking all night as the grease cuts all the booze you’ve been drinking.

Zagreb was definitely a welcoming city that is underrated for its tourism. It has a rich history that is worth exploring and the inexpensive food and lodging was a major bonus.

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