Zagreb

 

Tuesday morning I finally made it to Zagreb!  Mark picked me up at the airport and that was a great reunion.  I have not seen my Welsh friend in over 20 years!  We know each other from our Hungary days and he has since moved to Croatia.  As he updated me on his life (which includes a new wife and child!) I quickly tried to take in the Zagreb landscape. Surprisingly, it is very similar to Texas.  The grass, shrubs and trees look a lot like back home, just greener, and of course we don't have mountains in the backdrop.  And  we certainly have nothing like the charming Croatian homes with their colorful and unique architecture.  Mark lives in a neighborhood like this, charming with lots of mature trees and ground cover creating a very cozy environment .  I gather they are from the World War II era.  When we pulled up to his house I had to fight the urge to jump out of the car and start running down the street  with my camera but I decided to not abandon my friend just yet.   

Mark got me settled in his house and I got to meet his wife, Renee and mother-in-law, Wanda.   Both are Croatians.  Renee is a translator so of course speaks perfect English.  Wanda, not so much.   In typical European fashion, I am fed a wonderful meal right away.   Tracking carbs is not something the Croatians seem to bother with and I am glad because I am served delicious potatoes and sautéed peppers with rice.    It's a simple dish really, but so tasty.  I remember this from Hungary how Eastern European food can be so flavorful  but uncomplicated.   I am sure it has something to do with every ingredient being fresh and local in origin.

Mark and Renee had some work to do (they work from home with their translation business) so I took advantage of this time to go exploring.  He lives not too far away from a main drag so I grabbed my camera and got after it.   His house is close to a main thoroughfare that is quite busy with traffic

and trams that run every few minutes.  Businesses line the street and it seems every other one is a coffee shop or bar.  It's the middle of the day but most of these establishments are fairly full with people sitting outside enjoying their drinks looking very relaxed.  The employer in me wants to ask them if they have jobs they need to get back to but I bit my tongue.    Businesses made of new construction share the streets with very old and typical Croatian buildings.  Every once in a while a very utilitarian building from the  Socialist era looked down on me imposingly.   Of course, the only buildings I'm interested in are the old ones that most of the locals probably pay no attention to. 

 

 

 

 

I head back towards Mark's neighborhood and who do I run into?  I've only been in the country a few hours, who could I know?  Vanda.  Mark's mother-in-law is walking down the street and we meet like we are old friends.  She tells me in the best English she can muster that she is going to re-purchase some items that she just donated at a charity shop the day before.    I guess she is having a case of donor's remorse.  When I make it back I spend some time walking around Mark's peaceful neighborhood.   Kids play in the street without worry and neighbors stand outside their houses discussing whatever Croatian neighbors discuss.  A little girl on a tricycle pedals by shouting demands at her father as he obligingly tries to keep up.   Two brothers on rollerblades are curious about me.  They keep skating by pretending not to notice me but checking me out from the corners of their eyes.   I start taking pictures of them and this makes them even more curious.  This is a sweet little community much like neighborhoods anywhere.  But it's Zagreb, Croatia, and I can't believe I am here.  

 

That evening Mark and Renee take me into town for dinner.  The restaurant used to be a camera shop where photos are printed for customers.  It appears there is not much demand for these services anymore so it has been converted into a restaurant.    The building is typically old with wonderful wooden floors and stone walls that are lined with photographs and vintage cameras from its previous business.   After a yummy dinner of cheese stuffed eggplant and iced coffee, Renee heads off to her hip hop dance class and Mark takes me to the city center for a tour.  I got a quick history lesson and a peak at the Gothic Zagreb Cathedral.   There is lots of restoration going on.  There is also a famous open air market that sells lots and lots of fresh fish and produce.  It is so impressive that Margaret Thatcher once visited and sang its praises.

Chris, Renee, Mark (and American tourist in the background, ha!)

 

Zagreb Cathedral

 

As we make our way back to Mark's car through a park area he points out to me that most people feel very safe in Zagreb and it's common to walk alone at night without worry.  He is right.  I felt it too.

We get back to the house where I sleep the sleep of the dead.  And it's a good thing because tomorrow I travel again.

Tomorrow I leave for Koprivnica.