Busy, Beautiful, Real, and only Bombed Twice

From Ljubljana, our next destination was Dubrovnik. We had set aside June 11 to be our travel day to Dubrovnik, and figured we could board a bus to Dubrovnik or maybe even catch a cheap flight there. We were a little weary of taking a bus (trains don't connect to Dubrovnik) because it would be a minimum 14 hour ride. After visiting travel agency after travel agency, we decided that the best use of our time would be to take a two-hour train to Zagreb and from there take a cheap, 45-minute flight to Dubrovnik. Because we had heard that Zagreb was a dirty, boring city and really good things about Dubrovnik, we decided to arrange our schedule so that we only had three hours of free time in Zagreb.

Leaving the train station in Zagreb, we left to try to find some food in Zagreb. Walking around, we were pleasantly surprised by how much activity there was on the streets. Tons of strawberry markets, hordes and hordes of actual Croatians, and a big, central square right outside the train station. We ate lunch at a restraint at a basement joint on a side street and started exploring.

Exploring a city is always much more interesting and enjoyable when there are a million other people rushing around the streets. In every square there was something a little different happening. In one square there were about seven competing strawberry vendors. In another, there were vegetable vendors, in another there was a traditional Croatian band playing on stage, in another there was a political demonstration. This was the first city we had visited whose lively center wasn't overrun by tourists and we were loving every minute of it.

We had a nice walk up to the cathedral, whose giant facade was under renovation but was interesting nonetheless. On the way back down we stopped in a coffee shop and had what we understood to be a special Croatian cappuccino. The bartender began by pouring a shot of flavoring into a large glass. He then poured thick steamed milk over the flavoring so that the milk didn't mix with the flavoring and there rested perfectly atop the it. Next, he poured a fluffier layer of steamed milk over the thicker layer in the same fashion as before. Finally, he drizzled a shot of espresso over the fluffy layer of milk so that it came to rest in between the two layers of steamed milk. Needless to say, it was delicious.

I talked with the bar tender a little bit about Zagreb. He told me that while Zagreb was bombed by aircraft during the war, only two people were killed as a result of it. Judging from all of the old, seedy buildings preserved around the city and the fact that there wasn't an unusual amount of new construction, I'd say that the city fared pretty well during the war.

The person who told me that Zagreb was a dirty city was correct. When I made it back to the train station, I could't wait to wash the soot and particals from my face. I think the dirt, however, adds a bit to Zagreb's character. Cities are a little like minds-- if they're not a little dirty, they're no good at all.

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