Zagreb - Day 1

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After last-minute changes in flight schedules (our original flight from Chicago to Paris was canceled, and the two of us were booked to Paris on two different flights), our adventure started late Wednesday afternoon in Zagreb, the capitol of Croatia. Zagreb is a very walking oriented city and our hotel was nearby to the city center, so it was easy to get around. After checking into the hotel, we started our trip by visiting the Zagreb Eye, which is a lounge on the top of the tallest building in the heart of the city. We got some great photos, and were able to pick out many of the city’s most well-known buildings. Following the Eye, we went to Moonshine, a whiskey bar, where James sampled some whiskey and Stacey tried her first Croatia white wine - Korak Sauvignon. The wine was fabulous! Then we walked over to Tkalciceva – a popular street in Zagreb with lots of restaurants and the home of one of Croatia's micro-breweries. We did not make it to the brewery, but that’s on the agenda for tomorrow. After reviewing a menu on the street corner, we decided on Nokturno for dinner, but accidently sat at one of the pubs instead. Seating in Croatia is mostly in the middle of the streets, since there are no cars, so it can be tricky to figure out exactly which restaurant you are in. At the pub, James sampled a local beer and Stacey attempted a Croatian red wine, against the server’s recommendation. The server was right, very different, so she switched to a white wine. After enjoying some local drinks, we set off to find Nokturno...for the second time. This time, we got it right, and grabbed a table on their outdoor patio. We had heard in advance that Croatians enjoy long, leisurely meals, so we enjoyed the 2 hour dinner. Going for the local flavor, James got the Zagreb steak with fries. Unbeknownst the James at the time of ordering, the Zagreb steak is like a fried pork, it was interesting. Stacey got gnocchi in a white vodka sauce with bacon – it was AMAZING, and James decided to switch to Stacey’s meal instead of the fried pork dish when Stacey tossed in the towel. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped into the Cookie Company, so naturally, we got dessert. Stacey got a Hazelnut gelato and James got a cream cheese brownie. At this time, the LONG day and lack of sleep on our flights had finally caught up to us, so we decided to head back, stopping back at the Eye on the way home to see the city at night. Stacey got to try some more local wine, and James enjoyed some Jameson.

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Photos

Jelacic Square
Statue of Jelacic

Cathedral
From Zagreb Eye

Church
Near government complex in Gradec, seen from Zagreb Eye

Pub
Drinks when we thought we went to Nokturno

Cathedral at Night
From Zagreb Eye