Blogs from Zagreb, Central Croatia, Croatia, Europe - page 12

Stop! Don’t read this page! Instead, read the same text and see the pictures much larger by clicking here. OK, if you read this, you didn’t follow our advice. You may find that some of these small pictures are a bit mishapen. If so, just click on any of them to see them larger. Join us as we visit this developing democracy as it emerges from the chaos of Europe’s latest war. Croatia is crescent shaped, ironically because it clung to its coast while resisting the Ottomans who threatened from Bosnia for centuries. Hungarians took it over in 1102 and held on until the “war to end all wars” which we call WWI. It then joined its neighbors in becoming Yugoslavia. It declared independence in 1991 — but fought the Serbian-dominated Yugoslav army for 5 bloody ... read more

Our spontaneous decision to head into Zagreb was fueled by the chance to experience U2 in this unique setting as well as an interest of seeing more of this incredible country that really is catching us a bit by surprise. We had thought most of our enjoyment would be along the coast but this venture inland has been wonderful. The country (or at least the city of Zagreb) has truly been captured by the U2 visit. The whole city is buzzing and accommodation is non-existent. The two concerts back to back meant that on the 9th and 10th there was not a room to be had. People were coming from all over Europe for this spectacle. A flurried set of emails sent out (http://www.travel-library.com/ ) (good site) and we ended up securing 2 nights in a ... read more

Here are some more pics from the Brinje days. We did the typical thing and went to visit our relatives in Letinac and saw the old farm at Krizpolje. ... read more

We left Tucepi at around 9:15 this morning and after about 40 minutes on the scariest road I have ever been on through the Croatian mountainside with hairpin turns and 90 degree rock faces looking straight down at the water we reached the A1 highway - a most welcome sight. With a "speed limit" of 130 we were in Zagreb in no time (once my nuckles recovered from the climb up the mountain). This is just a short stop - we will go out for a walk about and dinner and then tomorrow morning off on the train to Budapest.... read more

After leaving Sarajevo we headed up to Zagreb for a few days. We’re trying to make it a bit closer towards the top of Eastern Europe (i.e. Hungary & Poland), before our InterRail tickets run out, which sadly means we'll have to give the Croatian coast a miss this time. The train was an older train. Air-con came in the form of opening the window in the carriage and then opening the window in the carriage hallway, and trying to create a wind tunnel though the train!! I learned that trick on the previous train by watching this old guy! However, this only works when the train is moving, and as we would spend SO MUCH time stopped at stations this knowledge seemed pointless. I share it though with anyone who may find it useful. The ... read more