Blogs from Central Croatia, Croatia, Europe - page 9

Thursday morning started with a continental breakfast, which we figured would be light pastries. Oh how wrong we were. James said it was the biggest breakfast buffet he had seen – there was a selection of cheeses and marinated veggies, meats, yogurt, smoothies, eggs, sausages, and hot dogs (every little kids dream come true – hot dog for breakfast), local pancakes which are like crepes with jam in the middle, and American pancakes. Additionally, there was a huge selection of breads and pastries with a machine that dispenses Nutella! Or something like Nutella. Espresso drinks are a huge deal in Croatia, so there is also a machine that makes a good cappuccino. There was also champagne set out for those inclined to start their day with a mimosa. Feeling stuffed and caffeinated we set out to ... read more

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 - ... read more

With no update on Luggage-gate, we have now kitted ourselves out with the essentials and a modest new wardrobe, courtesy of H and M. We've changed our plans and are now staying on in Zagreb for a third night (no hardship) in the hope the cases will catch up with us. We wandered around the city this morning, went to the Dolac Market, bought four amazing vintage industrial enamel light shades for our kitchen and are currently sitting on our balcony drinking a local beer ( Staropramen - I can highly recommend it). Sitting looking out over the cathedral you can see how they have laid out the buildings in a perfect circle, all looking in on a central plaza. Behind are a range of small mountians, that seem to follow the same shape. It creates ... read more

There is a lot to love about Croatia. This is in my Top 5 favorite European countries to visit, so I will try to help you understand why this little place is so incredible. The first cool thing about Croatia is that it is the childhood home of Nikola Tesla. The next cool thing is that they still use their own currency, the Kuna, and not the Euro. Their capital city, Zagreb is smaller and cleaner than many other capital cities. The design is very old-fashioned with the layout revolving around the city center. Although, there is much more green space planned throughout the small city than one would expect. Another reason this place is awesome is because the weather is semi-tropical, so it’s great year-round. Also, there are hundreds of islands to skirt away to ... read more

Saturday 9 May: After managing to get the blog published and emails cleared yesterday Zachary and I managed to find the playground after a brisk 919km walk. I am really impressed by how fit he is. It was good to find it and he enjoyed himself immensely. Of course, being a typical kiwi boy, he took his shoes off. The ground was all stones and he ran around on those quite happily, getting filthy feet in the process. This caused comment from at least 3 other adults at the park. I don’t think Italian children are ever without shoes! Got the bus back and then dinner and an early night ready for an early start. I didn’t manage to exchange any euros for Croatian kunas yesterday so that was a priority today. I thought Zagreb businesses ... read more