Zagreb - an old, old city!

---

15.08.2019. Last night, after booking into our lovely hotel, we found the Bulldog Bar just a few short steps from the hotel and enjoyed a few drinks and dinner and bumped into four Aussies who we accused of being so loud we could hear them six feet away! They laughed and told us they were from Victoria - well, there you go! They, like us, we’re quite chuffed to hear an Aussie accent after so many weeks away. It’s funny, John and I sit amongst the crowds, drink, eat, chat and enjoy and everyone is speaking in different languages - so when we hear English being spoken, it’s quite comforting in a way. John and I also seem to be the only two people anywhere not bent over their mobile phones whilst out and about! At dinner in Budapest a few days ago, a girl videoed herself and boyfriend dipping their spoons into their shared dessert and another middle aged couple didn‘t put their mobiles down, he holding his up to his face and lifting his fork from plate to mouth without taking his eyes off his phone! Sad, sad.

Our first full day in Zagreb after the disastrous train trip of yesterday was spent wandering around this old city. It was a public holiday here and the shops were closed. As we were wandering near an old cathedral, three people on horseback in national costume rode up the street followed closely by a guy in a small orange tractor with a wheelie bin on the back. Not long afterwards, we were enjoying a coffee in the main square and a small band and the three horsemen went by, followed closely by this guy in the orange tractor - of course, he was the guy who had to collect any horses doovers that was left on the street!

16.08.2019. Today we woke up to cloudy skies and light rain but we headed off to catch the HOHO Bus for a short journey around the city. Zagreb is not a pretty city by an stretch of the imagination. It does have an opera house and art galleries and museums and a very old ornate cemetery but we didn’t get off the bus as there was a long wait until the next one. It is a very old city and quite run down, most buildings covered in graffiti and falling down, not being repaired or updated. The city runs on its tram system and crossing from one square to another requires crossing tram tracks and being extra careful!

We had a last look around later this afternoon, enjoyed a delicious dinner at our hotel and then packed for our journey to Split tomorrow, with a side tour to Plivitce Lakes, a day that will be about 12 hours or so. Let’s hope we survive it!

---