A Full Day in Zagreb

We are enjoying our first day in Croatia (so far without luggage).  We have walked miles and explored the old sections of Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. We are learning a few words and trying to understand the pronunciations.  Lots of consonants!  

The Croatian alphabet has 30 letters, with 25 consonants and 5 vowels (a, e, i, o, u). Croatian has the following additional letters: č, ć, dž, đ, lj, nj, š and ž and doesn't feature the letters q, w, x or y.   The language is phonetic but “c” can be very different. Č sounds like ch in “charm”, but ć, sounds more like a “t”.

They say if you want open a successful business in Croatia, open a coffee and pastry shop!  They are everywhere and always full of people enjoying life!



Zagreb has two distinct areas in the older section:  The Upper Town which contains the Zagreb Cathedral and 13th-century St. Mark’s Church and a pedestrian-friendly Street (Tkalčićeva) that is lined with numerous outdoor cafes, and the Lower Town with the main square called “The Square” and many shops, museums and beautiful parks. The shortest funicular in the world connects the upper and lower towns. 


Gerry and I wandered out after breakfast and walked over five miles. One of our stops was the Museum of Broken Relationships.  It is a museum that grew from a traveling exhibition revolving around the concept of failed relationships and their ruins. Unlike “destructive” self-help instructions for recovery from grief and loss, the Museum offers the chance to overcome an emotional collapse by contributing to the Museum’s collection.  While many of the exhibits are painful, others are also quite comical.



After our long walk, we returned to the hotel to meet with our guide for a two hour walking tour! Two of the highlights of the walk were St. Mark’s Church and the Zagreb Cathedral. 

St. Mark’s Church (13th-century) has a colorful tiled roof, constructed in 1880 showing the medieval coat of arms of Croatia, Dalmatia and Slavonia (which along with Istria make up the four historical regions of Croatia) on the left side, and the emblem of Zagreb on the right.


Built in the 11th century, the Cathedral of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Zagreb Cathedral) was partially demolished after an earthquake in 1880.  It has two large towers that make this cathedral a symbol of Zagreb. It is still being refurbished.  The cathedral was surrounded by a wall but only portions of the wall remain.

According to legend, a fire in 1731 destroyed every part of the wooden Stone Gate in Zagreb except for the painting of the Virgin and Child. People believe that the painting possesses magical powers and come regularly to pray, light candles and leave flowers.

The four of us had a wonderful day and ended our night eating at the great hotel restaurant  - Zinfandels.


And what made the day even better?  Our luggage showed up!

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