Yes, Please: Zagreb

Our bus ride from the lakes to Zagreb was incredibly entertaining solely because of the driver's antics.  He was a relatively quiet older gentleman, who occupied his time by mumbling under his breath and cursing (we imagine) any driver that crossed his path.  Have you ever been in a coach bus as it passes other cars on a two-lane road?  We have.

 

We arrived in Zagreb and Brittany immediately liked it because there was an Italian coffee vending machine at the station.  I mean that's just smart.

Basically, we both loved Zagreb.  A lot of people skip the capital, but it was such a highlight for us.  Evocative winding roads, bustling cafes, a funicular, and awesome museums, including one about the Croatian Naive Art movement (which we were naive about until we visited) and another called Broken Relationships, with stories of love lost from near and far.  It felt alive, and filled with Croatian people going about their everyday business.

We only had one afternoon to take everything in, so as soon as we arrived, we started in on Rick Steve's self-guided walk, which took us through the highlights of the more historic part of the city. We stopped at Pivnica Medvedgrad for sustenance and a sample of their in-house beers.  While there, our waiter was both extremely accommodating and poor at English.  Each time he would deliver something to our table, he would blurt, "Yes please."  During one particular visit, I think he said it four times in a row, with his adorable accent to boot.  Brittany and I were laughing so hard to ourselves.  We'd received many "yes pleases" in the place of a solid "here you go" or "enjoy" over the course of the trip, but this guy reached a whole new level of dedication!

The restaurant is located on Tkalčićeva Street (please don't ask me to pronounce it), which is always hopping with diners, live music, or people just grabbing a drink and watching the passers by.

We then continued around town, stopping at the cathedral...

checking out the two museums, admiring the roof of this incredible church, and finally ending up back in the main square.

Along the way, we stopped in a really cute shop and picked up some souvenirs (Brittany bought the necklace right off the shopkeeper's neck!), rode the funicular to take in the view, and walked by the old red light district (which is now completely dilapidated). 

We also took a moment to relax with some espresso and cake.

Britt!  Stop taking so many pictures of me!

That night, we went to Vinodol, a super-hip restaurant recommended us by our hotel.  Over our veal and pork chops, we took some time to reflect on how much we had enjoyed our time in Croatia, and noted that we could seriously see ourselves living in Zagreb, for all its hip locales and awesome people watching.  We had been to many places crawling with tourists, but this is where the real Croatians are! 

 

Just see how happy Zagreb made us:

After dinner, we headed back to Tkalčićeva Street for drinks and to take in the local scene, and on the way home even stopped in at a salsa club for a few songs.  I dance with one older gentleman who rolled his eyes when I said I was American.  Sorry to disappoint, dude!

The next morning...

...we had just a couple hours-one to enjoy our Hotel Jägerhorn's breakfast on their patio, and another to take in the fresh food market in the center of town.  I'll leave you with this adorable babushka.

 Next stop: Turkey!