Zagreb´s center square.
I have not been in a sizeable city since Belgrade, and not spent significant time in one since Istanbul. I like the smaller places, but, as I mentioned before, it is difficult to identifz what makes a country unique in a small city in which tourists outnumber locals. They become scenic destinations in which I float around but learn very little. Thus, I was quite excited to be in Zagreb. At 750,000 people, it's not a booming metropolis by any means, but it's big enough to feel like Croatia, as opposed to a scenic city that could be anywhere.
I quickly realized that there are two types of buildings in Zagreb, cafes and museums. I have never seen a city so littered with the two. Right in the center square are over a dozen signs pointing people in the direction of museums, and everywhere I looked were people spilling out onto streets drinking coffee. Sometimes the actual cafe that served the coffee was even 100m away from the tables.
So many cafes.
I saw Zagreb's cathedral, which was appropriately impressive. Then I sat down at a cafe and had a coffee. My next stop was the Mimara Museum, named after a rich benefactor who donated his entire, and impressive, art collection to the city upon his death. Both my guidebook and the tourist information guide mentioned "strange circumstances" regarding his wealth. They did not elaborate. No matter, the museum was still nice.
Having done what seemingly everyone in Zagreb does on a daily basis. I decide to give it a simple walk around. The market is quite lovely, and colorful for that matter. I make a note to pick up groceries there when I go hiking later. I returned to the hostel a little bit early, found some people sitting around socializing, and joined them.
The market.
More of Zagreb.
No comments:
Post a Comment