Zagreb - capital of Croatia

From Budapest we boarded a FlixBus for the 4+ hour trip to Zagreb Croatia. Croatia is outside of the Schengen Area, so we had to get our passports stamped at the border. This was partly why we chose to go to Croatia - there is a 90-day limit to the time you can spend in the Schengen Area without a special visa. We expect that Nancy will have her Irish passport soon, so this may not be an issue...but just playing it safe. The bus ride was pleasant as we passed through the Hungarian and Croatian countryside.

A 30-minute walk from the Zagreb bus terminal brought us to our next AirBnB apartment. [Nancy’s new backpack was much better, but we realized as we rolled down roughly-paved sidewalks that we needed to pack even more strategically - putting the heaviest items at the bottom of the roller-bags and the lightest items in the backpacks, so that you can put the backpack on top of the roller without them tipping over.] Our AIrBnB host, Goran, met us at the corner of his street, escorted us up to the apartment. He did a nice job of explaining the workings of the place and gave us some tips on the neighborhood. 

After settling in, we headed out to the nearby local market for some breakfast supplies and then we walked a few blocks to one of the restaurants that Goran had suggested - Restoran Kvatric - and had a very traditional Croatian dish of veal roasted “under the bell” with potatoes and roasted vegetables. It was remarkably good.
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The next day we set out in the drizzling rain for a 30-minute walk to Zagreb Center. On the way we browsed an outdoor flower market that was teeming in advance of All Saints Day - a major National holiday in much of Europe (their Memorial Day). ​

The outdoor market in the center of the city was buzzing with vendors and live folk music. Nancy bought a lavender sachet for her suitcase. We cruised the winding streets looking for the tourist info center and happened upon an art gallery with a nice cafe where we had a much-needed caffeine break - but as usual there were smokers that detracted from the experience.

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As we strolled along, we came upon St. Mark's Church with its amazing roof tiles. But, the highlight of the day was the Museum of Broken Relationships - a truly unique and clever place. We stopped in a bookstore to find some greeting cards and asked for a lunch recommendation. The clerk suggested a restaurant just up the street - but added that it was vegetarian. We didn’t think we were up for that, but realized that it would likely be one of the few smoke free places around. Zrno Bio Bistro turned out to be excellent! We ended up hanging around there for a couple of hours while Nancy completed a couple of coaching calls and Richard worked on the latest blog post.
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Here are some travel tips that we compiled while in Zagreb, but that really apply to exploring any new European city:

1. Study the history that shapes the city. Listen to their music, read a novel based there, Google like crazy
2. Walk. Every street tells a different story. Tune into the different neighborhoods and their contrasts
3. Support local artists, artisans, restaurants, wine makers, and brewers
4. Eat up...take waiter recommendations for local specialties and wine & beer pairings
5. Love the trains - hate the stairs... expect to face giant stairways in train stations and even hilly neighborhoods - the ADA has not made it to Europe
6. Expect a lot of cigarette smokers. Bars, cafes, and outdoor restaurant seating usually permit it - restaurants indoors, retail shops, and public transportation usually are smoke free.

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