Zagreb
Christmas 2018
Croatian border security terrified us. The entire bus had their passports taken of them and were told to stand outside in a line while they were scrutinised. No-one spoke - It was dark, cold, and unnerving. We all got to enjoy that special anxiety of not knowing exactly where your passport is. After more than half an hour of waiting, we eventually got back on the bus. The bus driver neglected to hand our passports back so I had to remind him that was somewhat important. He shrugged and gave them all to me and another girl – we then wandered down the aisle calling out countries of origin to find their owners.
Moving on.
With the air warming, we soon arrived in Zagreb, no longer surrounded by snow. The air was mild and foggy. Zagreb is a relatively small city; cute, without being beautiful. The city’s palette was a mix of blue, white, and a dash of orange, from the trams, old gaudy buildings, and rooves, respectively.
Unfortunately for Zagreb, our recent time in resplendent Budapest set the bar extremely high. Consequently, Zagreb just didn’t shine as brightly in comparison and I wasn’t all that taken with it on first impressions. We seemed to have seen most of it on our first day during our walking tour – Ban Jelacic Square, the Cathedral of Zagreb, the peculiar St Mark’s Church and Gornji Grad district, Dolac market, Lotrscak Tower, the Stone Gate, and Theatre District – all lovely sights, but no truly compelling ones.
Lotrscak tower is perhaps the only notable and kooky exception. An old battlement, it once housed a bell that was rung to warn that the city gates would be closed. This then reportedly evolved in to firing a cannon from the fourth floor of the tower to signal noon to nearby churches, allowing them to correctly time their bells. This odd tradition continues today and I was caught off guard several times by the explosion and subsequent eruption of church bells around the city.
Similar to Prague, we were again surprised to find a heavy Germanic influence on food - lots of sausages, sauerkraut, and pork. There were certainly lots of Croatian dishes around, but they weren’t starkly different to what I’ve had in other central European countries. Perhaps we just didn’t eat at the right places, but the food didn’t grab me like I hoped it would. I’m sure it would’ve been quite different had we stayed on the coast with its more mediterranean influence.
That being said, please make sure you try štrukli if you're in town. This was one dish that was like nothing else I’ve ever tried. It’s basically baked dough in a cream sauce, and was somewhere between lasagne, gnocchi, or baked ricotta. Had either sweet or savoury, I’d highly recommend it and La Štruk in the city centre, where we tried it.
My time was also complicated by getting stomach flu halfway through my stay. It really didn’t help me enjoy my stay. I spent the next few days quietly freaking out in my own head, hoping it wasn’t going to return with a vengeance.
You certainly can’t ignore Croatia’s recent conflict with Serbia - the city still bears marks of it today. A complicated topic that I’m not at all equipped to explain properly, it has a different name depending on which side tells the tale: The Homefront War, Greater Serbian Aggression, the War in Croatia, and the War in Krajina. I was only vaguely familiar with the war, so leapt at the opportunity to go on a historical tour to learn more. Broadly speaking, the war began as the Communist Yugoslavia began to break apart; Serbians within Croatia began to revolt, leading to the invasion of Croatian territory by Serbia. A bloody war raged for several years, with limited initial involvement by the West. The U.N eventually intervened several years after the war's outbreak, with the outcome being the establishment of the Republic of Croatia in 1991. It was odd to walk through large bomb shelters in the middle of town as we were being told all of this – life seemingly having moved on from those days.
I found it interesting to contrast the recent joy of Croatia’s World Cup success and outward hopefulness at their recent admittance to the E.U, against their struggle for independence and previous oppression under both fascism and communism. Given that Croatia spent so many centuries under the boot of other powers, I found myself empathetic to their parochial pride in all things Hrvatski - whether that be their football team, language, or unique place in inventing the common neck tie.
Our days began to blur as we settled in to Zagreb. We had almost too much time in one place and not enough things to do, whilst all the while being busy with the whole business of…
Christmas!
I was fortunate enough to be joined by Amy & Elle’s immediate and extended family – Pete and Jane, Sam, Emma and James, Sean, and Martin and Mary.
We spent the better part of our 5 days together perusing the city’s Christmas markets, eating way too much, drinking mulled wine and spiced gin, catching up, and comparing travel plans.
Our time together of course came together in a grand Christmas lunch. Pork, goose, and all the trimmings – Jane even brought a Christmas pudding from Australia - it was spectacular. We all needed a serious nap to recover. Our evening rounded out with our traditional viewing of It’s A Wonderful Life.
The clear highlight of my time in Zagreb was the peculiar Museum of Broken Relationships – the strangest museum I’ve ever been to, but one that left quite a mark on me. An odd collection of mementoes and their accompanying stories, it is quite literally a museum dedicated to the personal experiences of people who have gone through heartbreak. Fleeting loves ended too soon, widowed partners, lost children, and petty break-ups - one lady having spitefully stolen her ex's toaster. I was surprised at how evocative a pair of shoes, an exercise bike, or a bracelet could be. It was oddly refreshing to see such brutal honesty and emotional expression laid out for all to see. It was such a relatable, human experience - I’d strongly suggest you go.
We had a nice time in Zagreb, but unfortunately we had far too much time, with too few options to keep ourselves busy.
Although Christmas was wonderful, that was primarily due to the company. Simply put, I just didn’t leave with an urge to come back to Croatia in a hurry, especially having just come off a high in Hungary.
That being said, I remain interested in seeing Croatia’s much vaunted coastline.
Perhaps next summer…
JC
"Dear George, remember no man is a failure who has friends.
Thanks for the wings.
Love, Clarence."
Clarence Odbody – It’s A Wonderful Life.
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