Zagreb

9 September 2018

We landed in Zagreb after a long flight from JHB via Dubai. Our first impression was one of peace. Dubai airport at 5.30am on a Sunday morning was horrendous chaos and a sensory overload. Zagreb airport, by contrast, small(er), new, spacious, well laid out and almost devoid of other people. It is also interesting architecturally: Archdaily. The expert says it looks like a giant slug.

We caught an Uber to our accommodation in town, and had an enthusiastic conversation about Croatia’s recent Fifa World Cup success with our driver (who also happens to be a fan of Mamelodi Sundowns, and has some strong opinions about Benni McCarthy).

Zagreb was peaceful. It may have had something to do with the fact that it was a Sunday afternoon, and many of the shops were closed, but it was a pleasure exploring the streets and feeling like we almost had the place to ourselves. We took a walk through town to the Cathedral, and explored some of the pedestrianised streets of the city which are lined with restaurants and bars.

We also stumbled upon St Mark’s church, with striking roof tiles, before visiting the Museum of Broken Relationships. It houses objects from various relationships that have ended, and each object has a short story or description accompanying it. The stories range from absurd to sad to funny - my favourite being the description of an antique pocket-watch: “She said she loved all things old and broken. Turns out she didn’t. That’s probably why we’re no longer together.” There was also an axe displayed, which a jilted lover used to chop their ex-partners furniture into tiny pieces.

The next day we explored the picturesque Botanical Gardens, and the Croatian History Museum. We also found Gric Tunnel, which was built during WWII as a bomb shelter and promenade, which provided some relief from the heat of the city above.