Second, I was happily surprised to see how far its dining scene has come. Croatia isn't exactly known for its diverse restaurant options (though the local food is delicious, so, I get it), but I feel like we got a good variety on this trip. (Full Zagreb restaurants post to come!) Plus, Croatia's wine explosion and a strong craft beer industry make for some delicious drinking.
There's a lot of things that, I'm happy to say, haven't changed. Zagreb still holds on to its history. You see it everywhere - in its architecture, museums, public art. It's charming and it's intriguing.
The best place for a dose of old world Croatia is Zagreb's Upper Town (Gornji Grad in Croatian).
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Photo by Stjepan Alaupovic |
By the way - the Basement, which you see just in front of the funicular, is an adorable wine bar with all Croatian wine. And can we talk conversion rates for a second? This past summer was probably the last before Croatia switches to the Euro. I priced out my glass of wine at Basement (one that in New York City would easily go for $15 a glass) at just $3.50! INSANE. And that white umbrella you see poking out on the right side of the photo is a casual gastropub with really good local fare - I had stuffed peppers in a tomato sauce that I still daydream about.
The funicular drops you near the base of Kula Lotrščak - the white tower you see sticking out in that photo - which was built in the 13th century to guard the southern gate of Gradec, one of the two original settlements that made up old Zagreb. Gradec, the more secular of the two, had a mostly unhealthy rivalry with the church-controlled Kaptol. The Middle Ages. You know.
At noon, Lotrščak's canon and nearby church bells still sound off to signal the time of day.
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Photo by Stjepan Alaupovic |
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Photo by Stjepan Alaupovic |
On our way to Sveti Marko (St. Mark's Church), we ran into this costumed gal. At first I thought it was just a touristy attraction, but there's an interesting story to this girl and her garb. She's dressed in traditional folk clothing that Croatian women in the area wore from the 19th century all the way up to the 1960s.
Really, what she's meant to signify is a type of woman called "Kumica," the nickname given to women from nearby villages who sold their farm-grown goods at Dolac Market. A fun side note: girls of the time wore their hair in braids if they were unmarried or tied in a knot and covered with a kerchief to signal to the fellas that they were off the market.
"Kumica" stands on the corner of Katarinin Trg (Katarina's Square - yeah, I've got my own square!) and is actually a great Zagreb resource. Don't let the basket of trinkets fool you. On another day, I stood and chatted Croatian history with a different Kumica for at least 20 minutes.
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Photo by Stjepan Alaupovic |
It was here that we saw Gornji Grad's lamp lighter come through and by hand spark the small flames inside of the town's old gas lamps - something our tour guide, a Zagreb local born and raised, said she's only seen twice in her life. Seeing Sveti Marko's tiled roof ablaze with the light of the sunset and the lamps was something I'll never forget.
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Photo by Stjepan Alaupovic |
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Photo by Stjepan Alaupovic |
Though I have to be honest. The mood was killed when a loud group of tourists came strolling through and snapping photos. People come here to light candles and pray for their loved ones. I wish visitors would be more respectful of this when they come to admire the memorial. If you ever visit Zagreb, please keep that in mind.
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Photo by Stjepan Alaupovic |
But in the meantime, hop on over to the Style Jaunt Facebook page for more photos of Zagreb's Gornji Grad.
What is one of your most inspiring travel moments?
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