A Night in Zagreb
I couldn’t have asked for a better host in Zagreb. I decided that this business of buying two round-trips to Zagreb for the purpose of getting my Russian visa was #@$%!, so I consulted my online directory of people I could board with for the night. Sure I’m cheap, but when you’re travelling alone, you get so much more out of the experience interacting with people than staying the night at a hotel. A day trip is possible to Zagreb, as I am pulling it off next Friday, but the 4+ hour bus ride leaves at 04:30 and the earliest bus in the morning from home to get to that early bus is at 07:20. 6k at 03:00 anyone??
I sleep mostly on these trips (buses, trains) as gazing out the window at all hours of the day is not one of my favorite pastimes.
I arrived around 15:30 and decided to give the city a once-over pedestrian-style. I found the nearest tourism office, since Zagreb is not yet equipped for tourists at the bus station, offering NO maps but plenty of concessions options, a market, restaurants, fabric store, and linens. After that, I meandered over to the cathedral which reminded me of my walk through Spain. Giant spires, Romanesque architecture, simply stunning, and almost too huge to get into one photograph. Also – under construction…making this monument number 1,528 which was closed and/or covered in scaffolding during my visit. I lit a few candles in the small niche with a golden Virgin Mary mosaic, brushed aside a few tears, and made my way to the main drag, Ilica (pronounced Ilitza; c = tz). Happily realizing that I had walked for hours and hours with little sustenance, I found myself at a sweet shop with nutty dolce latte gelato on my sugar cone for less than a dollar. Sure beats Italy’s gelato prices! Mmm.
After glancing at my watch to note it’s after 18:00, I called my would-be host, Tanja. We decided to meet at the train station. She turned out to be the coolest Croatian yet, working for PWC, dressed all snazzy in a black suit and briefcase, and we wandered through more of the city before indulging in borek (pronounced I think bore-etsch) for dinner. Borek is a tasty seemingly fried doughy flat thing with cheese inside. Yes, I said cheese. I ate it and Zagreb is known for it…so it’s uh research. Later we went back to her apartment with a stunning evening view of the city and shared music and travel photos. In the early morning, we both set off for a full day: work for Tanja, visa stresses and a long bus ride home for me.
I guess I was lucky that someone who was bilingual in English was getting a visa simultaneously, since the counter rep did not speak English at the Russian Embassy. I paid quite a bit more than I ought to have, but it could be surcharges to use the Russian Embassy in Zagreb over the one in America. Either way, I sadly have to return on the aforementioned early bus the following week to finish off my visa madness. It’s the last one I will need to get beforehand that I am aware of presently for the rest of my journeys. Thank God. Not being able to shell out $20 at the airport for a visa is a lot of work. Especially the questions the Russians pose on the application, which fall short of asking how many people I’ve slept with and their case history.
I left with a greater understanding of the history of Zagreb, the Russian Embassy of Zagreb, another dolce latte gelato, and tired feet. Not to mention a unique lesson learned with respect to budget traveling: here in Croatia the travel agents are cheaper than booking direct with the bus line.
Tags: Croatia, Miscellaneous, Thailand, Zagreb, Tag Index
cristi.farrell