Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Zagreb, Croatia

We arrived in Zagreb to be greated by the enthusiastic, and very friendly Helena and Davor, a recently wed couple who had agreed to host us for our time in Croatia's capital. Helena informed us she had a big night planned, so after a splendid spread of Croatian cuisine (ajvar, kulen, young cheese etc), we picked up Helena's sister and were in the Zagreb old-town with a group of friends, drinking beer and being entertained by the Croatian folk trio playing traditional folk songs. Another table got into the spirit of things, as people were jumping up and dancing on tables, clinking beers.

Zagreb, Croatia

The next morning we experienced possibly some of the best cuisine yet (I'm not sure how many times I've said that, but its the leader so far), in burek. A kind of stuffed pastry, its a Yugoslavian dish, though now some of the best Burek is said to come from Bosnia... or Macedonia, depending on whom you ask.  Luckily for us, upon hearing of our enthusiasm to eat some good burek, Helena had organised for her parents neighbour to cook up a batch for us to try. And try we did. We kept eating until we were full, and then kept eating more, it was that good.

Zagreb, Croatia

Zagreb, Croatia

Zagreb, Croatia
Bosnian burek, in Croatia, with Helena's family

It was a massive struggle to try and stay awake with so much food in my system, as we headed up into the mountains of Zagreb and enjoyed an afternoon drink with panoramic views over the city, before heading back into the city. St Mark's Church was a highlight given its different and unusual appearance seperating it from the million other churches we'd seen previously. A quick trip inside the potentially heart-string pulling 'Museum of Broken Relationships' topped off with some cheap eats at a restaurant nearby topped off a super busy couple of days prior to our journey throughout the rest of Croatia via Bosnia started the following day.

Medvegrad, Zagreb, Croatia
Medvegrad

St Marks, Zagreb, Croatia
St Mark's Cathedral

Broken Hearts Museum, Zagreb, Croatia
Museum of Broken Relationships

Zagreb, Croatia
Zagreb by night