#TouristsOfZagreb: Exploring Your Own Country
An old and good friend of mine visited Zagreb a few days ago. She's a law student from Rovinj, and her name is Tea Vitas. She loves travelling! She already visited cities like Prague, Budapest, London, etc. She visited Zagreb twice: the first time she was too little and knows about it just because her parents told her about it, and the second time was related to a job interview, and she didn't have time for sightseeing at all.
"It's interesting how you put all of these destinations on your bucket list but then notice that you didn't have time to visit the capital city of your own country. Moreover, when I came here for my interview and saw so many interesting things just on the way here, I was disappointed that I had no time at all to spend it here due to my obligations. That was approximately a month ago, and now I am here, just like I promised myself I would be. It would be a shame not to return to such a beautiful city with a soul!" - said Tea when we met at the main square to talk about her staying here.
Image Credit: Aleta Brattoni
I managed to meet Tea on her last day in Zagreb, and I had to walk around with her because she didn't want to waste any time and wanted to see as much as possible. "That's how much I like it here, I have to see everything!" she said excitedly, and we started our little walk and hung out. I will try to bring the places she liked the most to you, the way she described it. So, let's find out what kind of impression Zagreb leaves on its tourists.
The heartbeat of Zagreb
I didn't even have to start asking Tea any questions to make her talk enthusiastically about the simple things she noticed on the streets of Zagreb.
"You know, from where I come from, in this time of the year the streets are all empty. The shops, bars and restaurants are closing its doors and going on winter vacation, and the complete city looks like a ghost town. Here I was so surprised when I found all the shops, bars and restaurants opened and people walking down the road. There are at least a few people in every alley. It instantly feels warmer, even on these cold days."
With an observation like this, I understood she didn't just look for some must-see things in Zagreb, but she had an eye for all the details and noticed things around her. That's when I had to ask her how she liked people from Zagreb.
"I got the chance to see a lot of things. It's a city much bigger than mine, so you see so many different personalities, races even. I love diversity, so that was a great thing for me. Usually, in the places I visit, the big cities, you see a lot of extremes, from very rich to very poor. That's the one thing I don't like about big cities. However, Zagreb is in some perfect middle. There are people collecting money on the streets, but differently, they dance, they sing or play an instrument. It brings the best out of you, and you don't regret giving them an extra coin. Also, I had the feeling that we can call it an unfounded prejudice, the opinion that in big cities people are always in a hurry. Of course, I saw these types of people, too, but there was a larger number of those who were enjoying their evening walk, sitting for hours drinking coffee, talking on the main square and so on. This is why I think this city definitely has a soul!"
Main square and upper town
As I have already mentioned, Tea and I met at the main square and started our little tour together from there. She was impressed with the buildings and the statue of ban Josip Jelačić, also the symbol of our main square. "The statue is so big and majestic. It's an excellent meeting point, too, just like we met." - said Tea with a smile.
We continued our little journey climbing the stairs towards the Upper town. We moved really slowly. It's not easy as you may think to walk so many stairs and talk so much at the same time.
Image Credit: Aleta Brattoni
When we finally got to the last stair, Tea was stunned by the view: "This is absolutely breathtaking. It's a perfect viewpoint looking down on the city." Once we caught our breath and admired the view for quite some time, we continued to Marko's square. When walking towards it, you can see this beautiful church, but this is not the only thing Tea was impressed with.
"I am a law student, so I was looking forward to seeing where the Croatian Parliament, the Government of the Republic of Croatia and the Constitutional Court are situated. It's nice to see in person something that you constantly follow on television, for example in the news. It would be great to find myself here someday maybe, but these are some thoughts for some other time."
Visiting parks
Since I am a nature lover, one of my questions had to be about the best place, or should I better say, best places (since there are so many of them) for walking.
"Yeah, I am also aware that there are numerous places to relax and enjoy the nature. However, four days wasn't enough to visit them all. Well, I heard a lot of times for Jarun, seen it on the television, too. So that's where I first went. It fulfilled my expectations, I must say! However, I was lucky enough to have a friend who recently moved to Zagreb to guide me. I think it's a big plus, because Jarun is really spacious and, in the beginning, it looked a little bit dull, maybe I would even turn around thinking it's all asphalted street and lake, but since I had someone to guide me, we walked through this green fields. There were so many people, all of them wearing a smile. I loved the vibe of this place, and I would gladly return someday. Other than Jarun, I read a lot about Maksimir and, of course, its zoo. Personally, I thought it's mainly known for the zoo. I thought the park itself is not so big. Well, now I know I was wrong. So many paths through the park, so many beautiful lakes. It's nature at its finest. It was so peaceful and relaxing! Both Jarun and Maksimir seem so different but each of them perfect in their way."
Apart from blogs that she read about Maksimir, I like to believe I had something to do with that as well since I am a constant visitor there. So, just like in Jarun, she had a chance to be guided in Maksimir as well.
"I particularly liked the first two lakes in the area where the zoo starts and the swans I saw there were amazing! I'm in love with those animals with such elegance and beauty".
Image Credit: Aleta Brattoni
She also mentioned how she took a glimpse of the Botanical garden but didn't want to waste much time there because it's winter and she wants to come here when it's spring, and all the flowers are blooming.
"It seemed big and amazing. I always plan my trip and what to visit. Of course, if on the way I see something beautiful, I stop. That's how I wandered towards the Botanical garden. I made it to the little bridge and the lake, but didn't want to go much further because I really want to see it in spring and I had few more places to visit for the day, so, I'm putting this on the to-do list for the next time!"
After a lot of walking around the city, we lost the sense of time, and our stomach reminded us it's time to get something to eat. That was another opportunity to ask Tea about the food here in Zagreb.
Sweet Zagreb
We sat down in the Orange bar near the main square. We tried the quiche there, and it was absolutely fantastic! However, when I asked her about food in Zagreb, Tea was mainly impressed with the delicious sweets and a large number of pastry shops.
"So many pastry shops and each one more delicious than the other! It's impossible not to gain a few pounds with such a big offer of sweets, especially if you are a big chocolate lover as I am. I tried many cakes, muffins and pastries in various pastry shops like Vincek, Amelie, here at Orange, Torte i to and many other places. And not to mention the creperies! We don't have such things in my city. You can only order pancakes as a dessert when in a restaurant. Here, I was so enthusiastic when I saw so many of them. Of course, I couldn't try it all of them because I wouldn't fit in any of my clothes once I get home, but I had to try one. I filled my pancake with so many things I couldn't eat it whole! But it was delicious, and I think everyone deserves to reward themselves with such a pancake once a week (haha)."
Tea has a sweet tooth, but who can blame her. Even if you are not a big fan of sweets, when you see such a big and diverse offer, you must try it! So, here is where our paths split. She will be going home soon and already has a list of more things to visit the next time she comes. For the end, Tea has just one tip for other tourists visiting Zagreb: "I would recommend getting a guide. Nowadays, there are so many possibilities for "renting" people from a certain town you're visiting. It's good to see all of the traditional things written in every tourist guide, but it's also nice to have people living here tell you about everything and show you maybe some hidden beautiful places. I had a blast these four days and all I can say is: see you soon Zagreb!".
Header Image Credit: Aleta Brattoni
Author: Aleta Brattoni