Zagreb
I have to say that I was fairly unprepared for Croatia, so I don’t think that my experience was the most authentic or engaging thanks to my own fault. I was surprised on the train to find out that it is not an EU country, and that I would need to use the Kuna instead of the euro while I was there. Arriving in the train station and walking out into an overcast Zagreb, my first impression was of decay (especially when compared to the pristine Ljubljana). The scaffolding on many of the larger buildings and general dirtiness of a few of the smaller crumbling buildings added to this perception, but the city was much more lively once I found my way into the center.
A large part of my time there was spent wandering: I had accidentally arrived on a Sunday, so absolutely everything was closed including museums, shops, and eateries. I walked to four different restaurants in my guide, and had no luck at each. Finally I found a little touristy place still open, and sat down for a nice bowl of beef, mushroom, and vegetable stew. After dinner I headed back to the station to nod off the few hours before my 5 AM train departure to Budapest.
I hear that Croatia is quite lovely, in particular the coastal regions, and I am eager to go back. Hopefully under better conditions I will get more out of some time there!
