Zagreb Walking Tour

Governor Jelacic Square, with his statue.

Part of the market.

The guard gate of the old Grad or castle.

The church of St Marks...

and its beautiful roof.

A non tourist.

Another nice facade.

We ended our tour here.

Saturday, September 28th.

It rained hard throughout the night and the temperature went from 27 yesterday to 17 this morning. When we met Amanda in the lobby after breakfast she told us that since we had this afternoon as free time and it was raining so hard and the afternoon looked better weather wise, that she was flipping the itinerary. So Shayna and I took advantage to wash a few things in the sink and walk to a local laundromat to dry them.

Zagreb's cityscape is an interesting mixture of classic Austro-Hungarian architecture and gritty socialist structures. The city has an eclectic mix of Italian, Turkish, and Austro-Hungarian influences, reflected even in its coffee culture. Zagreb is located on the intersection of several important routes between the Adriatic coast and Central Europe. It offers visitors the Baroque feel of the Upper Town, picturesque open-air markets, and lots of shopping. Perched on two small hills encircled by Renaissance-era walls, the city’s oldest district is home to many of the city’s main attractions. This picturesque medieval part of the Croatian capital boasts its most impressive architecture and great views over the rest of the city.

The first stop on the city tour today was at Governor Jelacic Square, undoubtedly the very heart of the capital. Located in Zagreb's center, the square is dominated by the statue of Josip Jelacic who became the governor of the triple Kingdom of Dalmatia, Croatia, and Slavonia on the 23rd of March, 1848. We walked around the city with our excellent local guide, Ivan, who explained what we were seeing, some of the history and his take on where the country finds itself now. We walked back down to Kaptol, St Catherine's Cathedral, the Church of St Mark, St. Stephen's Church, and Lotrscak Tower. Our last stop on our tour was at the popular Museum of Broken Relationships, where you can read some of the featured sad, funny, and highly personal stories of heartbreaks from over the world, each of which has an object attached that relates to the story.

We had an hour back at the hotel before meeting up in the lobby for our walk to tonight’s dinner restaurant. Another good meal and lots of conversation as we continue to bond together as a group. Back to sleep and really excited about tomorrow’s trip to Plitvice Lakes.