Zagreb, Croatia
Over a week after returning to the USA via the UK - and a rather lovely short weekend with my 'rents sitting, chatting and chillin' - I'm playing catch up with my Eastern Europe tour review.
I'll keep it short and sweet!
Zagreb took me by surprise. OK, I know I don't know everything and I consider myself open minded to new experiences and places. Even so Zagreb caught me off guard. Perhaps it was my preconceptions of the region, post Serbo-Croatian conflict. Perhaps it was me not realizing what had happened where in that region during that war. Perhaps it was my inkling of both world wars having their root there and communisms influence. In fact driving into the city you pass Lenin walking through a National Geographic type square. I quote a local "It was never as communism here as it pretended to be."
Why was I surprised? Well it was far more developed and beautiful and clean that I had expected - a latent expectation rather than an overt one. A mix of history and the modern, such as London. But it was more like a cross between Prague and Copenhagen, but smaller. Trams run non stop. An Orthodox cathedral in a rather old town looking area graces atop a hill just up from from downtown. With only two hours on Friday post-customer meetings I was able to get an injection of the city but not a chance to soak up the cafe culture. I did spend enough time there however to experience the very laid back service - not bad, just laid back. Confusing for Americans I would presume to assume.
I went out for dinner with one of the local team. It was a delightful seafood restaurant (bear in mind how close to the Mediterranean Zagreb is) and my host Tomislav (aka DJ BADASS aka BlackSoul - a funky house DJ with gigs coming up with Thievery corporation and Faithless) a delightful chap with a penchant for creating some seriously funky choons - he gave me an EP of his tracks and a mix CD. All very good!
I was there from Thursday night - with "nothing to do" and my hotel was next to a multiplex. So I saw Star Wars Episode 3 there. And again in the UK. Gotta see in a cinema here in the US and I'll have a hat trick of countries with that movie under my belt ;-) Great movie.
I will be going back & I do recomend it.
posted by Matthew Woodget @ 8:28 AM
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