I know what you are thinking, Zealous about Zagreb!? In my defence when I started the alliteration we were going to Dubrovnik not Zagreb in Croatia which would have been a whole lot easier! However, Dubrovnik is not very well hooked up to trains/buses and it would have taken us over 24 hours to get there and we are on a tight schedule! Furthermore, the weather for caster wasn't great and with Dubrovnik being a sea side town it seemed pointless unfortunately. Anyway...
Another city and you guessed it another walking tour. We were recommended this from the hostel and so gave it a go. We met at the Tomislava square, next to the horse. The tour was good especially because Zagreb is made up of a lot of side streets! We unfortunately had some rude people in our group which let the tour down because they would constantly talk whilst the tour guide was talking.
Overall we managed to see:
-Tomislava Square
- Several of the city's parks
-The Cathedral
- Dolac Market
- The Old Gates
- St Mark's Square
- Church of St Catherine
-And Much More
The Museum of Broken Relationships
We were recommended to go and check this out by one of the staff at the hostel and it was next to the last spot of the tour. It only cost 25kn which is about £2.50, give or take...so hardly breaking the bank! We didn't really know what to expect but inside was items and stories regarding people's previous relationships. It sounds odd and I will admit it was slightly, but it was interesting! Some stories were more blunt and amusing like the picture presents but some were quite harrowing. Definitely worth a go if you have a free hour or so.
The Cookie Factory
On the way back from the museum we were on Tkalciceva Street and spotted the Cookie Factory. I have a very sweet tooth so it was right up my street! They sell all sorts of cakes, brownies, cookies and pies. I had the rockie road brownie with chocolate chip ice cream. It can only be described as delightful, the brownie was warm with nuts and marshmallows and they gave generous portions of the ice cream. If you sit outside they provide blankets do you aren't cold aswell which is nice. Service overall was attentive but not too overbearing. All in all, it was amazing and you should definitely go!
Nokturna
This restaurant was recommended highly on Trip Advisor so we thought we would go. Situated on one of the side streets of Tkalciceva Street, it is prime location. We decided to sit inside because it was quite a cold night.
One definite improvement needed is service here. We were left for 20 minutes before being approached by a waiter! They also did not state that all pasta dishes contained cheese despite there being no mention of this on the menu, which was disappointing for me because all the best dishes appeared to be pasta. In the end I went for chicken in a mushroom sauce accompanied by rice with a side order of grilled vegetables because I am missing my greens I won't lie! We waited another half an hour or so for food which to me was a bit long... However this appeared to be the norm in the restaurant.
When the food arrived it was nice, the chicken and sauce were cooked really nicely. For me, the rice was a bit buttery and the vegetables were abit cold but not a bad meal in itself. Upon finishing, we were then left to our own devices and ended up asking for the bill.
I don't know if it was down to the night, the waiter we had or what but I wouldn't say our night was reflective of the high reviews on Trip Advisor. Overall, food was okay but the service just wasn't up to scratch!
Tkalciceva Street
After dinner we went for drinks at one of the many bars on this street. Due to the outdoor heaters we decided to sit outside. It's 45kn per cocktail which is roughly £4.50 and they are strong! First I had a Mai Tai and then a Bramble. Both were very good and definitely uplifted the mood after a so so meal. Whilst you are out in Zagreb, it's definitely worth having drinks on this street because you get to see the real hustle and rustle of Zagreb at night.
Managed to snap this picture if the Cathedral on the walk home and thought it was definitely worth a mention. Ever since being told to go to Charles Bridge at night back in Prague, I really like seeing the monuments at night because they are not only pretty but also significantly less packed.
The Disaster that was Plitvice
Well well well, what to say about Plitvice. For starters, it is a national park two hours away from Zagreb. We thought we would go and see it due to recommendations from people staying at our hostel and photos we had seen of it. We happened to be in the train station on the day we were planning on going so picked up the bus timetable aswell. You travel to Plitvice by bus so we wandered to the bus station before 12 in hope to catch the 12:30 bus. This bus however was full so we had to wait till 2:30. It was annoying but it was our last real opportunity to do it, so we waited. In hindsight we should of known then it was going to be a bad day!
The bus journey itself was fine. However when we arrived just after half 4 we were informed that we could not buy tickets after 4 so we went and saw what we could but this was limited. After seeing what we could we headed back with half an hour to spare before the bus arrived to take us back to Zagreb. So we waited and waited and waited. It was then we began to realise that the bus wasn't coming and it was starting to get dark. Locals were trying to get us to go and stay at their cabanas and trying to get us and other travellers to go with them in their cars! Not ideal to say the least. We were also informed at this point that if the bus had become full on previous stops they may well of just gone without stopping...BRILLIANT.
We made our way back to the park and it's neighbouring hotel and asked if there were any rooms. There were not but she was able to offer us advice and found us a hostel. The hotel worker was an absolute star and I could not thank her more for her help! We ended up staying in Grabovac, a nearby town in a lovely private house. Our hosts were so accommodating and it was really what we needed after our disastrous day!
We decided to get the first bus back and because we had return tickets we weren't worried. How wrong we were. I would not be able to tell you what happened but we ended up having to buy another ticket. Rounding off what can only be described as the horror that was Plitvice.
Our hostel in Zagreb were really good about things though because we emailed them to notify them what was going on and they were prompt and really nice in their reply, telling us not to worry about check out time etc.
My advice if you are going to Plitvice:
1. Only go on a sunny day because if it is foggy, wet or similar you will see NOTHING
2. Buy single tickets and just keep enough for a return because they are private coaches so. You can only get on particular coaches
3. Do not trust the last bus time, make sure you go early and don't end up in our predicament
4. If you are going to do Plitvice, make an expedition of it and stay in Grabovac
5. If you don't want to make a trip of it, do the trips sorted out by your hostel which will end up costing more but if anything goes wrong you know what to do and where to contact
Overall I did enjoy the day we had in Zagreb, as far as Plitvice is concerned if I ever return there it will be much too soon!
Imogen xoxo
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