Zagreb

I couldn't check into my place in Zagreb until 5:00 pm, so I spent another half day in the park.  I got a ride to the park from hotel owner's father, he was a really nice guy.  The park was less crowded since I got there earlier in the day & it was a weekday.  But there were still plenty of Asian tour groups with their "selfie sticks".  I got stuck behind one couple that stopped to take a selfie every 100 feet.

I had to wait by the side of the road at a little bus stop to be picked up by the bus going to Zagreb.  I was a little nervous since I saw a bus the day before that was fairly full with lots of people trying to get on.  The bus was a few minutes late & only half full, the fare was pretty cheap ($12).

I arrived in Zagreb & went from the bus station to train station to purchase my $18 train ticket to Slovenia.  I got on one of the trams (streetcars) & was on my way to the apartment.  The apartment was across the street from the tram stop & looked like a typical communist era high rise.  It was about 15 minutes from the center of town.  Zagreb is the biggest city in Croatia & has about 20% of the country's population.

A young lady named Jelena lived across the hall from where I was staying & was the one that gave me the keys.  She was very nice & had some good recommendations on places to see & eat.  I walked around the neighborhood a little bit & got a kebab for dinner.  

The next morning I headed out for a run at a place called Lake Jarun.  It was a nice park, it has a long narrow lake & a lot of kayakers train there.  They have a little stadium at the end of lake facing the water for spectators of rowing & kayaking events.  I ended up doing 5.5 miles & soon after I headed on the tram to downtown.  

My first stop was the famous St. Mark's church, the tile on the roof is unique as it represents tapestry from a distance.  I also went to an art gallery of Croatian artists, lots of interesting paintings.  There were a lot of sidewalk cafes & restaurants nearby, I opted to have a kebab for lunch.  I walked around town some more & headed back to the apartment.

I went to a nice restaurant for dinner, which was only $10 including tip.  I also had ice served with my drink for the first time in two weeks. Unfortunately I don't think there will many $10 dinners in my next two stops ( Slovenia & Austria).

Zagreb was a nice place to visit for a day, but definitely not as interesting the other places that I visited in Croatia.  After almost 2 weeks in Bosnia & Croatia, now it is on to Ljubljana, Slovenia for 3 nights.  Unfortunately I am on the early train at 6:50 am for a 2 hour 15 minute train ride.  The next train was at 1:00 pm, so I wanted to get to Ljubljana & spend the day sightseeing.  Here are a few more photos from Zagreb.