Z-town & I have parted ways, so here are some of my final thoughts.
Drinking: Jeeeesuz, do these Cros know how to drink! All around the main square are cafés. The signs say ‘cafe’ and ‘drinks’. This literally translates to coffee and booze. NO food. We kept going into these places – they look like restaurants with masses of chairs and tables – but we were sneeringly turned away when we asked after food. Mind you, on our last night it becomes very obvious how the Cro fashionistas keep those thigh gaps – we saw a table of 3 young women share 2 small protein bars bought from home, while they drank exotically flavoured vodka, bought at the ‘cafés’, served by Cro men with ciggies hanging between loose lips – yep, Cros smoke even when working. We would call it multi-tasking.
It is beer o’clock very early for the locals. When we went out for our cornflakes with oil on Saturday, there was a table of blokes downing beer, smoking & discussing the origins of the universe at 10 in the morning. It is clear to me that when the Zagreb man turns 50, he loses his hair, sends his missus to work and heads out to the cafe to drink, talk and smoke the day away. This is a rule. There are no exceptions.
Architecture: No words – so look at the pictures!
Zagreb is old and is exceptionally beautiful. I’m just talking about the old town. Like much of Eastern Europe, big ugly grey commie high-rise are where most people have to live. The old town has been here since the 900s (I’ve seen some old women that look as through they were born when the first sod was turned). The Catholic cathedral dominates both the architectural view and the psyche of the inhabitants.
I personally like the door knobs. For me, these gorgeous, but practical, ornaments sum-up the beauty of Zagreb. They are just captivating. I’ve put some examples here and I’ve chucked on some other bits of architectural interest. I could do a bit of wankering lyrical waxing about the built environment, but I’ll just let the pictures speak for themselves. But I think the door knobs are the best!
Until next time……
