Zagreb, like so many European cities, has most of the touristy/historical attractions located in the ‘old city’ section of town, and while it doesn’t quite compare to places like Vienna, it was still a great spot to spend a few days.

There were several good museums in Zagreb, my favorite of which was the City Museum in the Upper Town, not far at all from the unofficial center of the city, Jelačić Square. I spent a few minutes trying to get a good photo, but there was an enormous amount of foot traffic in the area that was making it difficult. Eventually, I got into a good position near this street performer, who was watching me like a hawk the whole time.

Museums are one of my favorite pastimes. This is for several reasons. First, there are lots of interesting/old/pretty things to look at and admire. Second, it’s an opportunity to enjoy different perspectives and culture through an immersive experience, to sink into the vastness of the human experience and dwell in wonder and possibility. Lastly, and most importantly, museums are an excellent place to engage in my all-time favorite pastime, goofing off.


We did not make it out to the Museum of Broken Relationships.

There was this great restaurant near Jelačić Square, Ivica I Marica, with an enormous menu of mostly traditional Croatian cuisine. I had this fantastic lamb stew but accidentally gave Ferda the go-ahead to eat some bread that was later revealed by our waiter to include pork. This was of course a big problem for her, and I felt badly about it, but for me, there’s no greater recommendation for a restaurant than when everything is filled with parts of the pig, even the bread. Here’s a photo taken after our main course but before the chocolate pancake dessert that finished off our meal.

On our last full day in Zagreb, we walked back to our hotel, making our way through this old rail yard, snapping a few photos as the sun set across the tracks.