10/2 10 am We leave the Plitvice area and head to the capital of Croatia, Zagreb, 132 Km away. A quick stop in Rastoke and then on to Jastrebarsko where we tried to find a brewery.
We saw some nice architecture, walked around the town, had lunch and eventually found Jaska za sve nas (Jaska for all of us) Brewery, but it was closed.
After arriving in the outskirts of Zagreb we parked and rode a tram to the center of town, near the Art Pavilion.
A child, red flowers and the Art Pavilion (Umjetnicki Paviljon) adorn this Green Horseshoe Park in the middle of the Lower Town.
Another view of this beautiful place to read a book, the grounds of the magnificent Art Pavilion in King Tomislav Square, Zagreb. The Art Nouveau structure was designed by Fellner & Helmer architectural firm, the same architects that designed the National Theater in Split. Opening in 1898, the Art pavilion was one of the most prestigious art galleries for an artist to exhibit their work.
Beautiful 19th century buildings from the Austrian period line the streets of the Ban Josip Jelačić Square with storm clouds looming above. The photo below with the statue of the guy for whom the square is named.
After walking up approximately 500 stairs, we arrived at what was touted by a restaurant reviewer as “the best vegetarian/vegan restaurant in Zagreb”. Storm clouds were gathering but indoor seating was not available. We opted for a seat under an awning as close to the building as possible. The menu descriptions for the entrees extolled the preparation of the cuts and organs of a wide variety of animals big and small. Alas there were no non-meat or even fish entrees from which to choose. As every dish had parents, it was apparent we were misinformed causing the vegetarian in our two person group to insist we go back down the 500 or so steps to the center of town. There we found a really good Indian restaurant. Thankfully we arrived there when we did, as the skies opened up to a torrential downpour as we entered.
Zagreb is a multilevel city. The painted stairway above, with the mural on the wall, is the route from the Lower Town to the Upper Town and the terraced park makes the walk that much more enjoyable.
You can climb the stairs to go to the upper town, Gornji Grad–Medveščak, of Zagreb or you could take the funicular to the city’s hillside above Donji grad. We did both.
St Mark's Church was built in the 13th century, and like many buildings has seen renovations, restorations and additions over the years. The Gothic portal is from the 14th century. The tile roof with the coats of arms was added in 1880.
We were fortunate to have visited Zagreb Cathedral in October of 2019. In March 2020, as the world was reeling from Coronavirus, Croatia had another type of disaster. An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.3 struck at 6:24 AM Central European Time with an epicenter 4.2 miles away from here. One of the two spires of the cathedral above was toppled in addition to six billion dollars of other damage throughout the city.
Zagreb Cathedral, a Roman Catholic Church, happens to be the tallest building in Croatia but also the most impressive in the Gothic style southeast of the Alps. It was dedicated to the Assumption of Mary and to kings Saint Stephen and Saint Ladislaus. The cathedral is typically Gothic, as is its sacristy, which is of great architectural value. The spires are a prominent landmark visible from most parts of the city.
A smoke and a shower. Croatia, France, Greece and Bulgaria claim the highest percentage of smoking in the EU - 1 in 3 continue the habit.
Next stop Rovinj
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