A Long Awaited Adventure

Our arrival into Zagreb was uneventful, for which I'm always grateful.  We got an Uber ride from the airport to Hotel Laguna, our very friendly driver  gave us some good recommendations for our visit as well.  We were able to check into our room early so we managed a nap before heading out to do some exploring.  We knew nothing about the city and had no desination in mind, so we wandered and looked for some dinner.  In the end we ate at Pizzeria Karijola, located across the street from our hotel, but highly recommended by the Uber driver (he was correct, the pizza was fantastic).

Our first full day (May 25th) started with an unimpressive hotel breakfast we caught an Uber to Upper Old Town.  We'd learned the night before that we were well "below" the Old Town (tourist attractions) of Zagreb, so an Uber to the farthest destination and walking back was the outline for the day.  Our driver dropped us off a "Trg Sv. Marka" to visit St. Mark's Catholic Church.  It is one of the city's oldest architectural monuments (13th century I believe), and the iconic roof tiles show the medieval coat of arms of Croatia, Dalmatia and Slavonia on the left side, and the emblem of Zagreb on the right.  

Due to the earthquakes in Croatia a few years ago, many of the churches and historic buildings, which often house museums,  are closed to the public due to the ongoing renovations.  The Klovićevi Dvori Art Gallery shows both Croatian and international art, and since it was open we decided to visit.  Here we were introduced to the country's renowned artist Vlaho Bukovac.  The "Roots and Wings" exhibit was a highlight, he was a phenomenal portrait artist; paintings to lovely and clear they almost looked like photos!  

After spending the morning in the gallery we wandered back into the streets and past the Stone Gate (their only preserved city gate from the Middle Ages) which has since become known for the chapel there to "Our Lady of the Stone Gate, Protectress of the City of Zagreb".  A fire in 1739 spared a painting of the Virgin Mary so it is a place of worship for all devout Croatian Catholics now.  From there we headed down to the Lower Old Town and had lunch in Petra Preradovića Square.  We enjoyed being off our feet for a bit and with an outdoor table we had a prime spot for people-watching.  

At our stop next to the Nikola Tesla Monument we met a lovely couple from Sri Lanka (now Aussies) and had a lovely chat about our respective visits to Croatia, American politics, and travel safety to name a few.  Unbeknownst to us before arriving, Tesla was born and raised in Croatia (although it was Yugoslavia at the time), and as such they have capitalized on his identity.

Our last stop for the day was the Botanical Gardens which opened in 1891.  Professor Antun Heinz of the University of Zagreb founded it and it is still mainly a scientific institution.  Home to about 10,000 species of plants, 14 greenhouses, and many sub-gardens in various styles, it was quite impressive.  We enjoyed the shade and bench by the duck pond (it was unseasonable warm) and then enjoyed the incredibly variety of flowers while meandering back through to the entrance/exit.

To round out the day I taught my Aunt my lazy-travel-dinner secret (Australian tuna flavors, I miss you) of flavored tuna and crackers.  Purchased at a little convenience store and enjoyed at a small park near our hotel, it "hit the spot" as they say.