Zagreb, Croatia

Visiting Zagreb, Croatia's capital, had not been apart of my original travel plan, but after two bus rides totaling over eleven hours of travel in one day, I just didn't have it in me to board an overnight train to Austria. Arriving just before the reception desk was closing down, I checked into the last minute hostel and welcomed some much needed sleep. The following day's train schedule allowed me to explore the capital a bit before heading north again. With a few suggestions about what to see from the kind staff, I took off down towards the centre, finding many entertaining scenes along the way. The main attraction for me was the street market. This street market was probably the most vibrantly colored and cheerful market I have encountered through out Europe so far. Instead of following the rows of venders along a long skinny street like how most markets are set-up, this one had an entire square dedicated to the plywood tables full of produce and bright red umbrellas overhead. The assortment of fresh items were scattered around the square as locals and tourist shuffled past. The cartons of berries covered everything variety you could think of, and some tables were stacked two feet high just with potatoes. The venders were all smiles instead of typical quick and impersonal transaction, and were joking with each other about one thing or another. Along the outer rows of the fruits and vegetables were additional venders with hand crafted wood work and woven baskets for sale. Strolling through the market for a bit, I could not resist a fresh container of raspberries. I made my purchase and continued through the city, passing through the largest church in Zagreb, countless memorials and tributes to the wartime heros, and admiring beautiful colors and architecture of each building. Soon enough it was time to head to the train station and I said my farewell to the beautiful country of Croatia.