I have a declaration to make: I love Zagreb! I love it so much. I just wish I’d gotten more time to enjoy it. Our family was dealing with a stomach bug during our time there, so I had two sleepless nights of our four we spent there, once taking care of Keegan, and once for myself. Despite the unpleasant tummies and minimal opportunities to explore, Zagreb made a big impression on me. It has all the important elements in the acronym COFFEE: Coffee Organics Food Festivities Engineering Effervescence
- Coffee: Zagreb has yummy coffee options with the smoking kept outside. Our favorite was Cafe Cogito where they served a nice Ethiopia/Costa Rica blend. We’ve typically been trying to stick to the nutty/chocolatey Brazil beans, so we were happy to have our coffee horizons expanded. AND, they had two locations to help mix it up
- Organics: finding good grocery stores has been a challenge throughout our trip, but especially so in the Balkans. Not only did Zagreb have more decent stores, but they also had a bunch of establishments focused on natural and organic products, something we haven’t seen for months! Our favorite was a place called Bio & Bio, which reminded us of PCC back home. They sold Kombucha and delicious cans of sparkling lemonade sweetened with agave nectar–what a treat!
- Food: although we’ve had some delicious meals in the Balkans, a lack of variety has been a constant theme, and it’s gotten a little difficult to slurp down plates of salty meats night after night. Imagine our joy in discovering delicious options in Zagreb like Curry Bowl for Sri Lankan cuisine, Submarine for American-style hamburgers, and Taquitos Bandidos for Mexican street food. My stomach is rumbling again just writing about it
- Festivities: it feels like Zagreb is a very happening place where people like to enjoy themselves. The day we arrived they were constructing little wooden shops all around and in the main square (Ban Josip Jelačić), and by the time we left they were fully-functioning and totally decked-out for Christmas, selling savory and sweet treats. There must’ve been around 50 little huts that popped up while we were there, and it seemed like they targeted a Black Friday opening (we were a little surprised to see how heavily Black Friday was advertised)
- Engineering: there are three main architectural styles that we’ve seen in the Balkans that can be categorized as Habsburg, Ottoman, or Communist Utilitarian Blob buildings. That list is in order of my favorite to least favorite and Zagreb is filled with Habsburg-style buildings where the architects were masters at erecting incredibly aesthetically pleasing structures. I loved walking through the streets and squares and getting such joyful emotions taking in the scenery
- Effervescence: Zagreb has an energy about it that bubbles out of the squares and markets, through the picturesque streets and tranquil parks, and fills its occupants as they go about their business. I couldn’t stand being cooped up in our apartment when I was sick because I wanted to be outside absorbing the merry atmosphere. One time as we were strolling along, a couple of us felt so giddy that dancing immediately broke out (incriminating photo below)
Before planning for this trip, I’d barely heard of Zagreb, and even in our planning, I mainly became familiar with it because of its airport as we were looking for a potential good entry and exit point for our time in the Balkans (we ended up flying in and out of Belgrade). I didn’t know what to expect when we arrived, but it left such an impression on me that it will be near the top of my list of places I’ll want to return to later in life to explore more.
Now I really want to visit Zagreb, too! That’s an excellent Acronym for pleasant spots (COFFEE). I’ll have to remember that.
It’s really worth a visit, I hope you do it!
Love it, Great post.
Thanks buddy, miss you guys!