Introduction to Croatia

Had to wait for a couple of stores to open this morning before heading out from Bled. Anne bought a shirt, I bought slippers and a magnet (I love magnets), and Mom bought some nice foot cream. 


We started our 2hr drive to Croatia right after that. I was excited to cross the border into Croatia, knowing that's where my dad was born. It's also pretty nice to be doing it with him. I know it means a lot to him that all of his girls have now been here. Tomorrow we are on our way to the towns he grew up in.


Today was Zagreb. We crossed the border into Croatia at 11:15am. There were two border stops and then a toll. It was kind of weird. We asked them to stamp our passports. We couldn't really figure out what the first one was, but then the second one said "Hrvatska" so we knew it was our Croatian stamp. 


Was I complaining about driving in Salzburg? Oh no...Zagreb is way worse! Again, we're staying away from the town square and had to take the car there and back a couple times. From dead ends to one-ways...it was crazy! Oh my goodness!!! The parking is unbelievable. People are parked on sidewalks everywhere and finding a spot is next to impossible. 

Train Station in Zagreb

When we got to town we went to the train station and went underground to find Pan-Pek. We were told they have good burek. It was good, but now Dad says the burek in Split are way better. We walked over to the train station and everyone crossed the road, except me. I was taking pictures of the station and decided to cross when I was done. I saw them go into the station and thought they were right around the corner, but when I stopped clicking away they were nowhere in sight. Not a big deal, I thought, I'll just walk around and find them. I walked around, still didn't see them. Finally, I saw Dad looking around in a panic. I whistled our family whistle and he spotted me. He was so ticked off, like I was 8 years old and was lost. Haha! Granted, we don't really have any way of communicating if we do get separated. I just knew we were meeting Aussie friends of theirs at 3pm at the clock in the square. I was gonna head to the square. I'm used to wandering off and exploring on my own, so it was not a big deal to me. Apparently others thought differently. 


From the train station, we walked toward the square. Once there, we explored the markets, Tkalčićeva Street (a popular street where people hang out), St. Mark's church, and later we went to the Cathedral.

After we saw most of the things we wanted to see, we headed to the clock to meet Mom and Dad's friends. Then we went to Vincek's for šampita. It was pretty good! By the end I could barely take one more bite though. 

Later, we met back up with the Borkovic's for an amazing dinner at Kaptolska Klet. The veal, lamb, salads and bread with cheese were all so good. The best part was my palačinka to finish it all off!

Kaptolska Klet

 It was a late night, with an early morning start planned for the next day. Time for bed! 


Again, I fell asleep writing my blog, so I'm a day behind right now. Haven't had any time today to really sit and write. We get to the hotel, I download pics, and then head to bed...of course, always trying to see if I can get in touch with Matt.


Today I saw where my tata was born and where he grew up...so great! I'll write about that tomorrow and share more pics! Having a blast!


Oh, and just for the record, Lily's great. We were the idiots that told her the wrong info. We clicked "yes" to avoid the toll roads instead of "no".