Now in Zagreb

A long train ride got us to Zagreb. Part of it went along the southern shore of Lake Balaton as the sun was setting so that was quite beautiful. Zagreb is not a big city - very walkable. People are friendly and the weather has been lovely.

Yesterday and today there was a Renaissance Fair in the central square. There were many booths with Croatian crafts as well as people demonstrating weaving, basket weaving, pottery making, iron working and more. There was Croatian music so the place was very lively. There are many many outdoor cafes in Zagreb. With the good weather people are outdoors enjoying taking time. Like Budapest, stores close early on Saturday so people are out strolling in the parks.

There are a number of outdoor markets, but the main one is huge with fresh fruit and vegetables in abundance. There are also many flower merchants - I guess people are planting their gardens here, too.

We have done a lot of walking - into churches, up narrow streets, through quiet parks. It's a very human-sized city, clean and with much less graffiti than Budapest. Despite the more recent war, everything seems to be in a much better state of repair. One odd thing - wherever there is scaffolding around a building, it is covered by giant sized ads.

Travelling on.....