A Satisfied Zagreb

Now we come to Croatia. What a beautiful land with the sea and mountains. Its coastline is famous and increasingly popular. But with no love for seafood and the lust for some cultural engagement, I headed to Zagreb. Transport between all these cities is incredibly easy and cheap. Sure there may be only some trains or bus lines a day, but I just walked into the station and asked for the next train out. It's as easy as that. If you're traveling the Balkans, I would advise against any big Eurorail or Interrail tickets because that can limit your time a lot if you go with the cheaper options and also hinders sporadic adventures since many of those said cheaper options have a ride limit. But if you're willing and able to spend the cash then go for whatever you wish. I personally get excited off not knowing how I am getting to the next place.

Anyways, back to the Croatian capital. Zagreb is so much bigger than Ljubljana that at first I was in shock. I really didn't expect the city to be like this. It has a grandiose train station worth taking pictures of and right outside is a giant square with a statue worth another photo. It is most definitely something that looked good on their EU application, as they will enter into the organization this summer. From what I heard from the Croatians I spoke to, they are hopeful about entering the EU. Life in the nation is extremely rough right now. The owner of my hostel (details to come) told me about 1,000 people lose their jobs every day in the country, which already has about a quarter of the population unemployed. Although entering the EU will bring higher prices for many goods, the general overall outlook onto membership is positive. There seems to be hope in Croatia's future.

I learned a lot of what I now know about Croatia from the people who operated the House Hostel, where I stayed for my three nights there. The name really gives your the right image. It is a big house on the outskirts of the downtown right by the main bus station and all the rooms have been converted for hostel use. The main floor has a massive living room, kitchen and dining area where a lot of the travelers hang around. Every night I was there they offered me some beer and rakija. Oh how sweet it was. Or rather, how strong I should say. Rakija, in case you don't know and are too lazy to Google it, is a highly alcoholic drink made from fermented fruits. It is popular throughout the Balkans and they really love this shit. Rakija comes in bunches of flavors from honey to plum, apple to walnut. It is what you drink after a hard day. And for many people here that is every day. That and cigarettes seem to be ways of coping with the past.

On a lighter note, the city of Zagreb is worth visiting. It has so much history in its old towns. Yes towns in the plural. You see the city used to be two opposing towns, one under the power of the Catholic Church with an enormous majestic cathedral to boot, while the other was a secular center up on the hills with many old fortifications around it. There is even a canon which is fired every day at noon to remember the legend of one man firing a cannonball and hitting the invading Ottoman forces from many kilometers away.

The city center is pretty crowded and I got a free tour from a fellow journalism student, who gives these tours on the side as a way of showing people the city he grew up in. He also had much to say about the current Zagreb mayor, who has had his hand in the cookie jar for a very long time but who is still mysteriously loved by many citizens. Constructing glass skyscrapers and shopping malls in the middle of the historic center and spending thousands on Japanese toilet technology for one public WC are some of his offenses. I've got to give credit to my tour guide, always being critical.

Zagreb in general is a wonderful city to shop in the old town or have some delicious Croatian food. It's very different from the typical Dalmatian food you would eat out on the coast. It has a lot more influence from the Ottomans and I had one of the best meals with Štruklji and gnocchi and a pint of Ožujsko beer for under 10 Euros at a place in the Upper Town called Nokturno. (I hear the city has some gnarly underground clubbing as well.)

What I got from the Croatians was they are still scarred from the wars twenty years ago but for the most part Croatia is satisfied with how much territory it got in the end. Many people miss the good days of Yugoslavia and the hostel owner says it was one of the best countries in the world. I spent one night in the hostel listening to traditional Balkan music and talking about this history and past. The thing is you have to talk about these issues if you visit the Balkans. It's an unavoidable topic. The war was only two decades ago. That means people my age can remember the sieges, bombings, attacks, gun fire. My young tour guide told me he can remember the air raid sirens as a kid. The conflict is embedded in everyone and everything out here. You can't remove it and no one should try. Talking about history is how we can learn from it.

For now it seems that Croatia is a satisfied country and the economy is in a slump, but their spirit is not dead. They are some of the nicest people I've met and will give you everything. Sharing and caring. Who would think elementary school lessons would prove to be so vital out here? Either that or rakija is one hell of a drink.

I might lean toward the latter.