After a week on the Istrian Peninsula, but before making our way down to the Dalmatian
Coast, we took a detour to Zagreb.
Our plan for Croatia (Hrvatska) had been to spend as much time along the coast and islands
as possible, but we were also curious to see what the capital had to offer.
Known for its lively street markets, vast green spaces, and varied architecture that
spans numerous movements, we reached the capital and hit the ground running.
In this video we’re going to show you some fun things to do in Zagreb, as well as share
our favourite place for sampling the most delicious truffle dishes:
Alright guys.
Hey.
First stop of the day we are currently at the main square in front of the Ban Josip
Jelačić monument I believe it is.
It is a man on horseback and yeah there is a huge artisanal market happening today and
actually every single day we've been here.
Yeah.
We've noticed this market.
Yeah, and this market sells just about everything.
Yeah.
Like what they really specialize in is some yummy bites.
So yeah we've seen a lot of pastries but also cheeses, sausages.
So we're going to have a look and maybe get a little snack.
Yeah.
Let's do it.
However, this isn’t the only outdoor market in the city.
Just around the corner from the main square you have the Flower Market, and if you head
up the steps, that leads to Zagreb’s Central Market (Dolac Market), which has stands filled
with fresh fruits and vegetables - a fun place to buy your groceries if you’re in town
for a few days.
Alright guys so found ourselves a little dessert.
This is not Croatian at all.
I ended up getting crepes with nutella because anytime I see nutella it is just too tempting.
So it was only 10 Kuna.
Yeah.
Which would be about a Euro fifty.
So not too bad for the center of town.
This kind of harkens back to our Southeast Asia backpacking days huh?
Oh yeah, pancakes with banana and nutella.
Yeah.
I know it just makes for a good dessert.
We had a big burrito for lunch so yeah we're kind of craving a little bit something sweet.
Kind of light little snack.
Yep.
But it is good.
Good stuff huh?
And now that we've had some dessert and we have a little burst of energy we are continuing
our walk.
We are heading uphill towards the cathedral.
Zagreb Cathedral (Zagrebačka katedrala) is one the city’s main landmarks.
This is said to be the largest sacral building in the Gothic style southeast of the Alps,
and it’s pretty easy to spot the spires wherever you are in the city.
Inside the cathedral, you’ll also find the tomb of Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac (stepinats),
which draws many pilgrims.
When you exit the cathedral, you’ll notice a tower towards the right.
When we visited, they had an exhibition called “Golden Threads” that showcased religious
tapestries and garments.
Admission was free of charge, though donations were welcome.
Our walk through the Upper Town eventually lead us to Tkalčićeva (T-kal-chi-che-va)
Street.
Once upon a time, a stream flowed through here dividing Zagreb’s two oldest settlements,
but these days you’ll find a lively street lined with restaurants, cafes and bars.
This is a popular place to grab a bite and you’ll be spoiled for choice with cuisines
from around the world.
From there, we continued even further uphill until we reached what may be the most memorable
museum in the whole world: The Museum of Broken Relationships (Muzej prekinutih veza).
The concept is pretty simple, this museum is a global crowd-sourced project that deals
with heartbreak.
Inside you’ll find a mix of curious objects, each with a corresponding story that describes
the downfall of the relationship and the significance of the submitted object.
So we have just come out of the Museum of Broken Relationships.
Thoughts?
My heart is throbbing.
Yeah, right.
Just kidding.
But anyways, some of the stories were quite fascinating and I found it really interesting
the types of objects that were selected.
Oh yeah.
Some were very like common household items and others were very creative.
There were like axes in there.
Yeah, there were some that were very violent yeah and others I think there was a museum.
Sorry, I think there was a modem router as one of the other ones.
Oh yeah.
Yeah, an internet router.
That was a random one.
Just a very random collection but really what you want to do when you go in there is read
the individual stories.
Yes.
So next stop.
We are currently in front of Saint Mark's Church (Crkva sv.
Marka) which has the most colorful roof yeah I have ever seen.
Oh my goodness.
It is beautiful and the light is shining on it just perfectly.
Yeah, like we're just getting some great shots right now.
You know it kind of reminds me of the roof on Saint Stephen's in Vienna.
Yeah.
When we climbed the cathedral it was also colorful.
Oh yeah.
But this one is like way more intense and it has two emblems.
Is it emblems?
Yes.
What do you call these.
Exactly there is two emblems on the roof.
And they are shaped like shields.
Yes.
But the church looks closed.
So I don't know we're going to walk around and see if we can get in.
We'll see if we can get in.
St. Mark’s Church bears the medieval coat of arms of Croatia, Dalmatia and Slavonia
on the left-hand side, and the emblem of Zagreb on the right.
Okay so it turns out that the first set of doors was open but now the second set of doors
is locked.
So we're going to have a little peak through the glass.
So far we’ve shown you churches and museums in the Upper Town, but another reason to come
all the way up here is to enjoy some city views of the Lower Town.
There are some great vantage points along the promenade, plus we also ended up stumbling
across some cool sculptures and street art.
Being buds.
My new bestie.
You know what?
The way he is shaped it is like you could perfectly take a nap on his lap.
Haha.
Like seriously.
That is perfect I feel like I could use one now.
On our way down from the Upper Town, we walked through Zagreb’s famed Stone Gate (Kamenita
Vrata).
It may not look like much from the outside, but what was once the eastern gate into the
medieval settlement now houses a small chapel.
The story goes that the fire of 1731 destroyed the gate, but when the fire and smoke subsided,
it appeared that the one thing had remained intact: a painting of Virgin Mary with Jesus.
This was seen as a miracle, so a chapel was built within the gate complete with pews,
and you can see people coming to pray, light candles, and even offer their thanks for answered
prayers as seen on the walls of the gate.
And now let’s take a break from all the sightseeing to introduce you to one of our
favourite restaurants in Zagreb when it comes to truffle dishes.
you were sold by a couple of items.
What were they?
Everything with truffles.
Haha.
Everything with truffles.
Polenta with truffles.
Pasta with truffles.
Let's go in.
Well hello hello.
It is time for lunch here in Zagreb and we found a really cool restaurant like right
around the corner from our Airbnb.
but anyways today we figured we would showcase some Croatian dishes and we're specifically
going to be focussing on anything and everything with truffles.
So I believe Sam you got risotto.
Yes.
I got polenta.
And yeah truffles are going to be like the main thing.
That does look so good.
Wow.
That looks so good Sam.
Haha.
Oh my goodness guys, the food is here and it looks amazing.
So like I mentioned earlier I ended up getting the polenta which is really cool.
They kind of cooked it in like a circular fashion and then sliced it and in between
I have like this red cabbage and also he came to the table and he brought his little truffle
and he actually like sliced it onto my meal.
Yeah, it was amazing.
It is pretty phenomenal.
So excited for this.
So yeah, let's dig in.
Polenta and truffles.
Mmmm.
Oh my gosh.
Good?
I just love truffles.
I've only had it a few times in my life.
I think probably just in Italy but it is so so good.
Haha.
It is like black gold.
You tend to like the finer things in life.
Oh yes.
Oh man.
I want to just like shave off a little piece so I don't waste it.
Go in for more.
But seriously all you need is like a little piece and it has such a strong flavor.
Mmm.
Wonderbar?
And this is what we came for.
This is what we came for exactly.
This right here.
Okay Sam, so time to try your main.
The risotto.
So before I even try it I've just got to talk about the procedure of this whole thing.
Yeah.
So it was plated at the table.
Yeah, they came out with a pot.
Yeah, it was like a saucepan and then they served it right on the plate.
Yeah, and then they came and did the whole truffle grating business.
Yes.
Like they did on yours.
Yep.
And then he asked me if I would like to have cheese and I said yeah of course.
So he came back and grated cheese.
You had to ask him is that enough because you weren't saying stop.
Oh yeah, he was just going and going.
I was busy filming it.
So I wasn't paying attention.
So it is going to be very cheese heavy.
Um, anyways, let's try that.
So I'm going to make sure I get a piece of truffle.
I'm going to dig down deep so I get a bit of everything here.
And you got the risotto with prosciutto, pine nuts and truffles.
Yeah, it is kind of like a lot going on.
Alright, let's try that.
Can't wait to try yours.
Ooh.
Oh my gosh.
Wow.
What do you think?
Wow.
Well, I'm a huge risotto fan and this is right up there with being really high quality.
Like they've cooked it to perfection.
The risotto itself is just cooked perfectly and then on top of that you've got a creamy
sauce, you've got the meat, you've got all of the cheese.
You've got the truffles.
It is just like it is something wonderful taking place in your mouth.
I can smell that from over here.
Oh my gosh that is so good.
I'm at a loss for words I'm enjoying this so much.
It has been so good.
I will share this with you but not too much.
And craving more views of the city, we then went up Zagreb 360.
Okay so we have made it to our next attraction.
We are visiting Zagreb 360 and basically we rode the elevator to the 16th floor of this
really tall building and we get some pretty cool views of the Old Town.
Uh, so tickets.
It was 60 Kuna per person.
That is about 9 US dollars and yeah the views are pretty cool.
Sam, what do you think?
Loving it.
We picked the right time to come because all of the buildings are being like hit by the
sunlight in this direction.
Yeah, we have nice soft light.
Nice soft light.
It is kind of late in the afternoon.
And one more thing to mention.
There is a cool cafe.
Yeah.
So after you're done enjoying the views you can actually eat up here.
You could but we're still digesting lunch.
We had the biggest lunch of all time.
So yeah.
We won't be doing that but it is definitely an option.
So the Zagreb city exploration continues and next up we're going to be visiting the famous
U shaped park which is technically like two different strips of park plus a botanical
gardens on the bottom.
So we're starting at the park that is right across from our airbnb.
And let me read the name because this one is a mouthful.
So it is park Josipa Jurja Strossmayera.
So yeah.
It is really a big park.
It really is.
And at the very end.
It is really long.
At the very end of it there is a couple of major landmarks that we will be showing you
as well.
Tada.
Known as the Green Horseshoe, this park was named after Milan Lenuci who came up with
the idea of creating connected green spaces right in the downtown.
The horseshoe is home to several museums, galleries and archives, so it also makes for
a fun way to explore Zagreb on foot.
Second park.
So we've reached the bottom of the U and I'm just sitting down taking a little rest.
Yep.
On a park bench but we've reached the botanic gardens and it is awesome.
It is my kind of place.
You know why?
Because it is free.
It is a free attraction.
Oh my goodness.
I love free attractions and it looks like a really nice botanic gardens.
It looks quite big.
So we're just going to take a wander around and see what we can find here.
Let's go watch some hockey.
As a bonus, if you’re into hockey and you visit Zagreb during the season, you can catch
a game in the city.
We watched Medveščak Zagreb play, and judging by the chanting, drumming, and top of the
lungs cheering, this team has a loyal fan base.
(Cheering and clapping)
Woo!
Hooray!
And that’s it for our visit to Zagreb!
We hope you enjoyed this travel guide and that you got a few ideas of things to see,
eat and do on your own visit.
Wishing you happy travels, and we’ll see you in the next video as we continue our travels
down the Croatian coast!