it's nearly 4 kilometers from zemeng town to zagreb. In order to meet the president, it was nearly noon when I left.
Croatia's entry policy is much stricter than Serbia's, and the border inspection is quite serious. It took a little time, and it was past four o'clock in the afternoon when I arrived at the hotel I booked.
after a long journey, I was going to make do at my place for dinner. I accidentally found that the EL TORO restaurant downstairs is a well-known restaurant. After a little renovation, I will try Croatian food.
the decoration outside the restaurant is quite antique, but the interior is very modern. After the next day's visit, I found that the mix of ancient and modern is just like the style of the city.
of course, for us who are hungry, the focus is on food.
Although Zagreb is not near the sea, as the country with the longest coastline in the Balkans, seafood is obviously the more popular food. The dishes look good and taste good, and with a cocktail, it's not too fast.
The tourist area in Zagreb is concentrated in the old city, and we start with the Assumption Cathedral of Our Lady.
This Gothic building is extremely magnificent. Although it has been damaged by wars and earthquakes for nearly a thousand years, it has been rebuilt again and again, and it is still an indisputable landmark of this city.
I like the stalled clock on the mottled stone wall outside the church: it is said that it was originally in the bell tower at the top of the church, and it was dug out of the rubble after the Zagreb earthquake in 188 and installed in its present position. The time displayed by the big clock froze at the moment of the earthquake-7: 3.
There are many statues of saints on display inside the church, the most special one is the coffin of Archbishop Alojzije Stepinac, who was canonized by Pope Paul II. His remains were put in an isometric porcelain statue and placed in a crystal coffin.
When I visited, I just took a picture of the flower window and found a lady stopping everyone from taking pictures, so I did as the Romans do.
Opposite the Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady is the bustling Doratz Market, and the distance seems to have returned from the divine world to the human world.
The market mainly sells fruits and vegetables, and some also sell flowers and souvenirs. The stall owners are obviously used to seeing tourists, switching freely between multiple languages, and even occasionally popping up a Chinese sentence.
Go through the Dolac market and walk down the stairs. Soon you will come to the Governor's Square in Jelacic, which is the real downtown of Zagreb.
The statue of Governor Jelacic occupies the center of the square. He is a national hero who led Croatia to break away from Austria-Hungary in the 19th century.
On the west side of the square is the cable car station going up the mountain. The cable car runs for a short distance and almost gets off as soon as it gets on the bus. I didn't understand the geographical environment when I bought the ticket, so I bought a round-trip ticket. After going up, I found that the tour route was walking down the mountain from the other side, which wasted a round-trip ticket.
The first thing I saw when I went to the top of the mountain was this bunker-like building. I wonder if the design inspiration of Kaiping Diaolou came from this. According to a tour guide from Hong Kong, the former enemy command post of Croatian Army was located here during the Croatian War in the 199s.
From here, you can overlook the whole downtown area. Modern and ancient buildings are mixed together, which is a bit messy.
The road behind the "Diaolou" leads directly to St. Kyle's Church, and the lampposts and homes along the road are decorated with flowers, giving a poetic feeling.
there is a famous scenic spot in this street: the lovelorn museum. I didn't want to pry into other people's relationships, but I just looked at the door.
The fairy-tale flower roof of St. Kyle's Church is a major feature. The two badges on the left are said to be a combination of the badges of ancient Croatia and the city emblem of Zagreb on the right.
It was only when I found that there were always tourists standing in front of the church that I noticed the statues of fifteen saints above the porch. On closer inspection, the carving is really exquisite. It is said to be a 14th century work.
The flower windows in the church are extremely brightly colored, injecting warmth into the solemn atmosphere.
There is a horrible name on the trail down from St. Kyle's Church-Blood Street. There are many sources of the name, and the mainstream explanation is that the Nazis slaughtered the city here.
Today's Blood Street is peaceful, surrounded by cafes, bars and souvenir shops.
The Shimen at the end of Blood Street is the only medieval gate in Zagreb. The closed iron gate in the gatehouse is said to be the patron saint of the city.
Come out of Shimen and quickly return to the bustling downtown area. The famous food street below Doratz Market, Trkal Xicheva Street (Tkal? i? Eva ulica) one is hard to find. Finally, I found a quiet restaurant to sit down. It was extremely hot and expensive, and I hastily ordered some light-looking food. The meal was small but the taste was a bit amazing. When I went out, I found out that this restaurant named Agava was a Michelin-starred shop.
It's a bit hard to walk for half a day in the scorching sun. Our lodging was 15km away from the mountain road that night, so we decided to drive around the city and bid farewell to the city. The next stop is Lake Plitvece National Park.
Travel Tips It is difficult to find parking spaces in the old town of Zagreb, and parking fees are paid by calling cards; Parking without a local calling card is very inconvenient. On the contrary, public transportation is quite convenient, and all kinds of bus cards are sold at street kiosks that run cigarettes and drinks.