Hip Zagreb

May 17, Zagreb

I won’t be able to avoid the clichés. I won’t be able to resist gushing about my happiness of being in Croatia again, three years after I fell in love with the country for the first time. Zagreb is full of life and sunshine. On the main square, Trg Bana Jelacica, a four-day festival is taking place and he square is bustling with locals dressed in traditional clothing, dancing, foods, crafts…

At night, the streets fill up with beautiful young people chatting in hip, modern cafés and bars. I could live here, I told myself. I took a long walk around town to take care of my cell phone and ended up having coffee with an old Bosnian who spoke twelve languages. He told me so much about the politics not only of the Balkans, but about his perception of our Canadian politicians, His knowledge impressed me, as his familiarity with twelve languages. Without his help, I would have never found the electronics place to take care of my phone.

It’s all these little details that made the day so fulfilling. The owners of the hostel Fulir, where I’m staying, were very accommodating in helping me fulfill all my needs. I headed out to explore and stopped for a humongous piece of burek, this cheese pastry they make in the Balkans. My hands were full of the stuff, and a man just came to hand me over some napkins. A detail, but quite pleasant nevertheless.

The market was bursting with the colors of fruits and vegetables. In the morning, it’s full of people and merchandise. At night, empty, quiet. This calmness gives way to the view of the cathedral guarding the square, which I yet have to visit.

Right away, I got acquainted with fellow backpackers. We headed to town for a bite and admired some traditional dancing that’s part of the festival. The girls were wearing colorful dresses, their faces filled up with smiles. It was impressive. I just came back from a café we went to, talking about how fortunate we are to be able to travel and enjoy this life. Indeed, we are. I love traveling in Europe and I wasn’t excited about this moment for nothing.