There was a small rain shower over night but the weather looked quite pleasant this morning. Using weather forecasts to base your travel plans on can be difficult. It often creates situations in which you second guess your logistical decisions! Zagreb would be difficult distance for us to reach in a single day ride from Koprivnica. As well, with the lack of a clearly defined cycle route, we thought using the train was the prudent choice to get us to Zagreb.
Front of the old looking Koprivnica train station. But train service must on the rise as many of the stops on route had brand new platforms and others were under construction.
In Koprivnica, our accommodations were very close to the train station, so it was an easy ride to arrive there in plenty of time for our 11.13 departure. There are a few scheduled trips everyday to Zagreb which take about two hours. The train was already at the station when we got there so we boarded, arranged our bikes and found two seats facing forward. This is critical as Pat is a forward looking person! Very few people were on the train at the start of the trip so we put some of our things on the seats in front of us. However, there were many stops along the route and the train continued to fill up with mainly with student age kids. By the time we reached our destination and final stop at Zagreb, the train was full of passengers! It was a bit concerning as mask wearing is treated as a bit of a joke. Few have them fitted correctly.
Nice spot for our bikes but it was a shame that it took four seats out of use that were needed today. Our train was quite modern but there are still a good number of older models in use as well.
Waiting for the street tram. No real distancing and if a mask is being warn it almost never covers the mouth and nose. It has become our view that Covid protocols are not that strongly followed in Croatia.
Rachael AndersonWe definitely found that to be true when we were last August and were very careful about keeping our distance and dining outside in restaurants where they did wear masks correctly. Reply to this comment 2 years ago
We are staying in an apartment very near the center of Zagreb which is also not far from the train station. Our accommodation has a real neat streamlined checking in system. We sent them pictures of our passports and they sent us the passcode for the front door of the building and another for our apartment. Very easy to coordinate! However, we were early so before we checked in we began to look around the core of Zagreb, had lunch and that all important coffee stop. The apartment was a perfect place to stay with lots of room for us to spread out and keep our bikes in the room with us.
Zagreb is famous for its coffee culture and Amélie is quite highly rated. Likely more for their cakes but it was a great place to stop and people watch..
Ban Jelačić Square is the main square in Zagreb. His statue was removed in 1947 as he was deemed to be too nationalistic but returned to the square in 1990 after the break up of Yugoslavia.
From the web, "Zagreb Cathedral, on the Kaptol, is a Roman Catholic cathedral-church and not only the second tallest building in Croatia but also the most monumental sacral building in Gothic style southeast of the Alps.} It has been there since the 11th century.
Zagreb took a bit of an adjustment for us - from travelling in small towns to now being in a a big bustling city. Lots of people, big roads with cars and transit - just a much faster pace than we have been experiencing lately. One thing really stood out. There are very few cyclists in the core area nor are there any marked cycle lines or lanes. If you see a rider there is a good chance that they are delivering food on their back. But we like it - not for riding - but the experience.
At 3 pm we headed back to the Barcode Apartments and let ourselves in. Our room was one level up a grand but very long staircase. The kind you get when you have 16 foot ceilings! We were inspecting a small looking elevator when a man appeared and offered to help carry the load including the bikes up. He was involved with Barcode and explained that the elevator has been broken since the earthquake Zagreb had last December.
Home for the next couple of days. Look at the size of those front doors!
We spent the afternoon just wandering around with no agenda. It reminded us of Budapest. Big, grand old buildings and everything just a bit rough around the edges. Not polished, a bit raw but completely unique and interesting.
Zagreb Funicular. Being only 66 meters long, it is the shortest funicular in the world and the oldest and first means of public transportation in Zagreb, We took the stairs and confess it got our heart rates up!
Saint Mark's church. This whole area was cordoned off with lots of security, "as the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez had arrived in Zagreb...This is the first time in three decades of Croatian independence that a Spanish Prime Minister has visited Croatia."
In the afternoon the rain arrived. We picked up a few things for our breakfast in the morning and headed out for dinner during a break in the rain. Zagreb has many out door dining restaurants, but since it was damp and cool, we decided on a small indoor place with very limited seating. We had a good meal and walked briskly home in the pouring rain. We were soaked after the six block walk back to our apartment!
Ahhh Miller time! Really no comparison with Miller at all! Nova Runda, a local craft brewery makes some very nice beer. Scott had the C4 IPA and Pat, the Vienna lager.
