Zagreb, Croatia

I've gotten a little behind on the blogging front and we are moving so fast that we've hit three new countries since my last post. Time to catch up...

We took the train from Split, home of Emperor Diocletian's palace on the coast of Croatia, to Zagreb, the capital. I have been reading the most tedious book about the history of the Balkans called "Balkan Ghosts". It is DENSE. I feel like I am back in college. But totally interesting and is really helping me get a grasp on the, ummmmmm, lets just say, totally entangled web of tribal and religious feuding that has been going on in this region since before the Roman invasions. The chapter on Zagreb was fascinating. I highly recommend it to anyone traveling in this part of the world.

So now that I sorta kinda understand the religious conflict between the Orthodox, Catholic, Muslim, Jewish and other inhabitants of Croatia, seeing this cathedral means a lot more to me. This building has seen a lot of conflict and it was overwhelming to walk through its interior and lay eyes on the somewhat controversial Cardinal Aloysius Stepinac's tomb.

Graffiti on an alley wall.

We happened to be in Zagreb on a Sunday and we had read that the largest flea market in Croatia happens just outside of the city. Obviously we had to go check it out. Hrelić Flea Market started over 40 years ago as a hug used car and auto parts market. Over time it has attracted vendors of ever other type. And I mean every other type. Name it. They got it. Unfortunately it was chilly and rainy while we were there so I don't think we saw it in its fully glory, but it was still fascinating. The entry is marked with this awesome horse head sitting on top of brightly colored tires next to the highway.

There were cars. There were knockoff Nikes. And then there were the Roma vendors selling....well junk. But as Alex always says when we flea market together, "One man's trash is another man's trash." I guess its great this stuff gets sorted through and possibly finds new purpose. 

But some of it was pretty funny.

Like broken light bulbs. Old batteries. Deflated balls. Rusty potato peelers.

Rows and rows of this stuff. Deals were to be found I'm sure but it was raining so we heading back into town to hit up our second market of the day.

This one was a little more refined than its neighbor. The Britanski Trg market happens every Sunday at a small square right in town. It was filled with more fabulous junk. We scored here...picking up our first records for our burgeoning collection and one of the better Christmas gifts I have ever found (lucky Bart and Hamp!).

We only had about 48 hours in Zagreb so we covered the city in one day. Strolling Ilica Street and Tomislav Square. Admiring the gorgeous architecture in the administrative area. Exploring the alleys of the old town. Walking around Strossmayer Park. It was awesome. We were exhausted.