Jesen U Zagrebu

It took me just 5 minutes to fall in love with Zagreb from the moment I stepped out of the Glavni Kolovdor. The 15-minute walk to Trg bana Jelacica took me past the inter-linked gardens/parks/squares.

I saw exactly Autumn: Fallen leaves, flowers, a slight evening chill, beautiful old buildings, smell of warm food wafting through the air, narrow alleys, the rooftops, the courtyards, a girl hurrying past and turning to steal a glance., people strolling down the streets, waiting at the square, sitting on the benches…

In my short stay in Zagreb, I feel as though I have been living there for a while. 'The city gets under your skin,' Ana-Marija, the girl at the souvenir shop told me. She herself had come from a small town north of Zagreb.

Coming to this part of Europe also made me understood better what Yugoslavia had meant for the people in Croatia and Slovenia, and the other Baltic states.

Now, you can feel the confidence, the energy, the hope, the belief, the desire.

At negative infinity, the only way is up.

Perhaps, they had reached their negative infinity. They have nothing to lose now.

You can't help but feel encouraged by them. You also remember and appreciate some of the things you have taken for granted.

Here are my tips for Zagreb:

1. Go to the Dolac, the market that's on 7 days a week. The open-air part is where you can get fruits and vegetables. For the meats and bakery stuff, you have to go under. The first time round, I missed the entrance, because the open –air stalls had distracted me.

2. Have burek for breakfast. It's this very big pastry that comes either with cheese or meat. Go for the meat one, and this is coming from someone who likes cheesy stuff.

3. Go to one of the many cafes for coffee and watch the world go by. I personally find Milcec on Jurisiceva and Café Flores on Petrica very cosy.

4. Go for a meal at Kerempuh, it's to a corner of the open-air part of the Dolac. The ingredients come direct from the market. If they have bakalar, the cod stew, you must unbedingt try it.

5. Go to the Kamenita, the stone gate with the chapel

6. the Kremsnita, a Croatian pastry, at Petrinjska 61 is very, very good. I tried it at two places, so I could make a comparison.

7. Ice cream from Vincek, at 18 Illica.

8. If you have a lot of money to burn, consider buying a tie at Croata. You surely won't be able to afford the limited edition collection (there are only 4 of each design), but maybe you can get the ones with traditional Croatian motifs. That's rather special, and that's why people are willing to pay for it. If you can't, just go there to take a look at the ties and the salesgirls. There's something about girls in shirts, pants and ties.

9. If you are getting a Licitarsko Srce, an inedible gingerbread heart, for someone special, get one with a mirror, because I think that's more Croatian. Moreover, the mirror is there so that when the receiver looks at it, he/she will be looking at the person in the heart of the giver.

10. if you go to Lake Jarun or the Mirogoj cemetery, expect to find yourself the only Asian there.

11. Don't think you can shop for cheap here. Prices for clothes, shoes are at least German standard. Food tends to be cheaper though.

12. Croatian beers like Tomislav and Ozusjko are very cheap but not very fantastic. They will likely have Leffe, Hoegarden and Erdinger, and the prices you pay for those are cheaper than in Germany. Anyway, there's always coffee.

13. Pretend to be waiting for someone by the clock at Trg Bana Jelacica

14. Stay at Fulir hostel. It's voted the best here. It's a small hostel above a small courtyard. You feel as though you are transported back into the 17^th century or something. Get the 4-person room.

15. if you like sweetcorn or chestnuts, you will find vendors selling them at every corner.

16. I said before that the best places to look at girls is at transport hubs and shopping places. In Zagreb, it's in the cafes.

17. people here really like to and do look at window displays.

18. Zagreb is up very early in the morning, even on weekends.

19. someone said that you can run into someone you know easily in Zagreb. I think that's true. But if you don't see your fellow travelers again, it's simply because they have moved on to Dubrovnik or Ljubljana.

Maybe I didn't make it to Dubrovnik. But I really liked my stay in Zagreb. Zagreb's like an old friend. I met a few people there and heard from them about their Zagreb and Croatia.

My meeting with Mrs Setlac was like a scene straight out from Murakami. I was looking at the menu at Mala Kavana( at Trg bana jelacica) when she asked me from her seat: can you understand it?

And so, we started talking. She moved to Canda when she was 20, and now comes annually to visit.

Talking to her, I realise you cannot underestimate the power of memories that binds someone to a place.