So by now you may have got that I love Zagreb. If you missed my last article on Why I Love, Love, Love Zagreb, Croatia, you can read all about the many reasons here, as well as what prompted me to extended my stay. In the meantime, here are the highlights of my time in Zagreb:
I love Zagreb for so many reasons. Off the beaten path and away from the tourist radar, Zagreb is refreshingly local. Still relatively inexpensive compared to the rest of Europe—and even Croatia—the city is filled with regal architecture, a gas-lamp old quarter where time stands still, and inexpensive hearty cuisine. I was charmed by Zagreb’s unpretentious attitude and abundant cultural pursuits, especially its unique museums, architecture, art scene, and live music scene.
Zagreb is a place I knew little about beforehand. I decided to head here to round out my tour of Croatia, which was deservingly beach heavy. Essentially, I wanted to see what Croatia was like away from the sea.
Zagreb, Croatia has become one of my all-time favorite cities in the world, equally rivaling my favorite Croatian city of Dubrovnik. I was pleasantly surprised at the loveliness of Zagreb’s cobblestoned old town, where time seems to stand still. In the old quarter, the gas lamps are still lit by hand every evening. Boasting friendly people, plenty of culture to go around, and both tasty and inexpensive food and beer, Zagreb is one of Europe’s best kept secrets.
Stay tuned for our Zagreb coverage, coming up all this week!
2012 was a great year for us in regards to food photography. Several members of team Culture Vixen are obsessed with photographing our food, which makes for long paparazzi sessions in restaurants, sometimes to the point of our food getting cold. Luckily the result of all this food adoration has resulted in the following collection of photos. We hope you love them as much as we do!
Strawberry Soup, Fossheim Hotel in Lom, Norway. This dish was so beautifully presented, I hated to eat it!
On ice: frosty drinks at the Icebar in Stockholm, Sweden.
Fancy appetizer at Neh in Tallinn, Estonia.
Croatia’s second largest city, Split, was not what I expected at all. In complete contrast to Dubrovnik, Split is gritty and a bit rough around the edges, where Dubrovnik is upscale and elegant. The main sight to see in the city is Diocletian’s Palace, built as a retirement palace for the Roman emperor Diocletian. It’s not just a palace, but a series of labyrinth streets that wind a maze around 220 historical buildings.
Split is located right in the middle of the Dalmatian coast in Croatia, right along the Adriatic sea. This old city is filled with ancient Roman ruins, and makes a good jumping off point for some of Croatia’s most popular islands and pristine beaches.
Join us all next week for our daily coverage of Split, Croatia!
From Dubrovnik I traveled by long distance bus to Split, Croatia, famous for its roman ruins, specifically Diocletian’s Palace. Split is also a hub for visits to a cluster of sun-kissed islands located just off the Croatian coast. After spending a few months in Northern Europe, I’m remembering just how much I love warm beach locations.
The entire journey north hugged the Croatian coastline, which was filled with stunning beaches. All along the way from my window seat, I enviously watched beach goers wade into the ocean, which was so clear you could see the pebbles in the shallow surf from up on the road! The whole route wound along rocky cliffs that dramatically plunged into sparkling emerald water. It was absolutely gorgeous.
