Zagreb, Croatia

Zagreb is everything you would imagine a large Eastern Block city to be- except way nicer. It has old cathedrals and mixed-use buildings line streets where trams are more common than cars. Old palaces and squares are scattered throughout the city and best of all, the prices aren't quite as bad here. I was even able to have a meal for under $5 at the classic Zagreb restaurant and brewery chain, Medvegrad. The food I got was incredibly heavy, with tons of meat and I think this is typical of Eastern European cuisine. While it was good, I think I'll avoid it in the future because it seems as though you can feel it sinking into your stomach. Anyways, I walked around town for the day I had there and enjoyed the atmosphere and architecture of the place before it... you guessed it- started raining. Though there isn't too much to see, Zagreb really is a nice city, one I wouldn't mind living in. Here are photos from the main cathedral in town:

And a few more from around the city, notice the church with the Easter Egg out in front of it. Apparently, Easter Eggs come from Slavic traditions in this part of the world dating back to pagan times.

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Details:
The service from Split and Zadar to Zagreb is frequent, cheap, and quick. From Plitvice, it isn't any of those. There are buses at 02:50, 03:35, 06:52, 11:00, 16:45, 17:15, and 19:00. Apparently, if it is still dark, you can't expect the bus to stop for you if you are standing there, which is why they don't post the 22:36 stop on there. All take around 2-2.5 hours. The fare for the 19:00 is $15/80kn plus the $1.50/7kn baggage check fee. When you get into the bus station, buy a metro ticket at the news stand and get on the tram into downtown, or towards the left as you leave the bus station. My hostel, Hobo Bear Hostel was a pretty perfect place to stay ($?) and to get there, stay on the tram for six stops then get off at Frankopanska and keep walking in the same direction and turn to your left and it's about the third building on the right. It is unmarked so look for the buzzer that says Hobo Bear on it. For sights, the best thing to do is follow the walking tour path indicated on the map (I'll post it in a little bit). The only thing I paid for was the tower view ($1/5kn) but I wouldn't bother, Zagreb doesn't really look that special from above.