If you know me, or if you've followed my previous adventures, you're aware that I love to travel on my own. A lone, but happy wolf. Sure, I travel with my family, but my adventurous trips have always been on my own (or with a friend or two). But this year, after the heartache my family went through, it seemed like a brilliant idea to travel together and see a place through three different  sunglasses (I do mean this quite literally, ha!). 

Croatia! It was the first time in a long time my mum, brother and I agreed on something. It might've been the only decision we've ever made that didn't require copious amounts of tears and arguments. (But seriously, there's always a row even when we're just deciding which film to see.) We deemed this pain-free decision as a sign from the heavens that this trip would be clear skies and laughter-filled. And off to Croatia we went! 

I won't get into the details of the trip planning because I will tell you this now, five days in a country as beautiful as Croatia will leave you with many, many options.

The City

Maybe it's strange, but I have a thing for visiting a country's capital city first. The only time this never applied was for U.S.A. because let's be honest here, Washington D.C. isn't really on top of anyone's American dream travel city list (what a mouthful). Croatia has many beautiful coastal cities and we definitely could've easily rented a car and drive from one town to another, but I had to drag my travel mates to Zagreb. 

No regrets on my part (my brother disagrees) because there's so much history in this city and I'm a big fan of history. There was a stillness in the air, the beautiful kind. The city was homey, even at its busiest. The cars and trams and bicycles everywhere were all so beautifully placed. There's no fear in walking and getting lost. And it's a walkable city! Though there were zig zaggy roads, it wasn't difficult to get your sense of direction. But I did keep my map close, just in case. 

It was the first time we went with no particular itinerary in mind. We'll get through what we can get through and if we don't get to something, then tant pis. (This kind of travel mentality is actually very freeing!)

We stayed a few steps from the Katedrala Marijina Uznesenja, which is a Gothic cathedral right on Kaptol and there's always a slew of tourists any time of day. There are benches near the cathedral and oftentimes, you'll find tourists and locals alike eating their lunches here, enjoying the nice weather. Right across the cathedral, there's the Holy Mary Monument with it's beautiful gold statues and pigeon friends. We found ourselves sitting by the fountain a lot before heading back to our AirBnb after a day of exploring. You just feel this calmness at the end of the day. 

Early mornings were the best, only because the Dolac Market was a few minutes away from us and that was our daily ritual. I grabbed my bag, some money, my camera and headed to the colourful stalls selling fresh fruits and vegetables. There were figs, grapes, the sweetest berries and lots more. I tried my best to read the Croatian words for the fruits I wanted for breakfast. Unfortunately, I retained nothing. A little ways down you'll find the Ban Jelacic Square, which is the central square. You'll find stalls selling roasted and steamed corn, Croatian handcrafts, and flowers. There are always kids playing around the Mandusavac fountain and tourists taking photos of the statue of Josip Jelacic. 

After getting lost trying to find a particular vegan cafe, we found ourselves facing a funicular. With the choice of either taking the funicular or climbing flights of stairs, we opted for the stairs... because we want buns of steel. Duh. Kidding aside, it wasn't a steep climb or a long one at that, so take the stairs, people. There were also some pretty cool graffiti on the wall so there's that. Once on top, we were welcomed by such a lovely view of the city. Definitely very nostalgic at this point (similar to Prague, Lisbon, Florence, any European city that allows you to see the city from up high). The fun doesn't stop there. 

A few minutes of walking led us towards St. Mark's Church with its colourful rooftop. It was a little difficult to capture this spot in a single photo. It was just too beautiful! I couldn't get over the wonderful creativity that was displayed. After turning my head, a sign caught my eye. Voila! There's the Museum of Broken Relationships. During lunch, I saw two girls with a paper bag with the "Museum of Broken Relationships" printed on it. I was intrigued and there we were! There were some laughs, a few sad ones (especially when it came to familial relationships), and some head scratches (Girl, you knew he was bad for you!). All in all, a worthwhile climb. 

There were so many parks, too, I can't quite recall their names. I can point them out to you on a map or even lead you there. There's a succession of parks in the city, Park Zrinjevac then Park Josipa Jurja Strossmayera that will then lead you to towards the Art Pavilion. This last park is reminiscent of Parisian parks. It must be the trees and graveled paths. A few blocks away you'll find the Botanical Garden and it's free to visit! (I'm from Montreal, the botanical garden isn't free.) We had lots of fun naming the tropical plants and trees that are able to thrive there (hello, Banana!) and even marvel at the small animals that were hiding (the frogs, the turtles, the storks). It was like being a kid again with our mum laughing at our antics. 

Because I'm such an avid walker who wanted to drag everyone to do the same, we walked some 45 minutes to Maksimir Park. We didn't wake up early enough to catch the bus to Plitvice (very, very unfortunate), so in the end we settled for this big park. There were old men fishing, lots of cyclists that day, and what seemed to be a national celebration with people wearing the Croatian national costume. All well worth the walk! 

Other Attractions

Obviously there was an extensive research before we headed to Croatia for vegan restaurants, or at least for vegan-friendly options in Croatia. Let's just say there wasn't much choice, but I don't hold a grudge against Croatia for this. Seafood is fresh, which is great for anyone who eats seafood. (Please don't, it's bad for the environment.)

The vegan restaurant we visited often was Nishta and we were lucky at how close it was to where we were staying. Some dishes fare better than others. We all liked the pakora, the Asian noodle stir-fry with tofu, the falafel pita and this creamy potato and mushroom dish. We didn't like the burrito or the other Mexican-style dishes (too much cinnamon for some reason). The food, overall, was average. There are definitely much better vegan restaurants in other cities, but for Zagreb, it wasn't too bad so I won't complain. I ate the food and I was satisfied. We didn't try any of the desserts because the servings were generous. Best place to eat after lots of walking. 

For breakfast, I usually went to one of the bakeries near the Dolac Market and would get myself fresh bread (my brother went crazy for their spinach pastries). I bought a lot of fresh fruits and we feasted like vegan fairies every morning. 

Green Point was also one of our stops. We bought smoothies and didn't try the veggie burgers. The location is very central so if you want something quick, head here. 

All in all, my best bet was to buy fresh ingredients and prepare my own food. There were a few organic supermarkets around that offered good selections and a farmer's market so I was all set. 

What We Observed