Zagreb
I had high hopes for Zagreb. I had been in Zürich the two days before the trip; I was attending a research group meeting. I had told just about everybody that I was going on to Croatia after the meeting, and most were quite interested in the experience (or at least they feigned interest). It was rainy and cold in Zürich, as well, so I was hoping that the weather would be better in Croatia.
Transport
I flew Croatia Airlines to Zagreb, where
the airline maintains a hub (another hub is located in Spilt). The flight
was late leaving Zürich because of a late inbound aircraft; the poor visibility
in Zürich most likely contributed to the delay.
From
the airport, there is a bus service operated by Croatia Airlines that transports
passengers to the city's main bus station, which is located southwest of the
city. The bus departs every half hour between 08.00 and 20.00 and is a
bargain at HRK 25. The bus station is somewhat inconveniently located, but
it makes for a good walk and a nice introduction to Zagreb.
Accommodations
I had made reservations by email for one night's accommodations at the Hotel
Jadran, located to the east of Kaptol at Vlaka 8. It was a
relative bargain at HRK 469 a night, when compared to the HRK 700+ a night
offerings that I found on Travelocity.
The hotel was basic, actually in need of a renovation. The reception is a
small desk on the ground floor. My room, 208, faced onto the main
street. I thought that the traffic noise would bother me but the 2.5dl of
white wine acted as a good "sleeping pill". The bed was basic,
but comfortable. The cable television didn't work in the evening, so I had
to resort to reading my book. In the morning, the hotel provided a
complimentary breakfast. It was served on the first floor in a buffet
style. It consisted of typical European breakfast fare: meats, cheeses,
cereals, coffee, tea and orange juice. In general it probably wasn't worth
the roughly USD 75 a night that I paid, but there were not many budget
accommodation options.
Meals
After
my walk around Gornji Gradec, I decided to try dinner at Dubravkin Put.
Both the Lonely Planet and Rough Guide books sang the restaurant's
praises, so I thought it was worth a try. It is located in a forested area
northwest of town, making it challenging to find. Once I arrived at the
restaurant. I though that I was underdressed, but they sat me anyway. One
glance at the menu and I knew it was going to be an expensive evening.
Most of the fish dishes were HRK 300 or more (>USD 50). These fish
dishes were priced by the kilogram; I'm not sure if I could ahve ordered a
smaller, therefore less expensive, portion. (I found out later in the trip
that this option was not possible). It really didn't matter because I
wasn't craving fish that particular evening. In addition, I was going to
be spending four days on the coast, so I figured that I would get enough fish
then. For an appetizer, I order the Pati Sir, which was billed as a
traditional Dalmatian cheese dish. It was merely six slices of white
cheese with a few olives - not really what I was expecting. For the main
course, I ordered the Paticada, which turned out to be a pot roast-like meat
in a 
burgundy-tasting
sauce, served with potato dumplings. It had a good taste and I probably
order it again. I had 2.5dl of Croatian white wine, which was
excellent. I realize it was a faux pax to order white wine with
read meat, but it was a good combination. The service was a bit arrogant
and not as attentive as I would have expected. I'm not sure if this was
because I ate by myself or I was an American. Overall, I probably would
not recommend this restaurant.
On the second day in Zagreb, I had lunch at Pod Gričkim Topom, which is located just off the walkway that follows the funicular down the hill. There was no special reason for selecting this restaurant other than I walking by the restaurant and I was hungry. It was well past lunch time, so the restaurant was rather empty. The menu included meat and fish dishes, plus appetizers and desserts. I opted for a small green salad and the veal prepared Zagreb style, in which the veal is stuffed with ham and cheese, then rolled and breaded. The veal was served with fries. Service was attentive and the wait staff had a good command of the English language (as well as German, as I observed in his interactions with a neighboring table). The staff, however, served the salad with the meal, which I found to be inconvenient - considering how hungry I was. The experience was good - I would not go out of my way to dine at the restaurant, but it served its purpose for me this particular afternoon.
City Tour
I spread my walking tour over two days, but have
decided, for the purpose of this guide, to order my summary by the city's
natural divisions - Old Town and the newer Lower Town. This structure
follows the walking tour guide that is recommended by both the Lonely Planet
guide book and the Zagreb tourism board's information booklet. The Old
Town includes Kaptol and Gornji Gradec, while the Lower Town
includes Donji Grad. Links to each section are provided below:
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