Venturing into the Alpine-Carpathian Zone - Stop 4: Zagreb

Amongst all the places I went to during this journey, my absolute favourite is Zagreb!

You know the feeling of pure bliss that just pours from your heart when you think of something you genuinely love? Well, I have that feeling when I think of Jelly (my dog :D), some people, some memories, moments, experiences, and some places - Zagreb being one of them.

Zagreb tugged at my heart strings with its cobbled streets, its charming alleys and buildings, its calmness, its 'untouched-ness', its rareness. It is a capital city, but not the typical busy and crowded types, it is European but not quintessentially so. There is just something about Zagreb. To me, it is the epitome of charm.

Zagreb Cathedral on Kaptol

St. Mark's Church

Zagreb boasts some unique museums (art included) - one being the Museum of Broken Relationships.

About 2 hours (by road) from Zagreb, you will reach one of the oldest national parks in Southeast Europe and the largest national park in Croatia - Plitvice Lakes National Park (it was granted the UNESCO World Heritage status in 1979).

A stone's throw from the Bosnian border, the 295 square km exotic forest reserve is famous for its 16 crystalline lakes that tumble into each other via a series of waterfalls and cascades. 

You can take 4 - 6 hours to explore the lakes by foot. To shorten the time, you can hop on the trams/ buses and boats. It is best to make your way up to the upper lake section, then wander down, by foot. There are many paths you can take - whichever path you take, you will definitely see many picturesque sights.

Croatia is an expensive travel destination - this is the case with most countries which are highly reliant on tourism. Croatia's total tourism contribution to the GDP in 2014 was 28%. (Cyprus - 21%, Greece - 17%)*

*Note: Obtained from the World Travel & Tourism Council* 

Just to give you a sense of how costly it can be: a glass of fresh orange juice cost me ~ Euro 6!

Regardless, I unreservedly love Zagreb and I will surely revisit it. 

I recommend driving through Croatia whereby you can explore many of Croatia's beautiful towns - Hvar, Pula, Zadar, Split, Dubrovnik, to name a few, and saunter around the lovely obscure villages in between. 

However, Khuns and I flew from Zagreb to Dubrovnik. 

From the two of us exploring, it became SIX! My whole jingbang family joined us in Dubrovnik. Sorry Khuns as you had to bear with my dysfunctional 'Modern Family' lol.... I am sure we entertained :-P

Idemo u Dubrovnik!