June 6, 2021
Today is a super rainy day, but it’s Sunday so I don’t want to miss out on the festivities. I go to the Dolac, which is Zagreb’s central market that happens each morning. I grab some fruits. Next, I head to the antique flea market in Britanski Trg (Sundays only). There’s no clothes so I don’t end up buying anything, but you can definitely find some really cool stuff here like dishes, furniture, or art.
Now that I’m back in a big city, I want to head to the mall, but I discover the tram does not operate to Arena Centar mall on Sundays. I’l save that for another day. Instead I head to Good Food for a quick bite, and surprisingly, have a good and cheap meal. There was no English menu here though!
There’s lots of little touristy sites in the city center so I try to stop at Gric Tunnel. This tunnel was used as a bomb shelter during the war and it’s a long T-shaped rounded tunnel with only a toilet in the middle of the main wing. I’m alone so I walk to about where the toilet is, and then turn around and speed walk out. This tunnel feels extremely creepy and I don’t want to be here alone for another second.
I try to lighten the mood by finding the Oktagon, but discover it’s under construction, so I head home to dry off.
June 7, 2021
Today I’m finally heading to a proper mall, Arena Centar, which has all the basic stores. There’s not a lot of food, or maybe I wasn’t familiar with the options. It’s a nice walk from the tram stops, so be careful in the rain, but it’s easy to navigate without phone service.
I wait to get back into the city to eat and stop at Yellow Submarine Burger near Frankopanska stop. It’s a decent burger with a lot of sauce, but luckily the sauce is tasty.
Swanky Mint is actually full now so unfortunately I have to move to Main Square Hostel for the night. It was a bit tricky to find on the street, and you have to go upstairs in a weird building to reach it. It’s a bit dirtier and definitely a different crowd from Swanky Mint. The elevator is out of service so I had to drag my bag all the way up. There’s also a lot of older people in the hostel which is a bit off putting, but so far I haven’t had any problems. There’s plenty of space to work, so it satisfies my needs.
I’m still looking for a sunhat so I head into Nama. This is a well known traditional department store that hasn’t changed in many years. I find a nice hat so I walk away satisfied. I grab some ice cream from Vincek on Ilica Street, which is great. Then I head home.
It’s time for class so I head to Swanky Monkey Garden to attend from there. The bar has good vibes. They have a great playlist and the house Swanky Blonde Ale is tasty. On the way home I grab some fries in the main square, because why not.
June 8, 2021
I head to Roots this morning to grab a mango smoothie for 28 Kuna. This wasn’t my favorite smoothie consistency but what’s positive is that it’s definitely made of fresh nutrients, which I can always use more of.
I want to do more urban exploring since Croatia is great for that so I head to the abandoned hospital across the river. You can find the address on Google, and take the tram to the nearest point. The structure is very big, and easy to find by walking along the river. The stairs are completely rotted so only the steel remains, making it dangerous to go to higher floors but not impossible. Some Swanky Mint people had agreed to go with me and then bailed, so I didn’t get to see much since I was alone. I definitely would not go alone but it is possible because it’s super easy to get to and you won’t feel uncomfortable walking to it until you walk onto the actual grounds of the structure. Even so, if you stay on the ground floor it’s easy to escape, but it’s super quiet which feels scary.
I head back home before it’s dark and stop at Nokturno for dinner, where I have a tasty Italian meal.
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