Saturday

It's a gray Saturday, but maybe a few degrees warmer than it's been. No snow, in any case. It was warm enough for the locals to be sitting at sidewalk cafes, but I get the feeling Croatians would sit at sidewalk cafes in the Arctic, so that may not be saying much.

First thing today I mastered something new--mailing a package abroad (I've already mastered retrieving packages). Someone had very helpfully informed me ahead of time that you're not supposed to seal the packages--the post office employees want to look inside. That was a good thing to know! Just yesterday I discovered a shop with a good envelope selection, so I had a nice padded one to use today.

The picture below is from Ban Jelacic Square, where a group of people was dressed in medieval clothing. There was a band and a cannon they shot periodically, plus this guy being spun in a circle. I'm not exactly sure why but it was fun.

This is the interior of a mall right off the square. If you not a fan of Neoboroque architecture nto begin with, Zagreb might cure you of that.

 This is at Dubrovnik Kavana (coffeehouse), right on the main square. Surely one of the world's best people-watching spots (at least when it's too cold to be outside). For 29kn (less than $6) we got hot chocolate and espresso, and could have sat there all day.

The view from the kavana, where watching people dodge trams is lots of fun.

I don't think I've mentioned it yet, but Zagreb is a fantastic walking city, even when the weather's uncooperative. Everything's pretty compact, the lower town is nice and flat, and there's plenty to see. And when the weather warms, all those cafes plus some nice parks. Over near Zrinjevac park today, there was arrayed on the sidewalk a succession of pairs of colorful boots, all filled with water. Again, I have no idea why. We end up walking towards the city center almost every day, and even Allison doesn;t complain--although that may be because of the bakeries we inevitably visit along the way. In any case, a pleasant stroll with a cafe visit is something I don't do in California, and I'm really enjoying it here.