Croatia: Zagreb

Our first hour in Croatia started with hectic ride on through the outer suburbs of Zagreb into the city. We'd been accustomed to bike lanes and gracious drivers so far but Zagreb was different. The drivers were aggressive and we used mirrors to keep ourselves safe. Worse still, we couldn't even cycle on the footpaths because that's where cars park. Arriving in the city a little frazzled, we ran into the cycling angel of Zagreb, namely Darinka from the Croatian cycling club and advocacy organisation, bicikl.hr. She took us under her wing, fed us drinks and cakes, gave us a heap of maps and contact numbers for the rest of the trip, and then invited us to a BBQ at her place the next day!

At the BBQ we met Darinka's husband Damir, their daughter, and friend Maja. Damir is the only full time employee of bicikl.hr and returned that morning from a cycling conference in Switzerland. The afternoon was spent feasting and chatting about cycling, economics, politics, and various other topics.

BBQ at Damir and Darinka's

That night we met Roger's friend Clare at the bus station and stayed for the next two nights in a good hostel. We did a few touristy things and tried to outdo each other cooking vegetarian feasts.

Clare preparing gourmet dinner

We also found this curious display of patriotism in a square in Zagreb:

Are these Croatia's football colours?