August 2022
We drove to Zagreb from Krk by car. The drive is a bit more than two hours.
For me the experience is unique: I hadn't driven into a capital by car. More fucked-up traffic than in Zagreb I haven't seen - everything there is wonderful. Those who survived can see the city too.
Immediately clear what you can't do in Zagreb
In the center there's a park with nothing in it
Views
Modern art
Modern trash can
Parking for those who don't get it
And for those who get it. Worth stopping at this for a second.
A person not prepared mentally will be surprised no less than in Brno.
First - on multi-lane roads trams go in the outer lane. Accordingly, people temporarily stand in the inner lanes. Special treat to see a van with hazards in the middle of absolutely everything.
Second - they park in multiple layers, on crosswalks, while moving and aren't shy. Basically, by level of parking degradation Zagreb is Brno's sister city, such Yugoslavia in Europe today is hard to find.
The city itself is noticeably run-down
Grandpa is hauling plastic bottles since you can return them
City center is actually quite nice, really liked it
Someone's businesswoman-designer wife
Oh yeah, everything everywhere is being built and repaired
Terrain in the center is very sexy
Center, basically, is good
Well, up to a point
Vibe
Street signs
Some church thing
More beautiful from afar. Tour groups are mostly organized.
Pedestrians in Croatia are still completely ignored
Attention to center of frame - taxi driver waiting for passengers on a crosswalk.
Reality
Reality #2
Mailbox
First rule of Croatia (look at everything from afar) works here too
For a second Zagreb becomes Prague and Vienna on minimums thanks to this rule
Pointless funicular
Life in the center
Tram (main color blue, but most covered in ads)
Tram with ads
Someday you'll be able to enter buses not only through the front door. Only backward cities do this.
Seems like Zagreb will become the second Prague
But unlikely
First, there's no metro here, and it's a city of a million. Second, street layout is straight lines, they race as they can. Basically, to today's Prague it's still about 20 years, and prices aren't exactly good. No point investing unless for a very long time.
Original ramp
Would like to, of course, remove cars from the city and enjoy, but in the near future this is unrealistic
The city is most likely building so actively because soon there'll be EU, the only hope
There's also a modern center
It's wide and noisy there, no chance of beauty
Reminds of Prague 20 years ago
Soon they'll be shooting Croatian films here about how cool and romantic it is to smoke weed
We went into the post office, 2 cars parked on the sidewalk. A line formed at the post office. A guy wanted to skip us, but got offended, threatened to leave and left. The ladies inside told him to fuck off and calmed us down, saying he's weird.
Suddenly
There is beauty after all
Stop
Guy with a big expensive car didn't pay for parking, but Russian tourists from Prague paid. Disgrace
Around the station it's pissed on and there are homeless people
Everything that can be is plastered and graffitied
Better in parks
And in the center it's very nice when there are no cars and it's quiet
Old center, basically, is top, the rest of the city kinda sucks
Local Notre-Dame. Another feature - Croats, turns out, are very religious (apparently). At the post office they sell books about Jesus
That's different
Oh yeah, the reader might think that in my opinion Croats are somehow bad. This is not true, people are quite soulful, but as soon as they get rich - everything goes bad. We've been through this too.
Speed bumps have worn down from being ignored
Cemetery
Candles and flowers
Basically, impressions are mixed
Seems like Europe
But imho, more like Yugoslavia and will stay that way
