{"id":160,"date":"2016-07-03T18:18:10","date_gmt":"2016-07-03T17:18:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/209.222.30.173\/?p=160"},"modified":"2020-12-22T14:11:00","modified_gmt":"2020-12-22T14:11:00","slug":"an-interrail-adventure-blog-5-zagreb-plitvice-lakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/interrailplanner.com\/blog\/an-interrail-adventure-blog-5-zagreb-plitvice-lakes\/","title":{"rendered":"An Interrail Adventure &#8211; Blog 5: Zagreb &#038; Plitvice Lakes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just like that, I was in Zagreb! My train arrived on time, in the capital of Croatia. It was certainly a pleasant change from my previous arrivals, hopefully it sets the standard of my future journeys. Ditching my bag in the hostel, I realised that I\u2019d entered the European Union once again \u2013 marked by the hostel owner making a joke about me \u201cnot being an EU member for too much longer now\u201d. This was the first of a few jokes about the EU, something which I quickly realised was to become a common occurrence. Also, as a Brit abroad in the EU, it seems as though my opinion on the result is gold dust \u2013 everybody I meet asks me about Brexit!<\/span><\/p><div class=\"inter-content-paragraph\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;margin-bottom: 20px;\" id=\"inter-4262772939\"><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-4633244982126279\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-4633244982126279\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"7158573474\" \ndata-ad-layout=\"in-article\"\ndata-ad-format=\"fluid\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">My first full day in Zagreb of course included the obligatory walking tour, where I learnt about how Zagreb was originally two small settlements, how it grew and how modern day Zagreb was formed. The rest of the day was spent solo exploring, which included seeing the cathedral in all its glory, the Dubravkin woods and a personal favourite, the \u201cMuseum of Broken Relationships\u201d. The museum is dedicated to items left behind when relationships end, those with a special story behind them. It was a great change from the usual museum fare, which at this point in the trip was becoming a bit samey.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 1600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh5.googleusercontent.com\/x16Jxk2Vntps2htgGsnKtmKSyU0tjQZrtvQ3KczaO1BTTikzgXjG5k055672NUUjfGLM28cTptLnTfcfTgFtNeIPLpynY2FEHVcpYq9pPx1G_xgYEEZvHI-L85K-dNSWfDbV7CtM\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Zagreb Cityscape<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That night, I was wandering through the old town, to St Mark\u2019s square (where the parliament is based) and I heard some interesting music. Folkish, traditional music. Then, I saw a group of men in armour\/costume stood by the adjacent church. Before I could work out what was going on, there was a parade of people going by, all singing and dancing, leading the way to a nearby bar. Of course, I decided to follow them and I was led to a traditional dining ceremony, where a band was playing and people were dancing, chatting and laughing under the night sky. Bread, wine and rakia (a native spirit) was handed out to everyone. After being handed a drink, I stayed and enjoyed the music.<\/span><\/p><div class=\"inter-content_2\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;margin-bottom: 20px;\" id=\"inter-1181842090\"><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-4633244982126279\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-4633244982126279\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"7158573474\" \ndata-ad-layout=\"in-article\"\ndata-ad-format=\"fluid\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Zagreb itself is a small city in terms of things to do\/see. However, it is placed only two hours away from the Plitvice lakes, which are well worth visiting if you\u2019re in Croatia. An UNESCO world heritage site, it consists of several lakes connected by waterfalls. Any explanation I give of the beauty of this place is worthless next to some photos, so just have a look at these\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/4owWGbYB64_WDY7hTCPEZDeBdcZ5OEg8iLPKiA6zjp5yspWlsYCrop68pXQveULmAq7TYn90518jCMRWnCdomntEXicVAHwYIp5hDM3eLsBb2pAwy1BCZnLCBVe3PoDqiu0fMFOb\" alt=\"WP_20160629_13_26_21_Pro.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/Wr057yyT1Fp_0c_QzVv0D9JbO0YwlREhcSnCHep2SmcVjF5ePrbTWY7kal5RVtg0gE3FZO6D-3kP2VIUqR3xee-vUPgYsvdtd_I_eTzqGtG6t-xUOlt2Cp1cj5K_LWET89VHZUOu\" alt=\"WP_20160629_11_03_48_Pro.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/lh5.googleusercontent.com\/eW3vTRI0bYUiWMSydu6wiEMgKf0rzmRi8hTUbYVJ0tSS-CqYUIDYwd6wlInTcBAQeiHyjYyUZ47eQfXOBT2uYSUk6Clztti-MX2QevbzWw4Ek7XVpXsRWP4VHG0yb0Vn7ic7aJvV\" alt=\"WP_20160629_13_17_35_Pro.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/Rb19e8HJpreUHdftefrARQDhslNjHAtlhBGxDgrbqBhaqttv8Z9MMUvmLDyFVxvEf8gTsDt-wcIlLTkMsGdoZ_6KZnJb6XeTvJo02SCdFtP4ah8h-ow8C_sx5uyd17fXttpGaSJk\" alt=\"WP_20160629_12_33_40_Pro.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I spent the day there with some Canadians and an Australian, who were also travelling around Europe. We had a whole day of exploring, taking in the sights and at times navigating some slightly flooded pathways! It made a fantastic change from the city environment and was a perfect way to mix up my trip a bit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That evening, once I returned to Zagreb I quickly connected up to the hostel wifi. Why? Well, it was my university degree results day, so I wanted to find out how I\u2019d done. I\u2019ll just say, I was very happy with my result and celebrations were in order! Forgetting about traditional food for a night, that meant pizza and a fair amount of beer. Afterwards, I stumbled across a Dire Straits tribute band playing for free in the park, so I was pretty happy. Once they had finished, after following some music, I came across a free concert from a Croatian (I assumed) musician. A lot of food, beer and free music in a European city \u2013 a pretty perfect evening if you ask me!<\/span><\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 1600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/Lyn9SpYAPLxi2Ve3CzW60TdhCpJrPfd9wT_ghY9VaPGZ9ZfOefp7o3nLzH1liarAo8dZaZLgGGMfZClHtR8axmS51KdbesxcwFZQAFwmSCWhxinRd_496FRygR7AeRwfjA2Ud3-J\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A free concert in the heart of Zagreb<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This morning, after rousing myself out of bed, I packed my bags, grabbed a coffee and headed to the train station. Unfortunately, the only direct train to Graz (my next destination) from Zagreb was a 7:25am \u2013 I\u2019d well and truly missed that one! Instead, I\u2019d have to get a train into Slovenia and then change trains a few times from there. So, that leaves me where I am now, on the way to Slovenia!<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><i><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jackmanjames26\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">James Jackman<\/a> will be sharing stories from his Interrail trip every few days throughout June and July &#8211; follow us on <\/i><i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/interrailplanner\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a><\/i><i> and <\/i><i><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/planinterrail\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Twitter<\/a><\/i><i> to catch his updates as soon as they\u2019re posted!<\/i><\/p>\n<div class=\"inter-after-content\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;margin-bottom: 20px;\" id=\"inter-867359621\"><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-4633244982126279\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-4633244982126279\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"8015293915\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Just like that, I was in Zagreb! My train arrived on time, in the capital of Croatia. It was certainly a pleasant change from my previous arrivals, hopefully it sets the standard of my future journeys. Ditching my bag in the hostel, I realised that I\u2019d entered the European Union once again \u2013 marked by&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":622,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[27,64],"class_list":["post-160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interrail-adventures","tag-interrail-croatia","tag-interrail-zagreb"],"cc_featured_image_caption":{"caption_text":false,"source_text":false,"source_url":false},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/interrailplanner.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/interrail-adventure-zagreb-plitvice-lakes.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/interrailplanner.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/interrailplanner.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/interrailplanner.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/interrailplanner.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/interrailplanner.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=160"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/interrailplanner.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/interrailplanner.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/622"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/interrailplanner.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=160"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/interrailplanner.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=160"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/interrailplanner.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=160"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}