Well we are liking Zagreb. It’s got lots of old buildings and leafy streets, squares and parks.

It’s evidently got a population of about 900,000 people but I don’t know where they all are – perhaps at work?

The Hotel Astoria comes with breakfast and it is definitely not to be missed. It goes from 6.30 til 10.30 am and we were there for a good part of the whole duration (not quite). I’ve never been in a place with so many jams and spreads. There must be 15 or 16 different options. There’s also fresh strawberries and cherries, other fruits, cereals, hot eggs, bacon etc, cold meats and cheeses and various drinks and juices. Oh and also bubbles (Mike was tempted but couldn’t work out the stopper).

We had a taste of most things so as to keep us going until dinner. Then Mike booked himself a city tour by Segway and Barb and I decided on a self directed city tour. We walked around to the Hotel Esplanade which is where the tour began and watched while he had a lesson and was off with his guide, Darko.

We had a map and decided to wander in the general direction of the Cathedral and city centre. Well Zagreb has some rather nice shops and the $NZ is about 0.28 of a Croatian kuna so what can you do? I wanted some bling summer sandals and the 2 tops and tee shirt dress will be very useful on this trip.

We had a look inside the cathedral, which is quite ornate and then wandered along the streets until we came to a cafe where we had a coke. Barb tried unsuccessfully to pay in euros and then with a credit card so we found a cash machine for some local currency. Evidently bars and cafes won’t take credit cards. The cash machine was just around the corner where we also discovered a small grocery store/pharmacy where I could get pegs (to hang out towels on the Greek boat trip) and some wet wipes.

We got back to the hotel not long after Mike at about mid afternoon and have had a quiet read sitting down in the lobby beside this self playing piano where you can help yourself to coffee, cookies and water. The piano plays a repertoire of jazz and light classical but all in the style of someone who might be actually playing.

We had a pre tour meeting downstairs at 6.30 and sighted our travel companions for the next week. There are actually 3 sub tours. One goes all the way to Dubrovnik by bus (us), another stops in Split and then goes on a boat and another does some combination and goes on to Serbia and Bosnia-Hertzgovena. There are 46 altogether at the start. Mostly Kiwis and Aussies by the looks and sounds. Our tour guide is called Iva and she seems nice and patient (like a saint).

We hadn’t realised but got a buffet meal tonight as the first part of the tour. It was at the Astoria and was nice. Not the range they have at breakfast but tasty and filling. The 3 of us then went across the road to this trendy looking wine bar that turns into a restaurant by night and had a nice glass of Croatian red wine sitting by an open window looking over the street. A very nice way to pass an evening.

We have an early start tomorrow as the tour of Zagreb begins at 8am and we have that breakfast to devour beforehand.