See the hot spots around The Balkans In 60 Days – Stop 9 Zagreb, Croatia

14-16/8/2018. I was already salivating for my next destination: Croatia, part of the old Yugoslavia. It’s not a big country, but it comes with quite a reputation. The bus ride from Ljubljana was enjoyable, farmlands dominating the landscape along the way. Two hours later, I arrived in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. Hard to imagine as recently as the ’90s that the three brothers, the Serbians, Croatians and Bosnians were at each other’s throats. An all-out fistfight. Then they started hurling grenades at each other, evolving into all-out war. The breakup was bloody. Many thousands died. Fortunately, some European neighbors asked them to kiss and make up. This happened in developed and civilized Europe barely 30 years ago!

Zagreb is not a megacity. I did not see skyscrapers dominating the skyline. There was less artificiality. I have been able to enjoy many wholesome activities at one with nature here. The people were humble and helpful. The wars had affected them, but they are breaking from the past. There is so much going on under the sun.

14-16/8/2018 对下一站克罗地亚我早已垂涎欲。这是以前南斯拉夫的一部分。一早从卢布尔雅那骑大巴南下，一路牧农场，远看似高尔夫球场，只是多了几栋房子, 两小时多到克罗地亚的首都萨格勒布。很难想象刚不久前的九零年代为了独立还在跟当时的南斯拉夫大打出手，干得你死我活，打得不可开交，结果死数无数。后来其他欧洲的兄弟看不下去了，喊各方不要再闹了他们才停手。这还是不到三十多年前的事，且在文明发达欧洲中，无法想象吧！

这城市比我想象还小，没多少摩天大楼，没面子工程，只是朴实城乡味，自己的情调。人们都很乐于助人，谦和的友善。从战火走出来，铸造自己性格，自己的世界。

萨格勒布虽然精彩多样，也只是开胃菜, 克罗地亚该高潮迭出，非常期待！

I woke up the next morning expecting another day of action-packed activities. By late morning, however, the shops were still mostly closed, the streets deserted. I did not realize this was a public holiday for the Catholics, the Assumption Day. It was a hot day, so I went to chill in Jarun, in the city’s southern part. This is a sports and recreational area with a suburban feel. Children played in the lake, couples jogged, youngsters cycled, half-naked men ping-ponged, while others just daydreamed about world peace.

在萨格勒布第二天，快到中午，怎么门店都没开，连老鼠都回洞里陪老婆去了。原来今天是公共假期，我就到城南叫贾伦 (Jarun) 的湖边去调节。湖是不错，看起来像个人造湖，幼龄家伙在裸泳，还有跑步，滑轮，骑自行车，手拉手不知是约会还是搞情侣徒步的，野餐的，还有十几桌中年人在乒乓桌厮杀得你死我活，其他无所事事闲坐的，白日梦想世界和平。

Deserted streets on public holiday 公共假期冷清街道

What do I eat in Croatia, you may wonder? All Western. A fish is a fish, baked or fried; it still looks unmistakably a fish, bones and all. I swear, I could even taste the lead. A stingy few drops of lemon and specks of salt and pepper tickled the taste buds. This was the way it was hundreds of years ago; this was the way it is now. The same with the greens: No preservatives to preserve its freshness; crunchiness is good. All I needed were my 22 teetering teeth to crunch it, then lubricate it with fermented grape wine to move it on its way. Simple, straightforward, unconvoluted. What you see is what you get.

在克罗地亚这段日子吃什么? 你可能看不起的饮食，或该说是你看不起眼的饮食。一条鱼就是一条鱼，烤了煎了还看得出是条鱼，连鱼的铅味道几乎都吃得出来。最多挤点柠檬，撒点椒盐，几百年前这样吃，现在还是这样。蔬菜也就是蔬菜，不需煮炒，那二十二根牙齿当搅拌机搅后就是了，发哮葡萄汁当汤喝就是。没什排场，没搅弄，直截了当。

The sun was bright but gentle, the breeze blew but it ruffled nobody’s feathers. This is a beachy country; they were naturally predisposed to the outdoors. On many of the already narrow streets, they cordoned off half the streets for dining tables, rendering many lanes single and one way. They want to be out in the open as much as they can. This is a country that knows how to enjoy life.

今天阳光亮而不热，风就只轻轻的吹而不摧，身体凉快心情爽。克罗地亚是海滩国家，会享受人生，到处可见窄窄马路还把半车道让餐厅摆设餐桌，把马路变为单行道。这道路怎没按道理呢? 这些事，有些事，真不需要较劲道理，只要气氛弄得酷，就是好结果。

Restaurants occupying half the street 餐厅占据半边街道

My kind of travel—just drift and loiter. I then came across a small park, a little sign that said “Little picnic. Welcome!” At 6 p.m., picnickers started to arrive. By 7 p.m. every blade of grass was taken and crushed. There were little food stalls and intoxicating drinks catering to those who needed more. I couldn’t resist savoring some of these local savories. What a taste of Croatia money can buy! This is a little picnic where anyone could just wander in. Cool!

As it got dark, a man walked to each lamp pole, his hand holding a long pole, to light up the oil lamp. Nice, huh? Couldn’t they just flick the switch to light up the whole street in one go? No, they must do it the old-fashioned way. They brought back the nostalgia, re-create the fairy-tale.

I rarely hunt for souvenirs on my travels. But some caught my eyes in Zagreb as I drifted aimlessly. A bit of retail therapy would be healthy, I thought. So, I bought some souvenirs for my two women back home (they are still young, but they have long thought they are already women).

The ambiance was so mellow, and the air so easy-going. They had emerged from the wars.

走着走着柳暗花明又一村，在个小坡一片小草地上，一块牌子写着 “小小野餐。欢迎”。下午六点野餐的人们陆续到来，七点已草无虚席，在一角落摆卖糕点小吃，像是私房秘方烧制的，还有啤酒葡萄酒助兴，我也抗拒不了一尝为快。

天黑前，一位大叔举着长杆把街灯一个一个点亮。干嘛不干脆一开制一举把整条街点亮？这较有意思。这就是情调。

漫无目的溜达，一反常态买了几件纪念品给家里两个女人，该都张大成人了。一共不到五十美元，心疼孩子不心疼的代价。

他们会搞情调。他们已从仗火走出来。