Zagreb

Our walking tour of Zagreb with a local guide began in the main town square, "under the tail." A favorite meeting spot for the locals, it's beneath the statue of the soldier on his horse.

The local guide did a good job of orienting us so that we would be able to find our way around from this central location. He explained that the lower part of Zagreb had been a floodplain until dams were built to control the river in the mid-19th century.

Then we then walked a couple blocks to one of the world's shortest funiculars, built in the 1890s, which would take us up to the older part of the city, built on the side of a hill, above the flood line.

At the top of the funicular stands one of the few remaining towers from the old city wall. This one has a canon on the top floor that still fires everyday, precisely at noon. The guide emphasized how loud it is -- which is probably true when standing at the base of the tower. But later, when noon came, none of us heard it go off.

Just a short distance up the hill from the tower is a museum area. Many museums are closed on Mondays, but a couple are open. More on that later.

A bit farther up hill from the museums is St. Mark's Square, so named because St. Mark's Roman Catholic Church stands in the middle of it. Tourists aren't allowed to visit the church, however, because the square is surrounded by government buildings, including the Parliament and the Prime Minister's Residence. For security purposes, the entire square is cordoned off to the public.

A monument on this street recalls the Croatian scientist, Nikola Tesla. Tesla, of course, was an early experimenter with electricity, and a rival to Thomas Edison. Ironically, this area of Zagreb is one of the few places in the world where gas street lights are still in daily use. Rather than flipping a switch, as Tesla might have advised, a lamplighter makes the rounds of more than 200 lamps. They are lighted by hand each evening, and extinguished by hand each morning.

One gas lamp remains burning throughout the day, however. It is located in one of the few remaining old city gates, dating from the 13th century. A fire in 1731 gutted the gate, but when the fire was extinguished, a painting of the Virgin and Child was found to be untouched by the flames.

The painting's salvation was deemed to be a miracle, and people began to come to the tower to pray to the Virgin, hoping for miracles of their own. Some believed that they have received the miracles they asked for here, and so plaques of thanks ("Hvala" in Croatian) line the walls.

Just outside this holy gate stands St. George, relaxed on his horse after slaying the dragon. For a saint of very dubious history, St. George really gets around. He is depicted all over Europe, and beyond.

Along the winding streets of old Zagreb are many shops selling "cravats," or neckties. Croatia is proud of having invented the necktie. It was part of a Croatian military uniform, which the French found to be quite handsome. When the French king adopted the style, it became popular across the Continent, much to the lament of businessmen and professionals everywhere, who have been wearing them daily for more than two centuries. Real Croatian cravats are very expensive.

The streets in the old market area are busy with restaurants and cafes. But the market square itself was not so active on a Monday. Big market days tend to be Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Still, a shopper could find an assortment of fresh fruits and vegetables, especially strawberries, which are in season now.

The cathedral, just beyond the market square, suffered severe damage in the 2020 earthquake, and is still unsafe for Sunday services or the visits of tourists. The western facade received a facelift several decades ago, but the sides are very deteriorated because the local limestone with which the cathedral was constructed, beginning in the 1200s, is not very durable.

Our city tour concluded, and our local guide took his leave. But we had been on our feet for more than two hours, and our tour leader, Ida (who is a native and current resident of Zagreb) suggested that we do as the locals do and sit for coffee at an outdoor cafe. We got off our feet for a bit, and also had the chance to use the cafe's restroom, which was much appreciated.

Some members of the group went their own way at that point, but several of us went with Ida by city bus to visit Mirogoj (MIR-oh-goy), Zagreb's massive city cemetery. In the late 19th century, as Zagreb was exploding in size and importance as a city in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a noted architect was hired to design a cemetery far outside the city.

Of course, the city has long-since surrounded the site. But with foresight, the design included an enormous area. The cemetery quickly became the burial place for the city's elite, with each family trying to outdo others with the size and artistry of the gravestones.

The cemetery has been characterized as a huge outdoor art museum, with a fair amount of national and local history thrown in. Everyone -- from cardinals to Nobel-winning scientists to Olympic athletes, politicians, and wealthy industrialists -- is buried here. But only so long as the family keeps paying the rent and maintains the grave.

After wandering only a tiny portion of this massive cemetery, we rode a city bus back to the market square. A light lunch and a seat outside of the town's first and only craft brewpub (lots of good people-watching) allowed us to refresh our legs.

Our next stop was the "Museum of Broken Relationships." This very odd museum began as an art project in which people were invited to submit objects left over from breakups, along with brief stories about each item. It grew into a permanent exhibit, with odd and quirky items from around the world -- from wedding dresses to sex toys. Many were sad, many were funny, and some were just downright strange.

We had been on our feet most of seven hours by the time we returned to the hotel for some rest. To finish the day, most of our group went out to eat at a restaurant that specialized in foods popular only in Zagreb. However, the particular dishes we had might have been served across much of central Europe. It was an OK meal, and very reasonably priced.