Monday (Dubrovnik to Zagreb)…

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rose with the 7:30 bells from the Franciscan Monastery. Time to repack for our quick flight today…a trial run for our trip home tomorrow. We had another energizing breakfast at Cele. We found a shaded corner table and sipped café Americanos. Jeff’s omelette was even better than yesterday. My ham and cheese crepe was warm with a pleasantly surprising dollop of sour cream inside.
 
With a bit of time to kill before our departure, we took in one last ‘tapas’ museum. Today the Sponza palace. The Venetian-style building was the true highlight, but the collection of old photos of the Dalmatian coast and a B&W reel of old Dubrovnik was also interesting. The building houses the State Archives for the Dubrovnik Republic, and the current exhibit highlight the best of the restored replicas for viewing. The originals were wisely kept in micro-climates storage in the rooms above…too fragile to allow out. The other exhibit showcased the many fortified castles littered over Bosnia Herzegovina…Mostar was the only we actually visited.
 
Passing thru our little neighbor shop at the foot of the stairs of our apartment, we could resist ‘buying’ (leaving money and a note since the artists hadn’t arrived for the day) a watercolor landscape of the Dubrovnik wall and harbor skyline. After packing up remaining items, we wheeled our luggage the short distance to a well-placed taxi stand just outside the Pile Gate. The taxi ride afforded spectacular views of the old city and coast from the high-winding, modern route to the airport as we said our goodbyes to the Dalmatian Coast.
 
The Dubrovnik airport was small and efficient…although our flight was delayed awaiting the inbound aircraft. Thank goodness Croatia Airlines is a Star Alliance partner…we were able to check our expanding collection of books and other souvenirs without charge. This is why we bring an extra duffle bag 🙂 Nearby, the check-in for BA to London was jam packed. Austrian Air to Vienna had quite a line too.
 
Approximately two hours late we lifted off the windy runway in our tiny Bombardier prop plane. We followed the coast for a bit over Dubrovnik and then tiny dotted islands, before turning inland over Bosnia. (No fake speeding tickets up here!!) We approached Zagreb over green patch-worked fields and forests. A wide river wound through the countryside.
 
Our bags arrived promptly and we were soon in a cab zipping into the center of Zagreb. Like most European cities, the airports are at least 30-45 min from their main city center. Our final hotel of the trip was the jewel of Zagreb…the luxurious Esplanade. Oddly, even though this is our most highly rated hotel of the trip, it is one of the best prices. Good to remember!
 
Since we arrived later than we had hoped, we set out quickly to explore the historic center of the city. We traced a route along parks filled with slowly walking couples and sun-dappled fountains. Past the city’s core museum district. On to the Cathedral, gleaming in the afternoon sun. Two soaring towers, one covered in healing scaffolding, one restored and proclaiming to the world. We entered the cathedral during a service, so we could explore, but the cathedral was impressive. It stands up with the other big gothic cathedrals in Europe.
 
We wandered the charming pedestrian streets of the old town. Stopped into comfy Caffe History Club for beers and some paprika chips. Yum! We returned to this same street for dinner. Žuja Je Zakon served up a fantastic platter of grilled meats. Wonderful sourdough-like bread. The rain started at the tail end of dinner (along with a noticeable 15 degree temperature drop), so we darted across the street to History again. Heat lamps and beer fends off rain and chill nicely.
 
The rain slowed to a light drizzle. The cathedral bells tolled midnight. Time to sleep.