A Weekend in Croatia – Friends, Food & Jazz

 

I am sure you have seen some of my posts here or Youtube videos from concerts I have been to. From Emeli Sandé, Solange Knowles, Beyonce, Allen Stone, Sofar Music Festival.  I can listen to pretty much all genres of music.

One of my favourites is Jazz and I try to make a few performances during Jazz festivals in London. When I was invited to visit my friend in Zagreb, Croatia with the possibility of going to an exclusive Jazz session. I couldn’t say YES fast enough.

My friend started off the weekend exploring in Zagreb’s Tra Bana Jelcica central Square, which is named after a 19th century military hero proudly guards the town square brandishing sword on a horseback. We walked through the square trying to not get run over by passing trams through the busy square.

Zagreb is brimming with beautiful medieval churches, museums and great architecture in addition to the many things to do in Zagreb. If you are staying longer in Croatia then also check out this Croatian itinerary to help you plan your exploring. The cobbled little streets teeming with little enchanting cafes.

Tra Bana Jelcica central Square

 

We then set off to St Mark’s Square, home to Sabor, the Croatian Parliament square. The roof tops of the buildings are decorated in mosaic tiles of the coat of arms of Zagreb and Croatia’s distinctive red and white chequerboard flag of the country.

Parlament Square

 It was time for some refueling and my friend took me to this cute restaurant with a courting yard outdoor sitting area. They served one of the most beautiful pasta and sauerkraut combos I have ever tasted. Shame I didnt take any pictures of it(probably too busy stuffing my face with it). The evening was then finished off with at the Croatian VIP Jazz festival!

The following day I thought I would indulge in a little more art. I went solo for this one as my friend had already been a few times. I headed to the Museum of Contemporary Art in town. This is one of the most significant museums to open in Zagreb for a long time and cost some 60 million Euros.

 

The museum also featured an installation by Carsten Holler. The installation consists of two metal slides what has entry points on two different floors of the museum.  Tate Morden in London also feature a similar installation called ‘Test Site’ by the same artist but consisted of 5 slides; one of each floor of the Tate. Its was free to get on the slides. What a trip without a little adventure so I was all the way up to the third floor to get on the highest of the two slides for my moment of thrill. A cool way to end a visit at the museum.

 

 

 

Slide Installation by Carsten Holler

 

As my last evening and night was approaching my friend’s mum had invited us over for dinner. A nice treat for some freshly made home cooked meal. As if she had know I had a sweet tooth, there was also some freshly made cake too!

 

Zagreb is such a beautiful city. If plans work out I hoping for another trip to Croatia next yet.Fun Fact: The country of Croatia may just have given birth to the necktie. Sometime during the 1630s or 1640s, Croatian mercenaries involved in the Thirty Years’ War visited King Louis XIV of France. The king was very impressed by the soldiers’ traditional uniforms, which featured soft scarves tied around their necks. By 1650, Louis and his court were wearing Croatian neck scarves instead of the full lace ruffs that had previously been fashionable….