Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, was our first destination. Greeted by thunderstorms and a no-show transport at the airport to our hotel along with no umbrella, a suitcase packed with warm weather clothing, and jet lag probably wasn’t the most auspicious beginning to our Croatian adventure.

Zagreb, the name, not at the tip of most tongues for illustrious European capitals of the world. Paris, Rome, London all spring to mind. Zagreb is definitely not in that echelon. However, it has a major international airport, and it was a logical entry into Croatia. Our friends, Leila and Pete, accompanied Raphael and me. We did learn more about this city with the help of a local guide, V (for short). With the rain pouring down, our first scenic spot V directed us to was a department store where we purchased our umbrellas.

Zagreb’s old town, cathedral (under construction), and flower markets were charming but more powerful was V’s retelling of being a teenager during Serbia’s attack of Zagreb in 1991.  At first, her mother and she ignored the blaring air raids, because it seemed absurd they were being attacked by a former ally. It soon became clear the rocket attacks were deadly and real. Although, she sheepishly admitted staying out past curfew, telling her mother the air raid siren went off and she had to wait in a bomb shelter, but really secretly partying with friends.  She was a teenager. This history of the Bosnian War would be woven into each of our local guide’s commentary throughout Croatia deepening our understanding of this tragic conflict.

To escape the pouring rain, we dashed into a wine shop in the Old Town, Vinoteka Bornstein, for a wine tasting.  The owner and sommelier had scoured Croatia and brought back some truly special wines from small boutique wineries.

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We also loved our dinner at Koh Pere, a cozy hideaway in a residential neighborhood. Sitting in the terrace under the grapevines overlooking the cathedral, we enjoyed our dinner family style, sharing each dish. Beginning with

So is Zagreb worth it? It depends. We used it as a springboard.  As a stand-alone destination, there are more scenic and exciting locales in Croatia and Slovenia. And the next exciting locale coming up is Ljubljana, Slovenia. Stay tuned.