Zagreb, Croatia

A small yet beautifully old and vibrant city, there are a select few memories I think I will always keep with me. First, is that cobblers in Croatia are scared to touch a figure skate. The threading on the very top, back heel of one of my boots was beginning to pull apart. The entire morning of my first day off in Zagreb consisted of being sent from one cobbler to the next, all shaking their head definitively and saying, “No! My machines are not big enough for that! Try this other cobbler…” only to find the next cobbler saying the same thing. After a substantial tour of Croatian cobbler shops, I gave up, and proceeded into the city center, lugging skate in bag. 

My curiosity led me down an alley full of Christmas market stands, and up a funicular. Turns out the top of the funicular led to a well-known birds-eye view of the city, and eventually to the Museum of Broken Relationships. Knowing that several of my friends had been planning to stop there today, I wandered in to see if I might run into them. Sure enough, they came in about fifteen minutes later.   

I’ve never seen anything like the Museum of Broken relationships. It is in one sense very sad, and in another, a seemingly healthy way for people to pay homage and respect to past relationships (whether romantic, parental, or simple friendships; whether broken up violently, quietly, or by a death), and move on. Some people’s stories were extreme, some very sweet, and some sad. Here, you can see for yourself:

The rest of the day was spent wandering around the city center, through a Cathedral, into a little bakery with the best macaroon I’ve ever had, and amongst all of the Christmas market stands. Some of the highlights for me was the Zagreb Cathedral, the iron molded topography map of the city, and of course the hot spiced wine and homemade crafts at each Christmas market stand.