Zagreb

We are having a wonderful time in the company of Davor, Miriana and Irena. Monday we got up, had a leisurely breakfast in their beautiful flat and then Miriana took us on a guided tour of Zagreb. We walked around the lower and upper towns seeing the cathedral, beautiful old buildings and parks, the national theater, archives and outside of galleries and museums (they are all closed on Mondays). As we walked, we learned more about the history of the town and personal stories from Miriana's life here. We paused for a little wine tasting in the shop of one of the family's friends. Afterward, we met Davor for some wonderful gelato at Millennium (our favorite in all of Croatia), then wandered around some more as he went back to work.

We walked back to the flat to meet Davor at the end of the afternoon. We got in the car, picked Irena up at work, and drove out of town 30-45 minutes through lush forestland to a huge antenna on top of the mountain, but more amazingly, we found out this is actually a ski area with several runs including a slalom run used in international competitions. I never would have guessed such a place would be so close to the city. They told us about a champion woman skier from Croatia and how 25,000 people from the town went up there a couple of years ago to watch her compete.

We then went down the other side of the mountain to a restaurant in a valley. It was in a large peasant's house with a thatched roof, low beamed ceilings a cozy dining areas. We had another meal of regional specialities, roast duck with a special flat pasta, turkey with a mushroom stuffing and stuffed chicken breast with a paprika-flavored polenta. We drank regional white wine and for dessert, one of their favorite dishes, štruklj, a kind of cheese filled crepe baked in the oven with cream (sort of like a soft cheese blintz). We were so stuffed we didn't get through much of the dessert, but it was delicious-and the whole meal very relaxing and fun.

We're sad to be leaving Croatia in a couple of hours. We have had a fantastic time here. All of the people have been so warm and friendly. The sea, parks and towns are great. The history is amazing. We highly recommend a vacation to this wonderful place!

It is with some mixed feelings that we head for a city with more than three times the number of inhabitants of the country where we have spent a little more than two weeks: Istanbul.