Day 49 - 8/9/11 - Thursday- Sarajevo- Zagreb- Ljubljana

Month 1 may have been smooth sailing for our transport modes, however month 2 is rapidly balancing out the ledger. Broken down buses, train delays, missed connections etc. Last night's train arrived at the station on time, however we had to await another train arrival and hence departed nearly 3 hours late. Although the cabin seats did recline, they were not bed-like in comparison to Trans Siberian trains, and no pillows or linen were to be found. Given it was no longer peak season we did manage a cabin to ourselves, so could lay lengthways across 3 seats, which was more comfortable.

With the assistance of sleeping tablets we slept soundly, despite the checking by 3 different attendants of our tickets. This, in addition to the routine passport check by Bosnian and Croatian immigation officials meant we didn't sleep until 1am. The late arrival of the train at Zagreb meant we had missed a 9am connection to Ljubljana, however there was a 12.30 and 6pm train. The sound sleep, combined with luggage lockers at Zagreb station meant that we were free to roam around Zagreb for almost 3 hours, aiming to take the 12.30 departure.

I guess the late arrival and missed connection was fortunate, as not only did it allow us sufficient morning sleep, it also forced us to spend some time in Zagreb. Zagreb, somewhat unexpectedly, is a cracking little city and with the sun out it was smiling at us.

Completely different to Sarajevo (which was dominated by mosques and Ottoman influence) the Zagreb architecture was heavily Eastern European, primarily during the Classic period. Whilst buzzing with trams, old and new, much of central Zagreb is car restricted, and therefore pedestrian friendly. Littered with cafes, restaurants and small shops that were people filled. At 11am on a Thursday I stopped to think- don't these people work, or is it a public holiday?

The major drawcard in Zagreb is definitely the Cathedral of Zagreb, which after checking to see how big St. Isaacs in St. Petersburg was, I remebered this cathedral was in the top 3 tallest churches in the world. It is like a 15 story building, and given it was built in the 13th century, that is quite an achievement. Inside it is rib arched and full of religous statues. When we visited there was a church service in progress, so our visit was brief.

Nearby the church of St. Marks stands bathed in sunlight, and as we walked through the streets it suddenly stood to our right. Your view is instantly drawn to its patchwork roof design, unlike any church roof we have ever seen.

The remainder of the walk was spent admiring not only the streetscapes, however the monuments, the crisscrossing trams, the buildings and the main park, which creates a scenic 4 block precinct to the north of the station. Always a better way to greet people than plain brick buildings.... like our former gas and fuel towers.

We just made it back in time, after the normal amount of admonishing Cinthia to stop happy snapping and start footpath whacking. We are now on the train to Ljubjana, and whilst our passports have been stamped by the Slovenian lady, our co cabin inhabitant has her 2 bags thoroughly searched for 15 minutes. The search reveals she has bought a fair amount of clothing, 5 years of toiletry supplies, and she may have enough chocolate for 6 months, depending on the strength of her addiction. She has so many supplies it is obvious that she sells these goods in Slovenia. It is likely she gets up early to go to Zagreb, buys as much as she can fit into the 2 suitcases, and returns to Slovenia the same day to top up her stores inventory ready to sell at vastly inflated Euro prices. Gives a new meaning to the term 'Day trader'.