May 7
After an amazing long weekend at Lake Bled, Slovenia, it was time to move on. I was going back on the rails, taking a train to Zagreb, Croatia for an overnight stay. I was scheduled to leave just before 2:00 pm and would be in Zagreb by 5:00 pm. At least that was the plan.
I woke up feeling a bit sick from my cold. That was not good, but things quickly got much worse. I always have my phone on “do not disturb” during the night. When I picked it up, I saw a late-night message from my nephew with the news that my sister was ill. She had been hospitalized and was in intensive care. I exchanged a couple of messages to get some details. It was not good.
Everyone has those fears while travelling far from home, maybe just in the back of our minds but still present, of getting sick or injured. The second fear is that something bad will happen back home. I was now dealing with the latter. There were no thoughts of rushing home. I could not help, and what would rushing entail anyway? It might take several days to get there.
(A brief happy spoiler alert, my sister made it through. I visited her later in the year.)
After another wonderful breakfast, I stopped at the front desk to arrange a taxi to the train station. A couple from Singapore, Warren and Stella, had just checked in and asked for directions to the lake. I had time, so I offered to walk with them.
There was a constant drizzle, so we went into a coffee shop where Warren insisted on paying for my latte. We had a nice chat before I excused myself. I had a train to catch.
I got my suitcase and did my room check. I always walk around the room before checking out, just to make sure that I am leaving nothing behind.
I was pleased that Dennis was on duty. He had been so helpful, especially with the restaurant reservations and the e-bike. I asked about the cost of the bike rental and was pleasantly surprised when Dennis said that it was free.
I have always preferred hotels to Airbnb’s. I like to talk to people and sometimes get advice. But just like with breakfasts, there is a big difference in the amount of personal service provided by hotels. Penzion Kaps, at least when Dennis was on duty, rated at the very top.
I had read lots of reviews about Lake Bled that stated it was “too touristy”. My first thought is that the description is quite relative when you compare Slovenia with the most popular places in Turkey or my soon to be visited stop in Venice. Maybe it was the time of year or the fact that I spent so much time at Lake Bohinj and on my bike ride, but I was not bothered by the number of tourists. I was happy that I had chosen the place for my longest stay.
I had booked the taxi to the station to save me from the walk to the bus station and subsequent ride. It was very quick, and I arrived quite early.
I stood outside the small Lesce-Bled station along with several other passengers. There were no electronic signs. As I noted in my post about my arrival a few days before, I had exited an eastbound train and had crossed over the westbound tracks to get to the station. I should have crossed over to get on this train. I will also admit that I had a compass app on my watch but never looked at it. I would in the future. But I did not think about which direction the train was coming from or where I should stand. Perhaps I had a good excuse. I was operating in a bit of haze as I kept thinking about my sister.
This is my photo from the day I arrived just to show how stupid I was. Advice for train passengers boarding in smaller stations, figure out the direction your train is coming from.
There several other passengers. I stood with them, assuming that they were going the same way as me. A train arrived about the time I was expecting my Zagreb train. Everyone rushed to board. I was confused. I thought the train was coming from the other direction. Trains do not wait long at little stations. There was no time to think. I boarded.
I found the first-class car. It looked nice. The conductor asked me where I was going. When I said, Zagreb, he shook his head and shrugged. He did not offer any help, “Not this train.”
I was now racing along, back to Austria instead of going to Croatia. Well, not exactly racing, this was not a high-speed train. Even so, I had to decide what to do. Should I continue to the bigger station at Villach, about an hour away? Or, if I got off now, was there a chance to get catch my train coming the other way?
I decided that since this was the wrong train, I wanted off. I got out at the first stop. I was the only passenger to do so. Then I discovered that the station was locked. There was no one around.
There was also no sign of my train. Perhaps it passed us shortly after we left the Lesce-Bled station. Maybe it had been cancelled. I had no reservations so would not have been notified if it had.
Was I concerned? Perhaps a little, but I knew I would eventually get on a train and get to Zagreb. I was travelling on my Eurail pass so all the trains were free. I was mostly just annoyed at myself.
Luckily, I had data on my phone (something that would change later in the trip). I was able to use my app and figured out that I could get a train to Ljubljana in 45 minutes. I would then have a three hour wait there for my train to Zagreb and would arrive at about 9 pm. The direct train to Zagreb was not an option since it would be coming much later, and I certainly did not want to stay on this platform any longer than necessary.
It was a quick one-hour ride to Ljubljana. With the rain there was not much to see.
Zagreb had been in and out of my itinerary throughout my trip planning. At one point I was going to stay in Croatia for a few days, continuing to the Istrian coast. Then as I added trains in Switzerland, I took that away. But since the train would be free, I decided to spend one night in Zagreb. I would have the evening and next morning to explore. I had now lost the evening.
At this point I wondered if I should just skip Zagreb, find a hotel and have a relaxing evening in Ljubljana rather than waiting for the next train. But my Zagreb hotel was paid for, and the train was still free on my pass. I would see the countryside between the capitals and have a few hours in the morning to see a bit of Zagreb. I would carry on.
We arrived in Ljubljana. I found the exit and went out into the drizzle, pulling my little suitcase behind. I found a nice restaurant and had a risotto. It was quite good and left me feeling a lot better.
I went quite early to the station. Now I had an electronic board to check, and double-check, and check again. I found my platform and what must be my train even though there was no destination noted on the engine.
I was happy to see that it had the old-style carriages with the six person compartments. I had one to myself and had fun during the ride. It was quite beautiful along the Sava River.
It rained for the last part of the ride. I finally arrived in Zagreb, four hours later than planned. I bought a chicken pastry, a burek, from a kiosk in the station. I had enjoyed my pasta meal in Ljubljana, but that was like my lunch, and the tasty burek became my supper.
Annie's B&B was quite close to the station. It was dark and still raining. I found the entrance and followed the instructions that came with the reservation. I keyed in a code to get inside the building, walked down a dark hallway and turned left into a narrower dark hallway where I found a little old-fashioned cage elevator. It took a few moments for me to understand how it worked, but I finally ascended to the second floor.
Here are the photographs and a video I took the next day which do not do justice to how dark and gloomy the entrance was at night.
I used another code to get into the B&B. There was no one around. I walked past the desk and through the dining area to my room. I used yet another code to get into my room.
I looked around the room and then out in the breakfast area for some tea. I have never stayed at a B&B that did not have a supply of coffee and tea for the guests, but I could not find any here and eventually gave up.
I phoned Po and told her about my very strange day. Sometimes travel does not work out as planned. I reminded myself that it is all about the journey.
May 8
This was my worst night of sleep, or lack of, during my trip. My room was on the second floor, just above the street. I do not know if the trams ran all night, but they were loud when I was trying to get to sleep and loud in the morning when I woke up. And I was in bad shape with my cold, although Tylenol was helping.
Was I having fun? Of course I was.
This was officially called a B&B, so it was one of my hotels with breakfast included in the base price. That had turned out great in Bled. It was not so great here.
There was a group of women already seated in the dining room. I went to the self-service area for coffee and was not pleased to see only instant. The women were apparently also unhappy, but then one of their group returned from the kitchen and announced in French that coffee was on the way. I was happy to know that coffee was coming and also pleased that I had understood everything in French. Right after bringing out the filtered coffee, no hope for latte here, the B&B lady brought out some pastries. They were okay. I ultimately added the breakfast to my negative review.
I packed and left my suitcase next to registration desk and began my quick walk in Zagreb, to use my few hours to see what I could of the city. It was raining. It never stopped.
These are the trams that woke my up. I am sure they are a great way to get around the city, but it was not fun to share a room with them. I would not use them today. Everything was within walking distance.
I managed a couple photos along the way to my first destination of the Zagreb Cathedral.
I passed the Amelie café. It would have been a great place for gelato, but not this morning. That is Marco Polo sitting across from the café. He did not seem to mind the rain.
Parts of the Zagreb Cathedral date from the 13th century but most of it dates from the devastating earthquake of 1880. It normally serves as the backdrop for Zagreb’s most iconic images with its double spires. Unfortunately, the cathedral was damaged in Zagreb’s earthquake of March 2020, and the spires are covered up for safety and repair.
A tower with Mother Mary and Angels is in front.
From there I walked through the drizzle to Ban Jelacic Square. Ban Jelacic was a Croation hero from 1848 who led an uprising against the Hungarians. There is a huge statue of him in the square which was first erected in 1866. It was removed in 1947 by Yugoslavian authorities since the confederation did not allow symbols of nationalism by its republics. It was put back just before the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1990.
The drizzle and I continued to the Dolac Market. I met Kumica Barica, the “outdoor market selling lady”.
This is when I felt especially sad that the Zagreb Cathedral spires were covered.
It was not nice outside, and I was not buying anything, so I hurried to the inside section. There was not a lot happening here either.
I had read about olive oil and truffle tasting during my research, back when I thought that I would go to the Croation coast. I did not have time to check it out on this day. I would have pasta with truffles in Slovenia.
I walked on to the Stone Gate, one of the original town gates from the 13th century. There is a painting of the Virgin Mary inside that is a pilgrimage site.
On the downhill side of the gate is a statue of St. George & The Dragon. The dragon is on the bottom, having been slayed by St. George.
I had shown earlier that you can have a coffee with Marco Polo. You can also spend some moments with Ruđer Bošković, a famous 18th century scientist and philosopher among his many other talents.
I finished my walk near the train station, passing the Art Pavilion Zagreb, built in 1898.
It bookends one side of King Tomislav Square, a park across the street from the Zagreb Train Station. A statue of King Tomislav, Croatia’s first monarch, anchors the station end. He was crowned in 925.
That ended my tour of Zagreb. Like my quick tour of Munich, it was shorter than planned due to train issues. But my rushed tour of Munich was not my fault. I had to make changes at the last minute. This rushed trip to Zagreb was bad planning. I should have added another night in Zagreb. My train screwup only made it worse.
I made a quick detour to the B&B to collect my suitcase and then returned to the station.
The Zagreb Train Station was built in 1892 and offers a great view of King Tomislav Square, with this side showing both the Art Pavilion and Mr. Bošković.
I checked board for the first time of many. Yes, I was nervous after yesterday’s trip. The board showed that the train to Ljubljana was the only one that would be late.
I bought a spinach and cheese burek for one Euro. The one last night was chicken. At this price I could survive on these. I took it outside and found a bench near the platform.
It had been raining all morning, but now the skies really opened. It poured for several minutes, and I felt lucky that I was here and not out on my walk.
It was almost time for our late arriving train. I chatted with a young English couple and confirmed that they were going to Ljubljana. They agreed that it is easy to get confused about directions in train stations. Or maybe they just wanted to make this old guy to feel better.
This train had a regular carriage, not the old compartments of the train that had brought me to Zagreb. There were lots of empty seats, and I moved a few times until I saw the sign for the first-class section. I was all by myself.
The fog and rain continued as I rode back along the Sava River. It was still a lot of fun.
We arrived in Ljubljana.
This would be my last train for five days since my next two transfers would be by car. I had mixed emotions about that.
This featured blog entry was written by Bob Brink from the blog Searching for Magical Moments.
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