We HEART Zagreb!

Owl and Bear have now landed in ZAGREB, Croatia!

We arrived last night by train by way of Vienna, Austria. It was an epic train ride, with inspiring views of the mountains and rolling hills of Austria. We even enjoyed wifi for a good part of the trip, offering us both a great opportunity for our creative projects.

Stepping into the streets of Zagreb this morning, we both fell instantly in love with the city. There is a certain wildness and old world feel about the culture here that inspires a heart warming smile that radiates from the inside and out.

Our apartment is a 15 minute walk or a 5 minute tram ride to the town square and old city. It was a beautiful sunny morning, so naturally we chose to walk, enjoying the parks and plazas along the way. Within moments we were both absolutely taken by and awe inspired by the architecture and the gentle flow and creative nature of this magical city.

Walking above the horizon line, where streets are filled with markets and cafes, we climbed several stairs to the most spectacular, authentic and tasty meal we have enjoyed on our travels thus far, at least this leg of our journey! Our table was filled with fresh beets, carrots, swiss chard, lamb, homemade bread, olive oil and potatoes…Tyler’s adventurous palette invited little frog legs to our table, which was strange but fun to watch him eat and for me to try just a little taste.

We concluded our meal with a homemade digestif each. Our waiter, who we loved, offered us the choice of a sweet, medium, or a “really good one,” as he grinned and beamed with a smile from here to the moon. Tyler and I both agreed that we wanted to try the “really good one.” With that smile, how could we resist! Moments later, out comes two homemade concotions, one a sweet melody of peaches and the other delectable mixture of herbs.

The experience of our meal was like walking back into time, from every little detail on the table to the relics hanging from wall to wall, depicting a time worlds away. We shared our appreciation and love for our meal and vowed to each other, and our dear waiter that we will be back before our departure to the coast. He returned his pleasantries and enthusiastically offered us the name of his favorite restaurant in Split, Croatia, where we will be traveling to this coming week.

Back into the city streets we roamed, passing by several museums, while enjoying the fantastic views above the city. Down the stairs we descended, into the stream of cafes and shops along the way, naturally leading us to the tale end of the Saturday market, where we filled our bag with bananas, blueberries, nectarines and lemons.

And to top it all off, we just had to stop into the Tolkien Cafe, (Yes, inspired by the J.R.R Tolkien) for an afternoon treat where we enjoyed the most divinely prepared hot chocolate, a shared double expresso, finishing it off with a “Saturday Orgasm”…a delectable concoction, that caught Tyler’s eye that most certainly initiated a moment of pleasure, as the sweetness and eccentric nature inspired a moment of ecstatic delight!