Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, was the first stop on the second phase of our journey after spending a wonderful time with both sides of our families stateside.

Many people skip Zagreb and focus on the south of Croatia when they visit and most of the locals had departed to spend the summer on the coast, but we enjoyed roaming the quiet old neighborhood streets and enjoying the delicious food.  We rented an apartment for a couple of nights and stocked up on smoked ham and fresh produce from a local market.  We also rented a car, learning the Croatians don’t prominently display their street signs.

The next morning we went to go pick up our friend good Jean from the airport.  While she napped off her jet lag, Amanda and I walked over to the nearby Mirogoj cemetery which was supposed to be one of the most beautiful in Europe.  There was a huge, elegantly carved brick arcade that surrounded the building that almost made it look like a fortress.  Inside, I was surprised to see that a lot of the beautifully decorated tombs contained Jewish families.  We saw aisles and aisle of huge, beautiful statues decorating family plots and lavishly decorated mausoleum walls.

That night, we all went out to a neighborhood near the Kaptol, a cathedral in the center of town.  We walked along cobblestone streets and had a great Dalmatian dinner (including prosciutto and cheese) with some local wine.  This was one of favorite meals in Croatia. As tourism is now expanding, the rest of the country is still a bit behind in getting delicious, authentic cuisine to the masses that can rival the rest of Europe.