It has been awhile since I have posted. Life and exams took over and
left me little time for other things. But now I have left Bologna and
am in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, where I will be for two months
interning at an NGO that promotes democracy and political
transparency.

I have been to Zagreb before, but only for a few hours. I was anxious
to return and explore what had so unexpectedly caught my attention a
few years back.  The city is much as I remembered it– lines of
baroque buildings, triumphant iron statues and winding avenues lined
with boutiques. My friend was recently here visiting and remarked that
it felt like Vienna, Istanbul and Italy all swirled into one. Thinking
of the enormous concrete apartment buildings on the periphery of town,
I added Communist Russia to the eclectic mix. This is not surprising
given a history that has fallen under Hapsburg, Ottoman, Venetian and
Soviet spheres of influence.

Zagreb is notoriously sleepy in the summer, because anyone with a car
and/or an ounce of sense heads to the sea or the mountains to escape
the heat. While the temperature has been oppressive (up to a heavy
99 degrees last week), there are occasional but magnificent
thunderstorms that break the heat and snap lightning through the
skies. Plus, the city becomes slower and more intimate in the summer
months, and you can wander freely without the hassle of the hustle and
bustle.

I am just settling in for my 8 week stay, and am happy to get to know
this place in a more meaningful way than my previous visit allowed
for. If anyone has any Croatian vacation suggestions, please share.

Next week… my trip to seaside Zadar! (I am well on my way to writing
a guide to Cities Beginning with Z…)