The only research I did before heading off to Zagreb, was looking up the flight time and the visa requirements. By this time I had seen all the places on my list, so this was a “why not trip”. I wasn’t sure if I would encounter a language barrier so I got a taxi from the airport to my hotel and didn’t even try and figure out the public transport system. As usual the taxi driver gave me a quick crash course on Zagreb. He spoke about the lack of jobs for young people, those that could leave went to neighbouring countries looking for work. He talked about how tourism was very big in Croatia, how expensive everything was for everyone other than tourists, who lucked out with the exchange rate and always ended up having a great “cheap” holiday. The more he talked, the more I could relate, it was hard not to see the painful similarities with my beloved Zimbabwe.
Within a few hours of walking around, I decided that I liked Zagreb. It was lovely with its narrow cobbled streets, beautiful old town with a mixture of the usual well-known international brands as well as older traditional shops. It was small enough to see in a day, with a relatively busy city centre and a farmers’ market on the outskirts with the locals selling fruits and vegetables. Croatia is also a Christian nation, I was happy to see carefully crafted magnificent religious statues all around the city. I got a chance to say a prayer and observe a moment of silence for loved ones I had lost so long ago.
Zagreb was the only city that awarded me an opportunity to take a city tour in my own chauffeur driven car, this vintage car seemed the right mode of transport for seeing the old town and the spectacular views. On my tour, I saw the Museum of Broken Relationships. I had no idea what to expect and ended up spending an afternoon in this museum, dedicated to failed romantic relationships. It housed a collection of donated personal effects and incredibly sad love letters from former lovers. It sounds a little sad and depressing, but how many of us have had our heart broken and felt that it was the end of the world? How many of us have loved with everything we had, took a chance and believed the love stories and hoped and waited for a happily ever after that never came? This museum left me feeling sad and nostalgic, realising that I too had joined the millions of people that had something to leave in that museum.
