Zagreb

We’ll start with Zagreb, the capital. It’s pretty easy to get around and they have an easy metro that can take you from A to B. It’s a beautiful city to walk around. It’s not Paris or Madrid but it does have a unique charm to it defined by it’s Austro-Hungarian architecture.

Know before you go:

• Most places accept Credit Cards, mainly Visa or MasterCard. Acceptance of AMEX cards are few and far between. 
• They have casinos in Zagreb which I did not check out. Furthermore I did not find any betting spots such as Tipico, or anything remotely Croatian.
• Most restaurants and bars were walk-in. Some you could/need a reservation but everywhere I went I didn’t have an issue for a table for 2. 
• Most Croatians understand English but don’t speak English. I would recommend getting a translation app to assist in any mixed communications. 
• Zagreb is very safe.  But like anywhere else, exercise caution, don’t be an asshole, and keep your wits about you. 
• Drinking Age is 18 in Croatia. Marijuana is illegal in Croatia although some minor offenses have been decriminalized. 

The highlight of my stay in Zagreb was the Drazen Petrovic Museum which is curated by his mother. She was a lovely human and left me with a Croatian National Team Petrovic Jersey that is one of my favorite things in the world.

‍

I got food poisoning in Zagreb and to spare you the details, it was so bad it broke through multiple imodiums. The coffee I had in Zagreb was solid. Nothing I recommend. 

As for the games, both were underwhelming. The Cibona (pro team in Zagreb and where Drazen cut his teeth) match was whatever. The ticket cost me 5 euros, beers were 3 euros and the arena was practically empty except for maybe 30 spectators. The game was like watching D3 hoops. You can skip this experience. It may be different in the playoffs but it was forgettable.

I watched Dinamo Zagreb which is the Croatian power in football. Their stadium was probably built in the 80s and was not in great shape. I sat in the Ultras section and I had to walk up 6-8 flights of stairs (no elevator or escalator). Security was pretty tight walking in as well. Beers were 5-7 euros as well. It was a quarterfinal match of the Croatian cup. Dinamo won handily. But the atmosphere was less than what I expected. 

I went to another quarterfinal match of the Croatian Cup between Lokomotiv (Zagreb) vs. Osijek. The game was free and it was at what felt like a middle school soccer stadium. Maybe 50 spectators on hand. The Osijek (away) side security was extremely tight. I was groped everywhere (and I mean EVERYWHERE). The game was fun to watch but it was again less than I expected from Professional football in Croatia. I recognize they don’t have the same resources as the USA but I believe it’s one of their bigger sports. 

‍

Split

In Split, it was different. The stadium for Hajduk Split was also old as hell but it’s right next to the Adriatic Sea. There was some rain on my regular season game and the stadium had multiple leaks in the roof. The atmosphere was way better and more intense with the Hajduk Ultras in full force. The game had to be paused for 2-3 minutes around the 75th minute when the entire stadium was filled with smoke from the multiple smoke bombs and fireworks the Ultras set off. Beer was again around 5-6 euros. I loved this experience, the backdrop of the Sea and the Mountains.

As for food in Split, I went to Restaurant Apetit which served me incredible Black Ink Risotto and Hand-Made macaroni with truffles and prosciutto. Both were fantastic dishes. As for my coffee fiends: Stow Coffee by Matej Šerer is the spot. His mustache looks good, and his coffee tastes better. Highly recommend both spots. Nightlife was solid but it was more of whatever you’re feeling. There were plenty of people out every night so you could find a bar or club and enjoy yourself. 

‍